RIDICULE
Copyright 1996 D & S Associates
Director Patrice Leconte's ("Monsieur Hire") "Ridicule" is France's submission to the Academy for this year's Best Foreign Language Film. It stars stage actor Charles Berling as Gregoire Poncludon de Malavoy, a country engineer who travels to Versailles to get funding to save the local peasants from fatal fevers by draining swampy mosquito infested land. He's taken under the wing of the Marquis de Bellegarde (Jean Rochefort) and given instruction on how to play the evil-intentioned wits who make up the court of Louis XVI. Ponceludon is also torn between the Mathilde, the ravishing daughter of Bellegarde (Judith Godreche), who's engaged to a much older man in order to fund her research, and the worldly Madame de Blayac (Fanny Ardant), who pulls puppet strings and manipulates favor at court.
LAURA:
"Ricidule" is a lush costume drama where the main character must navigate through the shark-infested waters of Louis XVI's court 6 years before the inevitable revolution. This is a very smart drama with a great central conflict (the lure and dazzle of the court and its denizens vs. the simplicity and beauty of Mathilde and the country) and an unfortunately unsatisfying conclusion. Ponceludon eventually 'wins', although not in the manner he had been striving for, I wondered what took him so long to make his final point that "children will die tomorrow because you ridiculed me today." Of course then we wouldn't have been able to enjoy all the nefarious scheming along the way!
Jean Rochefort is marvelous as the Marquis who's not able to keep his wits about him as he had in his youth. In fact, he keeps a notebook where he writes down the great barbs and comments that make their utterer the talk of the court until the next great one comes along. Bernard Giraudeau is gleefully wicked as 'wit of the moment' Abbot de Vilecourt and lover of Madame de Blayac - he's like a malicious child whose actions cause tragedy. Charles Berling, in his screen debut, is sympathetic as the simple man who gets in over his head but manages to remain uncorrupted. Urbain Cancelier is wonderfully cast as a Louis XVI who constantly seeks entertainment but provides none. He reminded me of Jon Lovitz' emperor in "Mom and Dad Save the World."
"Ricidule" is solid, intelligent adult entertainment, a good, but not great, film.
B
ROBIN:
N/A
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