Lagardère

A retelling of Paul Feval's Le Bossu, with a number of changes. The intrigue is a little more complex in the uncut version, which allows a greater development of the friendship that develops between Lagardere and the Duc de Nevers. Instead of a gypsy circus, Lagardere hides with Aurore in Spain, taking occasional trips through Europe hunting down the surviving assassins of the Duke, looking for the shadowed killer whose hand was pierced by Lagardere's dagger after stabbing the Duke in the back. The only drawback I found was that the Duke's special fencing move, the Botte de Nevers seemed a little overused in the movie.

A very well done movie with a few twists and turns. Good performances by nearly all the actors (I found Yvon Backe's de Gonzague a little weak), with Clio Baran doing a good job as an Aurore with the wit, wiliness and feistiness of her natural and adoptive fathers. The dialogue is very well written and rendered, but you'll need to know French to understand it.