Movie Review: LES ADIEUX A LA REINE

 Foreign film- Language: French




RATING:  1 Star




This movie by Benoit Jacquot, is an adaptation of the book:
Farewell My Queen, by Chantal Thomas. 
It’s the story of the beginning of the Revolution centered on a private
part of Marie Antoinette’s life, seen through the eyes of Sidonie Laborde, the
queen’s reader.




Sidonie, played by Lea Seydoux, is an almost
non-existent servant and reader.  She
dedicates herself wholeheartedly to the queen and wishes nothing more than to
serve her. Nothing is learned about her life, or her past (until the very
end).  When not working for the queen, Sidonie
is busy trying to get information on the imminent Revolution. Her last
assignment is mandated by the queen. She is tested to prove her loyalty; that
part being the only somewhat significant part of the movie. Throughout, Sidonie
fails to show any likeability and so unfortunately, no connection can be felt
for this character.









For those interested in factual history, this is probably
not the movie for you. To begin with, Sidonie, is a fictional character, and
the whole ‘behind the scenes’ of Marie Antoinette’s more than friendly love for
la Duchesse de Polignac is the center and all of this movie.




 




If Sidonie is unlikeable- the same is even truer for Marie Antoinette, played by Diane
Kruger.  The French queen is portrayed as
malignantly as she was in the ‘libelles’ of the time.  Her role seems fitting to the rumours concocted
about her. Her homosexual preference for la Duchesse is the only focal point of
the movie. And, unfortunately, there is nothing charismatic or endearing about
this self-serving Marie Antoinette. 









Mme. De Polignac, the very beautiful Virginie Ledoyen, says
very little throughout the movie.  She is
uptight, regal-and has an extremely austere demure.  If you’re looking for deep dialog, you won’t
get it from de Polignac- for the most part she’s almost always completely
silent. 









The beauty of luxurious Versailles in the 18thc
is only caught at a glimpse (solely in the room of mirrors-pictured above).  The
servant’s quarters, their cavernous eating area, the dingy hallways- were the
main settings.  Marie Antoinette’s room
is briefly visited.  The only beautiful
scene worth noting, is the one where Marie Antoinette is standing with her
children bidding Louis farewell by the Versailles gates.  Sadly, that is the only time we see her
children at all.









Versailles’ fashion failed to excite as well.  (And to think that Rose Bertin is also in
this picture!) Both period costumes and coiffures seemed borrowed from rental
outlets (Marie Antoinette, fashion icon of all times wearing a cheap wool-looking-crooked wig??).  









A carousel of secondary
characters made their brief appearances if only to give hope for some
development to the plot; which unfortunately never emerged.  The movie went on and on to finally becoming
pointless…




A cold, calculating, shallow and self-absorbed Marie
Antoinette in a less than fairy tale palace, served by an invisible reader
without a cause… Les adieux a la reine is most definitely not what would be
expected- not even, if only, the glitter or the glamour.  At the very end there is a hope for climax
where you feel like something will finally happen-and at that very same moment the
words ‘La fin’ appear.  Too little, too
late- empty and gone.




NOTE:  Being a
Marie Antoinette aficionado, I just had to go see this movie.  Unlike my book reviews where I can put aside
a book I don’t like and not review it at all (due to the time I would have to
invest for something I don’t care for)- an hour and a half of my time out with
my daughter is still time well spent no matter how bad the movie was! So I
thought I’d share my thoughts with you; even if they’re negative.  And if you love Marie Antoinette as much as I
do, I bet that even after the bad review, you will probably still go out to
watch this.  I know, I can
relate- because that's exactly what happened to me!
 



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