Review by John Delia
There’s a very good film opening this weekend and it’s pretentious in a very loving way. Partly based on a true story, Marguerite takes you to a time when Paris was in flower and Barons ruled provincial areas of France. And it’s drenched in the opulence of the rich and ravenous with the shysters looking to take advantage of the vain and ostentatious. Elegantly filmed, richly acted and well directed, if you like a good farce, you’ll fall in love with Marguerite.
The film opens with Baroness Marguerite Dumont (Catherine Frot) holding a charity event at her palatial estate in Paris in the early 1920’s. There has been a large invitation list with a huge gathering including two gate crashers, Lucien Beaumont (Sylvain Dieuaide) newspaper reporter and Kyrill von Priest (Aubert Fenoy) poet and artist both with ulterior motives. Also in the audience after giving an outstanding aria is the beautiful Hazel (Christa Theret).
The highlight of the evening will be an operatic aria by Marguerite. Everyone is primed for her voice that has been well promoted, but never heard in front of a live crowd. Surprising the crowd with a very off-key operatic solo doesn’t bother Marguerite because she’s tone deaf. But the audience loves her for what she does for their charity so there’s thunderous applause. Her servitor Madelbos (Denis Mpunga) whisks her away from the crowd and assures Marguerite she’s magnificent. More meaningful, Hazel complements her on her performance. So begins a charade filled with deception, fabrication, spectacle, vanity and heart.
Acting, settings and storyline all come together in making Marguerite enchanting entertainment all around. Capable direction and writing by Xavier Giannoli keeps his film compelling from its bizarre beginning to the heartfelt finale. The actors are exceptionally good under his guidance creating charismatic characters and making them believable. Smartly created, Giannoli’s story is loosely based on a real person in the 1940 USA that actually lived the life believing she could sing opera. So changing the era and taking it to France provided an even better setting for the drama of absurdity.
Making it all believable fell on the shoulders of actress Catherine Frot and she nails the character in both heart and body. Truly a wonderful personification of a wealthy woman who believed she entertained with her voice. From the moment she enters her drawing room to perform for her guests at the charity, Marguerite is in command. Frot takes her even deeper into her fantasy world when the audience gives her a thundering ovation. The icing on the cake comes when she becomes truly delusional from the press story by Lucien Beaumont the next day. Frot’s convincing as a woman possessed beyond reality with the help of a fine support cast that’s in on the ruse. And, as a side note, Frot sings most of the off-key arias in the film, a very difficult task indeed.
The 1920’s Paris costumes, settings, vehicles and scenery are beyond perfect. Luxury and lavishness are shown in abundance, decorations and antiques are aplenty. Even the opera house takes a trip to the past making Marguerite’s special recital a dressy event with tux and gown.
Marguerite has been rated R by the MPAA for brief graphic nudity and sexual content, and a scene of drug use. The film spools out in the French language with easy to read English subtitles.
FINAL ANALYSIS: An amazing performance by Catherine Frot makes the film an excellent choice. (A)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Catherine Frot, André Marcon, Aubert Fenoy, Christa Théret, Denis Mpunga, Michel Fau, Sylvain Dieuaide
Directed and Written by: Xavier Giannoli
Genre: Drama, Farce, Foreign
MPAA Rating: R for brief graphic nudity and sexual content, and a scene of drug use
Running Time: 2 hrs. 7 min.
Release Date: April 1, 2016
Distributed by: Cohen Media