Le Roi danse
Directed by:
Gérard CorbiauCinematography:
Gérard SimonCast:
Benoît Magimel, Boris Terral, Tchéky Karyo, Colette Emmanuelle, Cécile Bois, Claire Keim, Jacques François, Ingrid Rouif, Sylvie Van den Elsen (more)Plots(1)
While Louis XIV had the longest reign of any French monarch and used his nation's military might to significantly expand his nation's control of Europe, he was also a noted patron of the arts with a particular love for dance, and this historical drama looks at the unlikely relationship between the King of France and noted 17th century composer Jean-Baptiste Lully. As a teenager, Louis XIV (played by Emil Tarding) was the ostensive ruler of France, but his mother Anne of Austria (Colette Emmanuelle) made most of the decisions, while Louis staged elaborate dance pieces set to the music of Lully (Boris Terral). When Lully was forced to leave Italy, he found an eager patron in young Louis, who loved his music and was fascinated by the flamboyant composer and his libertine ways. Years later, after Louis XIV had grown to adulthood, the more mature ruler (now played by Benoit Magimel) took control of France's political and military affairs, to the annoyance of the Prince de Conti (Idwig Stephane), who had been Anne of Austria's top advisor. But as Louis confronted his European neighbors, he also established a French dance academy and commissioned Lully to write a number of new dance scores. Lully's flamboyant nature and open infidelity with both men and women earned him the enmity of the more conservative members of Louis XIV's court, but the King remained Lully's champion until health problems began to affect his ability to dance - causing him to lose interest in performance, as well as in Lully's music. L (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (2)
I felt like this movie could have been shot so much better. Either in a more effective way – like Marie Antoinette – or simply better – like Forman’s Amadeus. At the beginning, I was getting a little bit lost in the story and eventually, I figured out that there was nothing that interesting going on and that I had no relationship with the characters. In the end, I realized that I was not at all surprised that the French had started the revolution. The sight of crazy Louis hatching secret plans and trying to build the Palace of Versailles in a swamp was priceless. But I admit that his plans were pretty great. In any case, they were plans at the expense of ordinary people’s money... and that’s not so great. But these sorts of feelings have survived to this day. Except that nowadays, the state doesn’t give us anything in exchange for our money.
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The main role in the historical epic film is not played by the character of the famous Sun King, nor even the character of his court composer Lully, but rather the era of the peak of French absolutism, when Louis' exclusive position was reflected in his cultural activities. The greatest monarch of his era had to have everything be the best. Through his lifestyle, behavior, and activities, he demonstrated the exceptional nature of his position and his personality. The characters of the story are in the background, while the foreground is filled with the opulent splendor of baroque decoration, noblewomen's robes, theater sets, and the king's costumes. The film showcases the entire cultural epoch, its most distinctive and majestic form. It can practically be considered a musical film interwoven with period music. Overall impression: 80%.
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