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Ridicule
1996 History / Drama / Romance
Review
Whilst not quite in the league of earlier, more substantial historical films (a genre
in which French cinema seems always to have excelled), Ridicule is nonetheless
an impressive and entertaining film. It regales us with a tale of intrigue and love
in the court of the last King of France before the Revolution.
The acting in Ridicule is superlative, with spirited performances from Fanny Adant and Charles Berling. The visuals are admirable, benefiting greatly from extensive use of location filming at the Versailles Palace near Paris. But, above all, the film’s great strength is its script, which flows with wit and poetry. The devious word games which are played out at the court are a pleasure to watch and offer us a fascinating insight into the politics and etiquette of court life in 18th century France. © James Travers 2000 Write a review for this film...User Comments
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Director:
Patrice Leconte
Starring: Charles Berling, Jean Rochefort, Fanny Ardant, Judith Godrèche, Bernard Giraudeau Synopsis
A poor country aristocrat Ponceludon de Malavoy goes to the court of Versailles in 18th
century France to obtain royal patronage for a much-needed draining project. He
soon discovers that to secure an audience with the king he must first cultivate the sophisticated
court wit, and he is assisted to this end by the Marquis de Bellegard. Unfortunately,
the young lord allows himself to be seduced by the irresistible Madame de Blayac, who
is none too pleased when she find out that Malavoy is amorously entangled with the
free-spirited daughter of Bellegard. Spurned, Madame de Blayac resolves to make
a laughing stock of Malavoy.
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