People are voting emotionally.

Dreadfully Boring

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

For some reason I didn't take to this film, and I don't precisely know why. This is my attempt to explain my distaste. I find this period in French history distinctly off-putting. All the films set in this place and during this period turn me off. There always seem to me far, far better things to do than sit my way through them. The liaisons are not enthralling, and never strike me as threatening or risky in the slightest.Both females here were very attractive, however, and pleasant to look at. None of the men struck me as anything but hideous, monstrous and grotesque. That even includes the hero, although he was more acceptable than the rest of the bunch. Not exactly Delon or Belmondo, however. Perhaps he was deliberately chosen to be uncharismatic. With regard to the others, their fat or wizened faces, clothes, over-fed figures, giggles and lipstick merely made me want to look away. Also. the vaunted wit never seemed to me very witty. In fact, it seemed quite feeble. I assume it always was. The moral of the story, and of the impending revolution, was unsubtle and unengaging. We're agreed the set-up was rotten: what else is there to say ? Capitalism continues, though its frivolous depravity is not quite so public. The best review comes from a Frenchman, from Paris, who points out that in many ways the movie is just not historically correct. Somebody also writes that the connection between mosquitos and malaria was not discovered until 50 years later. It was worth seeing for the general ambiance, and the fancy clothes, just, but it'll be a long time before I watch it again. A lot of effort clearly went into it.

"Ridicule" is a fabulous French movie of the mid-90's that I recently checked out for viewing. It runs a brisk run-time replete with sharp characters and a highly interesting theme of Wit, and how it seemed to dominate the atmosphere and subject of French Aristocratic social occasions. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole cast and direction on all levels of support. The protagonist was mostly admirable less one complete lapse in judgment and plan. (spoiler) The duel was mesmerizing, and the relationships all built on one another. Perhaps best of all was the early third of the movie with the father Belgarde aiding Malevoy in his quest to a greater cause, not out of honor or cause, but for the wit he saw in him. The layers of superficiality are stunning. This movie is as good or better as Amadeus. A great watch that starts out a bit slow of pace.

This is a very fine movie clever and witty.If the morality of the French courtiers was the one that the film shows it to be then the Revolution did very well to destroy the Old Regime. The film is a good evocation of the epoch with lots of esprit and world-play but such callousness towards other people's problems deeply offended my moral sensibilities and made the character played superbly by Fanny Ardant, despite her beauty and wit, repugnant to me.The same applies to the smart alec Abbe and the callous military officer. The central hero is a responsible and progressive fellow whom I liked very much as well his scientifically inclined fiancée.The movie is about the clash of the mores of the courtiers and those seeking a more rationalistic order of things. I side with the second.It is a splendid movie which displays the moral climate of the privileged of the privileged, that means according to sources the tiny portion of 4.000 presentees, that is the cream of the nobility which was 2% of the population anyhow.How could the French people put up with such drones remains a mystery to me, there must be some historical explanation which eludes me, but this is a film, not a historical treatise. As such it must be judged and it comes out very well.

One of the most terrible thing in the movie is, in my opinion, the bad acting of Charles Berling, and the very bad acting of Judith Godrèche. They're romance is not very well exposed, except maybe the scene of the knee underlined by Steve Rhodes in his review.The rituals in the french court, the manners, the languages' game are interesting. The dialogs are pretty well written. There are some great scenes, like the one of the duel. Some characters are well played, first of all the Jean Rochefort character, very moving. Bernard Giraudeau is also great, and Fanny Ardant as well (but I have a personnel problem with her acting in general).The systematic construction between the scenes is a bit annoying, as well as the "false" return of Grégoire in the middle, before his "too-much predictable" come-back.The movie is alright, the directing correct (sometimes great), but it misses something to make it a film I'd like to see again.