Danton - O Processo da Revolução

I have read the pro & con reviews and wonder too about the cold disparaging comments of Manicheus? Why not let your students watch a movie and choose for themselves? I felt this was a well presented, well acted and well scripted film that told the story about a confusing time in history. It was a time when Britain was sending its criminals to begin a colony in Australia and the Enlightenment had reached its height.

The French Revolution was a pivotal time in Europe's history and I realized that as the film unfolded, I was learning about the emotions and its inner workings of these great names- Danton and Robespierre. Robespierre was as desperate and dedicated to the Republic as any Fascist was to Franco's bloody vision for Spain.

Robespierre's character showed his dedication to his ideals while being torn by moral considerations of stopping Danton by sending him and his friends to the guillotine... and it was this sense of being treated like I was intelligent that held my attention.

I have often wondered about the French Revolution and the vying of the factions, and the violence of the guillotine... but the Hollywood versions make it a mindless bloodbath while Wojciech & Depardieu have brought some humanity and reasoning to the whole period. I am only grateful that I could see it on the big screen at a free showing at my local Art Gallery in Sydney, Australia.

The last desperate days of Danton and the so-called Moderate faction of the French Revolution is given an excellent treatment by Polish director Andrzej Wajda. Wojciech Pszoniak is truly outstanding as the icily determined Robespierre and Gerard Depardieu brings the full-bodied Danton to life. The last scene in the film, when a child reads the "Rights of Man" proclamation to Robespierre, is an eerie omen for what will come next. For students of the Reign of Terror and anyone else interested in this volatile time in history, this movie is a must.

This is one of the most amazing movies... Anyone who says that Gerard Depardieu portrayed Georges Jacques Danton "wrongly", and who purports that Danton was "not" the huge, strong, charismatic, man of the people that Depardieu portrayed him as obviously has not done much research on the French Revolution. George Jacques Danton was like this exactly. The contrast between Robespierre's incessant paranoia and reservedness (conveyed perfectly by Wojciech Pszoniak...an EXCELLENT job) and Danton's relaxed approach towards the problems with which he was faced, extreme easiness and likeness among people, and the dynamic way with which he approached the mob of Paris' unemployed masses and people in general was spot on: the two men were complete opposites. This movie developed the characters of the French Revolution so well, it is unbelievable. It ENTRAPPED the personalities of all those great, complex, astounding men that gave this extraordinary period of time its distinct shape. Saint-Just, Desmoulins, Robespierre, Danton, all of them...they were painted so accurately. This movie truly brought these incredible men to life. I have to say, the score of this movie was incredible. It brought out all the proper emotions. Overall, an astonishing movie.

The film tells upon the title role , Danton (Gerard Depardieu) , confronting Robespierre ( Wojciech Pszoniak ) during French revolution . The film is based on real deeds , they are the following : Danton(1759-1794) as lawyer participated in overthrowing of king Louis XVI and the proclamation of the Republic , being Minister of Justice in the Convention (1792)and founder of Cordeliers club . He proposed creation revolutionary committees as the Public Salvation Committee which he presided but was substituted by Robespierre , starting a period of revolutionary dictatorship known as ¨the Terror¨(1793) . Besides , in the film appears other historic personages as Camille Desmoulins (Patrice Chereau , nowadays a famed filmmaker ) , Louis David (the prestigious painter) , Saint Just (a famous Jacobino) , Tallien...

The picture especially narrates the happenings surrounding the facing off of the two main figures , one-time revolution partners , and their posterior fall and execution , though gives results a contemporary parable about the modern Poland , thus Danton is Lech Walesa , the leader of syndicate named Solidarity and Robespierre is Wojciech Jaruzelski who was the Prime Minister who imposed the martial law in Poland . Gerard Depardieu is excellent in the title character and magnificently portrayed , also in secondary roles turn up awesome actors as the recently deceased Jacques Villeret ( Dinner game,Crimen in paradise ) and Angela Winkler ( The tin drum ). The motion picture is well directed by Andrzej Wajda , justly considered the best Polish director . The flick will appeal to historical cinema buffs and Gerad Depardieu fans .

Danton was a hero and one of the founders of the French Revolution of 1789. This movie is set five years later and the revolution has morphed into something ugly. While initially the revolution promised freedom, at this point the small committee running the country is extremely repressive and is a dictatorship. Danton and his friends were angry at how the country wasn't better off in 1794 than it was BEFORE they got rid of their king, so they begin criticizing the government. The movie begins as the printer who makes critical pamphlets concerning the government is beaten and his business is destroyed. So much for "liberty, equality and fraternity"! So, as a result of being silenced this way, Danton et al begin publicly criticizing the government. Eventually, Robespierre (the leader of the committee) and his cronies trump up charges, have a show trial and get rid of the dissent. Some have mentioned that the Polish director, Wajda, also intended this to be a criticism of his own nation--which, at the time, was Soviet-dominated and very repressive as well. This makes sense as you see the movie unfold--especially when the government destroys all dissent "in the name of the people".

The acting is fine, the story compelling and I have no major criticism of the film. However, I really wish the ending had been handled differently. Especially because other than history lovers and French people, most probably have no idea that this execution helped to end the government. AFTER this purge of Danton in April 1794, Robespierre himself was executed in July 1794 because the country had just had enough--plus, those surviving Frenchmen knew that they, too, would face the guillotine sooner or later if this sick system remained in place. Some sort of an epilogue would have been nice--such as showing the soldiers coming for Robespierre. He responded by trying to kill himself first, but he only succeeded in blowing off part of his face--still alive, he was guillotined shortly afterward. This would have been a dandy little epilogue and could have been done in about five minutes. However, not showing a connection between Danton's death and the fall of the government is an odd thing to omit.