French literature of the middle and second half of the 19th century offered its readers a treasure trove of mystery and adventure novels with themes inspired by the history of France from the Middle Ages to the period of the French Revolution. A century later, filmmakers took over the baton in the films of the swashbuckler genre, which were often adaptations of those novels. The French and international public, readers and cinema lovers, greatly enjoyed this genre, bought the books and filled the cinema halls. Among the cinematographic successes of the genre was ‘Cartouche’ made in 1962 by Philippe de Broca. 35 years later, in 1997, de Broca returned to this kind of films with ‘Le bossu‘ (the title in the English distribution was ‘On Guard’), a successful film that once again filled the cinema halls and gave the opportunity for film critics to exclaim in unison: ‘The swashbuckler genre is alive!’
The novel that inspired the film was written by Paul Féval and published in serial feuilleton form in 1857. The influence of Alexandre Dumas-father’s novel ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, published 13 years earlier, is obvious. The plot starts from a tragic love story followed by a belated revenge based on the assumption of a fictitious identity. The story begins in the year 1700, when the knight Lagardère meets the Duke of Nevers and learns from him a formidable and deadly figure of fencing. When the duke is killed by assassins hired by his cousin, the cunning Gonzague, the knight Lagardère is forced to flee with the help of a pair of nomadic theater artists, together with the daughter in diapers that his friend entrusted to him with his last breath. 16 years later, the baby girl has turned into an attractive young woman, with whom the man who played the role of father falls in love. The father-to-lover story wouldn’t really work in a movie script today, but in a 19th-century novel and even a late-20th-century film, it seems there were no problems. The last act of the story takes place in Paris in 1716, between the Royal Court and the Court of Miracles, the neighborhood of poverty and vice known from many other films and novels. Lagardère, disguised as a hunchback, will infiltrate Gonzague’s entourage, avenge Nevers and help his wife and daughter regain their lost social position and fortune.
The two actors who play the main roles – Daniel Auteuil and Fabrice Luchini are two of the best known French actors and among my favorites. Today they both seem counter-cast for a cape and sword movie, but let’s not forget that almost 30 years have passed since the shooting. Daniel Auteuil manages to be a fairly convincing Lagardère and also fits well into the hunchback disguise that is part of the revenge plot. Fabrice Luchini brings to the screen a completely different,much more theatrical, style supported by his perfect diction, perhaps the best among the French actors today. His take on the greasy Gonzague is original and colorful, ultimately managing to make us hate the character despite our sympathy for the actor. We also find in the cast Philippe Noiret in the almost regal role of Regent Philippe d’Orléans. The reconstruction with authentic sets and costumes of Paris at the beginning of the 18th century, the city that was in fever at the height of the French expansion in North America, is also excellent. The duels, including the famous Nevers figure, are excellently choreographed. I don’t know if the swashbuckler genre is still alive (there haven’t been many films of this genre and level since then), but it was definitely in good shape in 1997.