Themes: Rise and Fall Stories, Redemption, Crowned Heads
Main Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Sam Neill, David Thewlis, Polly Walker, Meg Ryan
Release Year: 1994
Country: US
Run Time: 150 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This lavish historical drama based on the acclaimed novel by Rose Tremain won Oscars for Costume Design and Art Direction. Robert Downey, Jr. stars as Robert Merivel, a gifted medical student of the 17th century who ignores his studies in favor of pursuing debauched fun -- much to the consternation of his high-minded Quaker colleague John Pearce (David Thewlis). Merivel achieves the high societal status he covets when he's summoned by King Charles II (Sam Neill). Merivel is chagrined to find that he's expected to care for the king's ailing spaniel, but the dog rallies and Merivel joins court. When one of Charles' mistresses, Celia (Polly Walker) becomes uppity, Charles arranges her marriage to Merivel. In return for keeping Celia in a pretend marriage, he receives an estate and knighthood. Merivel, however, falls in love with Celia and, betrayed by an eccentric painter (Hugh Grant), inspires the king's wrath. Banished and stripped of his wealth, Merivel rediscovers love with an Irish mental patient (Meg Ryan). He also rediscovers his passion for medicine during London's Great Fire and the Black Plague. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Review
A superb costume drama that stumbles occasionally due to its effort to rush through a picaresque structure (the production probably should have been a two-part BBC television miniseries), this adaptation of an acclaimed historical novel represents some the best work from troubled actor Robert Downey Jr. He's typically memorable in his role of a spoiled poseur who finds, as in so many redemption dramas from It's a Wonderful Life (1946) to Groundhog Day (1993), that his salvation lies in lancing his own egotistical, selfish drives. What sets director Michael Hoffman's film apart from the pack is its ravishing period look (the film took home a pair of Oscars for costume design and art direction) and the fact that it's loosely based on actual events and people, providing a relatively authentic peek at a fascinating historical epoch. Downey Jr. is ably supported by an eclectic and well-chosen cast, particularly by Sam Neill as the imperious King Charles II, Ian McKellen as the clever servant Will Gates, David Thewlis as an upright Quaker colleague, and Meg Ryan as an Irish mental patient. Those convinced that Ryan can play only the cute, daffy career-woman-in-love of her numerous romantic comedies would do well to check out her performances here and in Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and Courage Under Fire (1996) for a primer on what a talented, underrated actress she really is. Restoration (1995) would have been better served by a more studious, paced, and even-handed approach, but the film is a solid period piece that deserves to be seen by genre fans who may have missed its brief theatrical run. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
James Acheson - Costume Designer, Michael Hoffman - Director, Garth Craven - Editor, James Newton Howard - Composer (Music Score), Eugenio Zanetti - Production Designer, Oliver Stapleton - Cinematographer, Cary Brokaw - Producer, Simon Kaye - Sound/Sound Designer, Rupert Walters - Screenwriter, Robin Clarke - Music Editor
A young doctor, Robert Merivel (Downey), enters the service of King Charles II of England(Neill) after having saved the King's favorite spaniel. Merivel finds himself enjoying a life of pleasure and popularity at court, until the King informs him that he has arranged for Merivel to wed Celia, the King's favorite mistress. The purpose of the arranged marriage is to fool another of the King's mistresses, Barbara Castlemaine. Merivel is given an estate named Bidnold in Suffolk, and Celia is installed in a house in Kew where the king can visit her secretly. Merivel lives a life of debauchery there, but also finds pleasure in restoring the house to its former beauty. But things become complicated when Merivel breaks the King's cardinal rule by falling in love with Celia, who does not return Merivel's affections.
After finding out about Merivel's romantic feelings toward Celia, the King banishes him from court back to his life as a physician. Merivel rejoins his old friend, John Pearce, who has opened a Quakersanitarium. There, Merivel meets Katherine (Meg Ryan), a troubled young woman whose husband walked out on her after their daughter drowned in the river. Merivel and Katherine become lovers. John Pearce falls fatally ill with consumption, and while Merivel is tending to his dying friend, Katherine makes a scene declaring to all who live and work at the facility that Merivel is her lover. They then discover that Katherine is pregnant with Merivel's child, and after the death of John Pearce, Merivel and Katherine are both asked to leave.
The pair return to London just as the Great Plague has hit. Katherine gives birth to a daughter, Margaret, via caesarean, but Katherine dies in the process as there is no way to ward off infection once the body has been cut open. In her dying moments, Merivel promises Katherine that he will care for Margaret, and that he loves Katherine.
As the plague continues to kill the people of London, Merivel feels compelled to do what he can as a physician. He leaves Margaret with a group of Nuns who promise to care for her in his absence, then he goes out into the city, separating the sick from the well, who have all been quarantined together, and does what he can to ease the suffering of the dying. When someone asks for Merivel's name, he says he is John Pearce as a tribute to his friend. Under this misnomer and in disguise, Merivel is once again summoned to the palace. The King fears that Celia has contracted the plague, but Merivel soon assures him that she does not have the plague, but rather has a treatable fever and is with child. With this, Merivel realizes the life he has now is more rewarding and fulfilling than the life and loves at the court he left behind.
Suddenly, the court is notified that the city is ablaze, and Merivel races back to the city to retrieve his infant daughter from the flames. He is unable to find her, and falling through burning wood, Merivel lands in a small row boat, unconscious, and is floated by the river current away from the city. When he awakens, he is back at Bidnold, the estate the King had given to him at his marriage of Celia, then taken away. As Merivel recovers from his fall, he cannot recover from his failure to protect his young daughter from harm, when suddenly the King arrives at the house with his entourage. He informs Merivel that he has discovered the doctor's true identity, and that he was impressed with the man Merivel had become. With that, the King steps aside to reveal a nurse holding Margaret, Merivel's daughter, safely in her arms. For his courage and good work done in treating the victims of the plague, the King once again gives Bidnold to Merivel, stating that this time it will never be taken away. The movie ends with Merivel returning to London, to set up a new hospital with help from the King.
