La Reine Margot (1994 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
La Reine Margot

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Patrice Chéreau
Produced by Claude Berri
Screenplay by Danièle Thompson
Patrice Chéreau
Story by Alexandre Dumas, père
Starring Isabelle Adjani
Daniel Auteuil
Virna Lisi
Vincent Pérez
Music by Goran Bregović
Cinematography Philippe Rousselot
Editing by François Gédigier
Hélène Viard
Distributed by AMLF
Release date(s) 13 May 1994 (1994-05-13)
Running time 162 minutes
Country France
Language French
Italian
Budget DEM 42,000,000
Box office $2,017,346 (US)

La Reine Margot is a 1994 French period film directed by Patrice Chéreau, based on the 1845 historical novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas, père. It stars Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Virna Lisi and Vincent Pérez. An abridged version of the film was released as Queen Margot in North America, and in the United Kingdom under its original French title.

The film was a box office success, grossing $2,017,346 in the United States when given limited theatrical release as well as in other countries such as Germany where it gained 260,000 admissions and Argentina where it received 530,800.[1] The film also had a total of 2,002,915 admissions in France. [2]

It won the Jury Prize and Best Actress Award at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, as well as five César Awards.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Isabelle Adjani stars as Margaret of Valois, better known as Margot, daughter of scheming Catholic power player Catherine de' Medici (Virna Lisi). Although Margot herself is excluded from the throne by the Salic Law, her marriage to a Protestant prince offers a chance for domestic reconciliation during the late 16th century reign of the neurotic, hypochondriac King Charles IX (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a time when Catholics are fighting over political control of France with the French Protestants, the Huguenots. Catherine decides to make an overture of goodwill by offering up Margot in marriage to prominent Huguenot and King of Navarre, Henri de Bourbon (Daniel Auteuil), although she also schemes to bring about the notorious St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572, when thousands of Protestants are slaughtered. The marriage goes forward but Margot, who does not love Henri, begins a passionate affair with the soldier La Môle (Vincent Pérez), also a Protestant from a well-to-do family. Murders by poisoning follow, as court intrigues multiply and Queen Catherine's villainous plotting to place her son the Duke of Anjou (Pascal Greggory) on the throne threatens the lives of La Môle, Margot and Henri of Navarre. A book with pages painted with arsenic is intended for Henri but instead causes the slow, agonizing death of King Charles. Henri escapes to Navarre and sends La Môle to fetch Margot, but Guise apprehends him. La Môle is beheaded in the Bastille before Margot can save him, and King Charles finally dies. Margot escapes carrying La Môle's embalmed head as Anjou is proclaimed King of France as Henry III.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

The film was an international co-production made by several companies based in France, Germany, Italy, with the additional participation of StudioCanal and the American company Miramax, and the support of Eurimages.

[edit] Alternative versions and marketing

US DVD cover

The film's original running time was 161 minutes in its premiere at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and in its French theatrical release. However, its American distributor, Miramax, asked the director to re-edit the movie to 145 minutes, and this version was the version seen in cinemas outside France and later on video. The full-length version was available for a limited period in the United Kingdom on VHS in a collectors' edition box set in 1995, but all further releases, including the DVD, have used the 145 minute cut.

The re-edited version not only removed scenes, it also added a scene between Margot and La Môle, in which they stand outdoors wrapped in a red cloak. The director had cut this scene from the original 'full-length' version. The scene was re-inserted because Miramax insisted that the relationship between the two characters be more substantial, as the romance was to become the focal point for the American marketing campaign. The 'red cloak' scene appears on the US DVD cover. In contrast the Region 2 European DVD cover uses the original poster, showing a shocked Margot bespattered with blood.

[edit] Accolades

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110963/business
  2. ^ http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=4259
  3. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Queen Margot". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2959/year/1994.html. Retrieved 2009-08-27. 

[edit] External links

Awards
Preceded by
The Puppetmaster
tied with Raining Stones		 Jury Prize, Cannes
1994		 Succeeded by
Don't Forget You're Going to Die
Films directed by Patrice Chéreau
1970s-1980s
1990s
2000s
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=La_Reine_Margot_(1994_film)&oldid=461405690"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages