Le libertin

In France, a group of free thinkers, led by the philosopher and writer Denis Diderot have been working to produce the first ever encyclopedia and bring enlightenment and knowledge to their fellow Frenchmen. With the authorities placing an order to stop the spread of this evil work, Diderot is forced to hide the printing presses underground at his mansion as he tries to finish his work. It is a wonder though, that he can write at all, as his freedom brings him a spread of women wanting 'liberation'. He is fine with promoting this way of thinking until his own daughter starts to explore her sexuality with feelings towards an older man. A visit by the Cardinal causes some delay but Baroness d'Holbach tries to keep him busy throughout his visit while the work continues to get the book out.

Without any knowledge of this film I sat to watch it and immediately realized that this was a typically bawdry™ French comedy that does what that description suggests by being colourful, full of raucous dialogue, sexual innuendo and nudity. Unfortunately this takes what could have been an interesting historical film with a comic tone and makes it a sort of unfunny Carry On film full of gratuitous nudity, unfunny comedy and drama/characters that totally fail to keep the audience involved in these comic japes that really lack heart. The story is so spoilt by crude excess that it is never interesting or involving and gradually turns into a very boring series of sexual japes. There is a serious side in there somewhere but it is badly treated and badly handled and it just doesn't work when placed in the middle of so much crude innuendo. If it were funny then it would be at least a bit better but it isn't funny and it doesn't have the 'Gallic sexual energy' that it clearly wants to have.

The cast all gallop around with the necessary amount of bawdry behaviour and 'huh-huh-huh' French energy but none of them can do more than just mess around in the same manner as Sid James and Barbara Windsor were doing decades ago. Perez is nice to look at but without a character he does just play the sort of lead character in Carry On movies – attempts to deal with issues around his daughter are poor since the film is more interested in getting her naked in a bath than anything else. Of course there will be those who find the sight of Audrey Tautou and Vahina Giocante naked in a bath of milk to be a pleasing one, but a bit more actual acting would have been nice too. Balasko is the worst example of Carry On hamming and her whole performance was poor. Ardant was interesting as she was more serious but her nice touches are lost in the material. Overall the whole cast is poor, although I don't blame them so much as the misjudged tone of crude humour running throughout the whole film.

Overall this is a poor film that will only appeal to those who like their French films to just be a load of sexual innuendo and cliché bawdry™ behaviour in period clothes. Historical interests and conflicts within the characters are all there but lost below a load of nudity and Carry On style japes. Sid James must be looking down from smut heaven with pleasure but for me I would have liked a bit more structure, drama or laughs (even one of the three would have done. But maybe I'm just missing the point of this film.

Depending on your taste, this French movie could be considered either as a raunchy French comedy with arty pretensions or as Gallic-flavored Merchant-Ivory type fare with a refreshing lack of them. The story involves real-life 18th century French "philosoph", Denis Diderot, who is holed up with a bunch of his equally jaded family and friends on the luxurious estate of his friend Baron D'Holbach where he is working on a scandalous encyclopedia propounding his libertine philosophy. When D'Holbach's brother (Michael Serrault), a prominent cardinal, shows up unexpectedly, D'Holbach's wife (Josiane Basko) and Diderot's other various friends try to distract the clergyman from what is really going on at the estate.

This is set in the same era as "Dangerous Liasons" (and also the era of the Marquis de Sade), but for better or worse it is much less serious than the various films based on that literary work. It isn't quite the unbridled sex romp you'd expect for a French film set in this free and loose era. Most of the ribaldry involves Diderot, under the somewhat reproachful gaze of his wife, posing nude for an attractive female painter (Fanny Arnadt). There is some casual adultery mostly involving a promiscuous female party guest (Arielle Dombasle). The sexiest scenes though are undoubtedly the ones where Diderot's daughter (Vahina Giocante) and D'Holbach's daughter (a pre-"Amelie" Audrey Tatou) take a hot tub soak together, or the scene where Diderot's relatively prudish wife (Francoise Lepine) receives a "happy ending" from a studly African masseuse. But this movie is much more raunchy comedy than sex. It's kind of comedy of manners but with no manners.

Vincent Perez is quite good as Diderot, as is Josiane Balasko as the Madame D'Holbach, and Michael Serrault as the cardinal. Francoise Lepine is also pretty good, even though she largely disappeared after this movie. And Fanny Arnadt is ALWAYS worth watching. Tatou and Gicante, meanwhile, have little to do but peel off for their hot tub scene, but actually that is PLENTY. This movie is pretty lightweight, but it's also a pretty fun watch.

A must for those who are not fully foolish to be Hollywoodish!

The reason to pass my comments on this nice French movie was the vote on 05/18/00 equal to 4,7... Really, some IMDb customers miss great atmosphere of the comedy and superb play of the cast.

I definitely want everybody, who never saw charming Vincent Perez, to catch him and the rest in this artificial picture from the life of 18th century philosopher Denis Diderot. Never heard that he was so romantic to walk nude during the creation of his encyclopaedia, never imagined that this didactic tutor (Diderot at the age of 60s was a pen friend of Russian tzarina Ekaterina the Great, when she was 30) was so light. Seems that duet of Perez and Fanny Ardant has a personal sound (just to recall that Vincent dated Jacqueline Bisset).

Movie was shown at Russian satellite channel (NTV+) before it obtained great success in cinemas. Really Russians have better taste than 24 voters rated it from 1 to 6. Please, wipe such bad results and watch Le Libertin again!

This movie does not really tell what Diderot was for. Everything what it contains is about the primal reactions what his ideas engineered for and how the current morals, which were supervised by the Church, did not fit into them. The real Diderot was a part of some much larger picture than just sexual morals of the French upper class. The knowledge what the 18th century philosophers wanted to represent was equally against the Upper Class as it was against over-dominant Church.

'Le Libertin' has a good pick of French top actors, but those who want to see this only for Audrey Tautou's famous part may find that thing indifferent. The movie is full of various sexual matters but anyway it is all how it was back in the 18th century, and so every idea that is about sex in the film is also historically very accurate and well crafted indeed.

It is quite important to remember when watching comedies that humor is a very personal thing.

If you are offended by vulgarity; if you hate Benny Hill, and can't see the fun of Barbara Windsor's bikini popping off; and think that concept that breasts have nipples is outrageous; if you think broad humor is a pointless waste of time then this really is not the film for you.

If you thought that France = sophistication, therefore this must be high-brow: then I simply suggest that you get out a bit more.

But if you had read the packet before you watched it you would already know this.

This film is a 'diversion'. A farce. An enjoyment. Treat it as such and you'll be rewarded.