Le Souper (1992)
Directed by Edouard Molinaro

Film Review

Before Édouard Molinaro turned his back on cinema and diverted his talents to television, he made two prestigious historical films - one an account of a probably fictitious meeting between revolutionary-cum-diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand and French police supremo Joseph Fouché, the other an equally dubious depiction of an incident in the life of the playwright Caron de Beaumarchais. The latter film, Beaumarchais, l'insolent (1996) is the more accessible of the two, the former, Le Souper being a wordy two-hander (mostly) which assumes a level of knowledge of French history that few people outside France are likely to have.

It's hard to imagine a film that is more far removed from Molinaro's exuberant comedy classic La Cage aux folles (1978) than Le Souper, his densest and most intellectually demanding film. It's not surprising the film resembles a piece of filmed theatre - it is in fact adapted from a stage play of the same title by Jean-Claude Brisville, first performed at the Théâtre Montparnasse in Paris in 1989. The two lead actors of this acclaimed stage production, Claude Rich and Claude Brasseur, reprise their roles for the film, having previously faced each other off as rival police chiefs in the crime drama La Guerre des polices (1979).

The static nature of the film, together with its extreme verbiage, makes it a long hard slog to sit through but for anyone interested in this crucial moment in French history (the decision to restore the monarchy after Napoléon's defeat at Waterloo) it makes fascinating viewing. Rich's portrayal of Tallyrand is particularly engrossing - compared with Sacha Guitry's more flattering interpretation in Le Diable boiteux (1948) Rich shows him to be the consummate political manoeuvrer, one who makes the transition from the most ardent supporter of the Revolution to committed monarchist look like the most natural thing in the world, as easy as changing a neck tie. The actor was justly rewarded with the Best Actor César for his performance, which ought to be compulsory viewing for any aspiring politician.

Film Synopsis

France, 1815.  With Napoleon in exile after his defeat at Waterloo, the Royalists seize the moment and take control of Paris, intending to restore the monarchy.  In the evening of July 6th, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, an eminent politician after the Revolution, secretly invites Joseph Fouché, head of the French police, to dine with him.  Despite their mutual dislike for one another and their opposing political views, the two men agree on a course of action that will save their country from civil war…