Historical movies are getting old too. ‘La reine Margot‘, the adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ novel produced by Claude Berri and written (in collaboration) and directed by Patrice Chéreau was made in 1994. I am passionate about history (including historical books and films), I am quite knowledgeable in the history of France, I read Dumas’s novels (albeit half a century ago or even more) and I also did some reading in preparation for watching this movie. And yet, with all that and all the cast and some remarkable cinematic moments, I was left quite disappointed. ‘La reine Margot‘ is a difficult film to watch, which fails to tell the historical drama. Its qualities have nothing to do with the novels of Alexandre Dumas and little to do with Queen Margot herself.
I think that those who have not read Dumas’ novel last week or who are not experts in the history of France in the second half of the 16th century will find it quite difficult to make sense of the first 20-30 minutes of the film. The opening scenes depict the 1572 wedding of Henri de Navarre with Marguerite, sister of King Charles IX of France, a marriage of convenience intended to ease the conflict between Catholics and Protestants that had torn France apart in recent decades. It would be a good opportunity to get to know the characters of the historical drama that unfolds, but the solution chosen by the director is not the most suitable. On the one hand we are dealing with a dynamic, diverse and interesting cinematic portrait of the era. On the other hand, dozens of characters that appear on the screen and viewers have too little time to get to know them and understand their relationships. The event that follows does not need much explanation, however. This is the massacre triggered on the night of Saint Bartholomew in which thousands of people, mostly Protestants, lost their lives. It is one of the most successful parts of the film, and the dramatic filming style brings to the viewers’ minds events from recent European history (the Holocaust) and even contemporary to the years when ‘La reine Margot‘ was filmed (the Balkan wars). The continuation of the plot quite faithfully follows the story in Dumas’ novel – with the love story between the young queen and one of the Protestant soldiers in the service of the king of Navarre, with the religious wars and court intrigues sprinkled with betrayals and assassinations.
Seen 30 years after it was made, Patrice Chéreau‘s film version failed to captivate me. Isabelle Adjani was stunningly beautiful, but neither her relationship with La Môle nor her maturation within the political intrigues of the court seem convincing. Daniel Auteuil seemed to me at first a strange casting for the role of Henri de Navarre, but his personality manages to impose itself and offer a dramatic version of the historical character. I found Jean-Hugues Anglade in the role of the hypochondriac and corrupt King Charles, whose human dimensions are revealed only in the last hours of his life, to be a remarkable creation. Finally, among the memorable roles, I cannot fail to mention that of Virna Lisi who plays Catherine of Medici, in the evil vision conceived by Alexandre Dumas. The acting, dramatic cinematography and Goran Bregovic‘s music only partially compensate for the confusing narrative. A few of the film’s memorable sequences rise above the whole.