Queen Margot: The Director’s Cut
Description
With its ample nudity and gore, fiery theological polemics and demythologized depiction of French royalty as incestuous autocrats caught up in dastardly political intrigue, Patrice Chéreau’s Queen Margot caused a stir upon its initial release in 1994, garnering the Cannes Jury Prize and accolades for Isabel Adjani’s remarkable portrayal of the titular sovereign—quite a coup for a slyly anachronistic costume drama set in the gloom-and-doom 16th century and featuring one of the most sensational wild boar attacks in all of cinema. To commemorate the film’s 20th anniversary this lavish period piece has been brought up to date through technical refinement and full-length restoration, every added moment and audiovisual improvement enhancing the ideologically righteous, bosom-heaving splendor of the director’s grand (Guignol) vision. Bayonets and tongues are sharpened and wielded lethally in a deliriously frenetic rush of bloody battles and boudoir power plays, as the increasingly beleaguered yet carnally omnivorous queen tussles with arranged-marriage spouse Henri de Bourbon (a glowering Daniel Auteuil), passionate lover La Môle (a brooding Vincent Pérez) and scheming relatives for control of the throne and Europe’s religious future. As Catholics and Protestants alike lose their heads in the notorious St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Adjani’s steely-eyed monarch learns that true love is no match against a mother scorned (the scene-stealing Vima Lisi as Catherine de’ Medici). –Steven Jenkins
Patrice Chéreau (1944–2013) enjoyed widespread acclaim as one of France’s finest filmmakers, dexterous in both intimate character studies and panoramic historical dramas in noteworthy works including L’Homme Blessé (SFIFF 1984), Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (1998), Intimacy (2001), His Brother (SFIFF 2003) and Gabrielle (SFIFF 2006). Chéreau worked with many of French cinema’s major stars, including Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Pascal Greggory, the latter his life partner of many years. Frank sexuality and a clinical eye for the social contexts of human behavior characterized his directorial approach, also evident in his many works for theater and opera. Upon receiving the prestigious Europe Theatre Prize in 2008, Chéreau was singled out as “one of those rare examples of a person who manages to succeed in all the expressive arts.”
Film Details
Language French, Italian
Original Language Title La reine Margot
Year 1994
Premiere North American
Runtime 159
Country France/Italy/Germany
Director Patrice Chéreau
Producer Claude Berri
Writer Patrice Chéreau, Danièle Thompson
Editor François Gédigier, Hélène Viard
Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot
Music Goran Bregovic
Cast Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Vincent Perez, Virna Lisi
Print Source Cohen Film Collection LLC/ Cohen Media Group/ bill@cohenmedia.net