Themes: Crowned Heads, Political Unrest, Arranged Marriages
Main Cast: Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Vincent Perez, Virna Lisi
Release Year: 1994
Country: FR/IT/DE
Run Time: 161 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The historical novel by Alexandre Dumas was adapted for the screen with this lavish French epic, winner of 5 Césars and a pair of awards at the Cannes Film Festival. Isabelle Adjani stars as Marguerite de Valois, better known as Margot, daughter of scheming Catholic power player Catherine de Medici (Virna Lisi). Margot is an heiress to the throne during the late 16th century reign of the neurotic, hypochondriac King Charles IX (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a time when Protestants and Catholics are vying for political control of France. Catherine decides to make an overture of good will by offering up Margot in marriage to prominent Protestant Huguenot Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil), although she also schemes to bring about the notorious St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572, when tens of thousands of Protestants are slaughtered. The marriage goes forward but Margot doesn't love Henri and takes a lover, the soldier La Mole (Vincent Perez), also a Protestant from a well-to-do family. Murders by poisoning follow, as court intrigues multiply and Catherine's villainous plotting to place her son Anjou (Pascal Greggory) on the throne threatens the lives of La Mole, Margot and Henri. The American release version was cut to 145 minutes. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Review
A historical drama of epic proportions, the 1994 version of La Reine Margot is an authentic balance between period sumptuousness and realistic grittiness, held together by fine performances. Writer-director Patrice Chéreau doesn't flinch in his depiction of the political machinations at play in late 16th century France and the butchery that occurred as a result. Though the labyrinthine plot escapes the director's control at times, the film has a flamboyance which keeps it compelling. At the center of this storm of a movie is Isabelle Adjani, whose maidenly, distant, yet passionate manner is perfectly suited to a period drama. Virna Lisi received a good deal of critical attention for her role as the villainous Catherine de Medici. The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre also served as the background for one of D.W. Griffith's segments of Intolerance (1916) and was the focus of 1954's La Reine Margot. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide
