La Reine Margot

Patrice Chéreau, France 1994, 162 minutes

La Reine Margot is a sumptuous sexy swashbuckler of a film with royal antics that make the House of Windsor look like The Brady Bunch in comparison.

Based on the novel by Dumas and set to the backdrop of the French Wars of Religion the film tells the story of the real 16th century French Princess Margot (Isabelle Adjani) who, after committing incest with all her brothers, marries the Protestant Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil) as part of a Catholic-Protestant peace settlement, but falls in love with a dashing Protestant (Vincent Perez). Meanwhile Margot's delightful mother Catherine de Medici does the ultimate mother-in-law act and orders the murder of all Henri of Navarre's friends and half of Paris while she is about it prompting the Protestants to be none to chuffed: cue more fighting.

From the opening scenes of Margot and Henri's rather swish wedding, this is a no-expenses-spared production. Much effort has gone into trying to create the world of the 16th century French court in which these passionate, blood curdling events go on. Unfortunately what ever colour the costumes start out they usually end up red because almost inevitably someone in the vicinity gets killed. Daniel Auteuil is as brilliant as he always is, giving a great performance as the uneasy Henri trapped by marriage into a family who he knows hate him and want him dead. Isabelle Adjani is also very good as Margot getting a tad fed up of being her brothers' mistress and diplomatic tool and desperately trying to achieve her own happiness. As for Vincent Perez - he just stands there and looks gorgeous but that is good enough for me...

"A sweeping historical epic... Adjani is a revelation" - Premiere

Review by Alicia Forsyth
Taken from EUFS Programme 1996-97