VATEL
Reviewed by Harvey Karten Miramax Films/Gaumont Director: Roland Joffe Writer: Jeanne Labrune, adapted by Tom Stoppard Cast: Gerard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Julian Sands
Who wants to be Louis XIV, Le Roi Soleil? I don't, do you? Louis knew how to extract maximum torment from those around him, but even worse, he could be a pain in the butt to himself--literally. Director Roland Joffe ("The Mission," "The Killing Fields") is intent on evoking this early on in his new movie, "Vatel." We hear grunts and groans from off screen to the left. If this His Majesty enjoying one of his ladies-in- waiting in his boudoir? Not this time...this moment it's Louis (Julian Sands) evacuating the wastes of his latest banquet in the toilet. No, wait, not the toilet at all but a section of a large room adjoining the dining facilities in which Louis is carrying out his natural functions in front of just about everyone (just as Lyndon Johnson used to do) after which his butt is not figuratively kissed but literally wiped by an appreciative servant. Shortly after that Joffe, who is no sexist, treats us to the ways that the royal women take to their toilet: they too have servants holding pans under their lavish dresses, then sympathetically towed away the fluids.
"Vatel," however, is far from a sophomoric journey into the culture and customs of Animal House inhabitants. Aside from scant moments such as these, the picture--which centers on a feast for the king and retinue given by rural inhabitants of a province in Western France in 1671--is for us a banquet for the eyes. This film is franc-ly the most lavish depiction of the French court ever filmed, but it is not only that. "Vatel," for all its seeming remoteness to the Western nations in the present day, cleverly mocks the ways that the powerful in our own societies deal with those who serve them. The dominant forces will betray us at the drop of a chapeau. They will exploit our labors and toss us to the wolves whenever they are pleased to do so. They may now wear pin-striped suits rather than the foppish outfits so authentically portrayed by costume designer Yvonne Lassinot de Nesle; they may pretend to be humble and democratic, unlike the regal processesion that parades before our eyes under Robert Fraisse's lens. But Jeanne Jabrune could as well be writing about our own twenty-first century as he is about France in the age of that country's most famous monarch.
The story's thrust comes from an invitation delivered by Louis XIV's favorite stooge, the Marquis de Lauzun (Tim Roth), to the provincial Prince de Conde (Julian Glover) announcing that the Versailles court will favor the prince's western regions for a touch of rustic life. "Don't fuss," says the king, which the prince translates as "Go all out for His Majesty." What would a successful blowout do for the prince? This would lead to his appointment as commander- in-chief of the French forces about to wage war against William of Orange in Holland, and would open the coffers of treasury honcho Colbert (Hywel Bennett), giving the area an influx of funds that would save it from bankruptcy.
Since the key to a man's heart can be found in his stomach, the prince enlists the aid of his talented steward, Francois Vatel (Gerard Depardieu), to set up a groaning board, a wise choice since the master chef is able not only to lead a cadre of peasants in the preparation of the meal but is able to con his suppliers into handing him the victuals without payment. Despite his ungainly appearance, he catches the eye of one of the king's ladies-in-waiting, Anne de Montausier (Uma Thurman), who readies herself to serve the king at midnight while the deceitful Marquis de Lauzun schemes to win her favors as well.
Roland Joffe's take on the arrogance of privilege and the inevitability of betrayal is particularly noteworthy not so much because he shows us something we didn't already know but because he spares no outlay in evoking for us the manners of the French court in its heyday. We see the no-expense- spared desperation of a poverty-stricken province to please the guy in charge; the foppishness and insolence of hereditary officials who look eagerly forward to going to war (as long as they're safely ensconced at Versailles); the depraved sexual appetities of be-wigged and mustachioed nobles who think nothing of appropriating small boys to appease their lust. As for the performances, that Tim Roth almost steals the show is nothing new. As the Marquis envious of the king's absolute power, he is determined to go after the woman of his dreams, stopping at nothing to get her under the bedsheets--even though at one point, while asking for a date, Anne tells him that she has received a better offer: to delouse the king's spaniel.
Uma Thurman is nothing to look out and goodness knows why anyone would desire her colorless, weepy character, but at least her chemistry with Gerard Depardieu exceeds what we witnessed this year between Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt or between Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz. The film as whole, though, serves us food for thought along with the victuals of the banquet in this lush eye-popping spectacle.
Rated PG-13. Running time: 102 minutes. (C) 2000 by Harvey Karten, film_critic@compuserve.com
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews