Ridicule (1996)

An Addendum to "Off With Their Heads"

H.M. Pyles's review "Off With Their Heads" is probably a more cogent plot synopsis than I would make time to write here, so I will forego the synopsis and refer the reader to his review for that. But I wanted to add a few comments about this film, which is a true favorite of mine... While not averse to foreign language films, I don't watch too many of them, probably for the reasons most movie-goers in America forego them: I want to watch rather than read when an actor is performing, and I know I'm losing some contextual nuances when I watch a film in a language where I am not totally fluent. But this is a wickedly entertaining film IN ADDITION to being a real morality play. The stunningly gorgeous and stunningly talented Fanny Ardant really shines in this film, and to my delight, gets lots of screen time. All of the acting is exceptional, as are the sets, costumes, et cetera.

Of course, there are a lot of differences between American and French cinema, as anyone who has seen even a few examples of French film will realize. However this film is particularly accessible to American audiences in a few ways... It is not terribly esoteric (like the Red, White and Blue trilogy, for example), so you don't have to struggle to understand the story as well as the language. It's very visually appealing, as I mentioned, and it also employs that favorite of American script scenarios, The Love Triangle. And the humor - caustic and costly as it is to the characters - really does keep one engaged. And because this is a French rather than Hollywood production, a happy ending is not guaranteed for all concerned. Therefore, if you want to know what happens next, you actually have to watch!

Buy this film. You will not experience buyer's - or viewer's - remorse! February 1, 2008

He Who Laughs Last

I just got done watching a delightful movie by the name of "Ridicule". By categorization, this would come under the category of a "costume drama/comedy" and it's pre-revolution setting was a key element to the movie's impact. However, the fancy sets and costumes were not just an excuse to make a movie; the counts and countess's served to display a world of benign ignorance of the world around them (as only the 16th Century French nobility could).

The movie follows a well-meaning lesser noble who seeks to remedy the unhealthy conditions in his estate. To do so, he must speak to the proper component in the king's government. Getting through to the right person becomes a game for those on the inside and a farce to those on the outside. It makes our own bureaucracy seem quite efficient in comparison. Our hero does his best to cultivate the right persons for his quest to drain the swamp back home. Along the way he meets up with a variety of characters that make for a nice mix of scoundrels and true nobility. The ending is understated but the message is clear.

As this movie began, I was wondering what I was getting into. A quick and odd twist had me wondering the same thing from a different point of view. However, it did not take me long to buy into the premise and delivery of "Ridicule". I may have over-rated it just a bit because it's brilliance caught me off guard. What a pleasant surprise this one was! September 8, 2007

"Wit opens any door."

Sometimes with movie distribution, as with humour, timing is everything. Patrice Leconte's Ridicule is a long way from the best work from almost anyone involved, yet still proved a major arthouse success outside France, picking up Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Film, winning a BAFTA as well as a nomination for the Palme D'Or at Cannes and winning four Cesars, including Best Film and Best Director, as well as another eight nominations in France itself. All of which leaves you with the suspicion that it couldn't have been up against much competition that year. It's certainly not a bad film, but at times it's almost as slight as its subject - the rules of wit and ridicule at the Court of Versailles under King Louis XVI, where you live or die by the readiness of your wit and where a single misstep can cast you into oblivion.

Charles Berling is the impoverished minor aristocrat seeking royal patronage for a drainage project to stop his peasants from dropping like flies only to discover that the only way to get near to the King in a world where wit opens any door is to demonstrate a sharper and more malicious tongue than those around him. Tutored in the rules of engagement by Jean Rochefort's friendly courtier and both championed and checked by Fanny Ardant's court predator, he briefly finds himself a sensation in a world where honesty and wit are so rarely combined, only to find himself heading for a fall.

While it's a cut above the usual dry costume drama and passes the time more than pleasantly enough, it never quite escapes the feeling of a safe and predictable morality tale while at times the wit could be sharper and the venom more prominent. There are some fine moments and Ardant gets a great screen entrance, her servants blowing powder over her naked body, but at the end of the day it manages to be a curious mixture of both a mildly satisfying diversion and slightly less than the sum of its parts. Very much like the Court of Versailles itself...

Whereas Second Sight's UK PAL DVD boasts a very good 52-minute documentary on the making of the film, Miramax's Region 1 NTSC DVD is strictly barebones with no extras, but does have a decent 2.35:1 widescreen transfer. August 19, 2007

Excellent

I've watched quite a few french foreign films, and I have to say that this is one of the best quality I've seen. It's a bit stark at times, but hey, that's the french for you. The characters are well developed. The costumes are very realistic. It's not the greatest movie ever, but it will make you laugh, and keep you interested. July 9, 2007

Hollywood doesn't make them like this!

This movie excels! Production values, writing, razor sharp wit and period authenticity. Too bad Hollywood can't make them like this without dumbing everything down. If you love foreign movies or even just good movies, you wil love this one. May 7, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...