What the reader saw at the revolution
Created: July 14, 2012 Last Updated: July 14, 2012
Diane Kruger (C) as Marie Antoinette in the historical drama ?Farewell, My Queen,? a film about the court of Marie Antoinette in the final days before the full-scale outbreak of the French Revolution. ( Carole Bethuel/ Cohen Media Group)
\>");Versailles was a place of scandal and indulgence. For a while, it was all quite amusing to the royal court assembled there, but by July 1789, it had lost its novelty. Revolution is in the air, but a loyal reader still faithfully serves her queen in Beno?t Jacquot?s ?Farewell, My Queen,? which opens this Friday in New York.
Among the royal hangers-on, it is widely known that Marie Antoinette has developed an unhealthy co-dependency on her lady-in-waiting, the Duchess Gabrielle de Polignac. At first, that was all very well for the Polignacs, but times are changing.
A list calling for the decapitation of 286 heads is circulating, and the queen?s is right at the top. Suddenly, the duchess is indisposed as Marie Antoinette faces the long dark night of her soul, such as it might be. However, her trusted reader Sidonie Laborde remains eager to please.
As an ambiguously privileged servant, Laborde presents an intriguing perspective on the French Revolution. Moving relatively freely both ?upstairs? and ?downstairs,? she is familiar with the palace?s two contrasting worlds. Though her sympathies lie with her mistress, she is increasingly aware that revolutionary sentiment has infected the servants? quarters.
Farewell, My Queen Director: Beno?t Jacquot
Cast: Diane Kruger, L?a Seydoux, and Virginie Ledoyen
Running Time: 100 minutes
Language: French, with English subtitles
Largely filmed on location at Versailles (including the Petit Trianon), ?Farewell? creates a vivid sense of the place, including the less-than-stately back passages and service corridors. Yet, rather than reduce the iconic palace?s stature, Jacquot creates a claustrophobic hothouse vibe.
Versailles might be the star of ?Farewell,? but the regal Diane Kruger certainly seems at home there. It would be easy to present Marie Antoinette as the customary self-absorbed hedonist, but Kruger?s portrayal is deeper than that, conveying her considerable neediness and even hinting at a measure of self-awareness here and there.
Likewise, L?a Seydoux gives a sensitive, finely wrought performance as the tragically dedicated Laborde. However, as Polignac (zonked out on opium seeds when first introduced to the audience), Virginie Ledoyen hardly has sufficient screen time to explain the queen?s persistent attachment.
?Farewell? is a richly detailed period piece. Set designer Katia Wyszkop?s work is truly Oscar worthy, while Romain Winding?s cinematography clearly reflects the candlelight illumination of the pre-Edison era, without sacrificing clarity.
Recommended for those who enjoy the trappings of a good costume production as much as the on-screen drama, ?Farewell, My Queen? opens this Friday (July 13) in New York at the Lincoln Plaza Cinema.
Joe Bendel writes about independent film and lives in New York. To read his most recent articles, please visit http://jbspins.blogspot.com
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Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/arts-entertainment/movie-review-farewell-my-queen-265127.html
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