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The Lady And The Duke
Subtitled In: English |
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| The Lady And The Duke is a 2002 film directed by Eric Rohmer. It stars JeanClaude Dreyfus & Lucy Russell. |
The first part of the film focuses on how Grace risks her life hiding in her Paris house Champcenetz, a badly wounded aristocrat, who is an enemy of the Duke. Champcenetz flees to England successfully - with the Dukes help - & makes no reappearance in the film. After that, the focus shifts to the fate of the royal family & Graces compassion for the king & the queen - the Dukes vote in the Convention is decisive, & he chooses to condemn the king to death despite his early promises to Grace. Both the Duke & the Lady are arrested & tried later on - with different outcomes.
This is my first encounter with Rohmer, & frankly, I have expected much more from a director this renowned. The film has none of the drama & intensity of the French Revolution. The story lacks logic & development; the opposing political views of the main characters - the central theme - failed to hold my attention for long. Graces endless tears & quasi-passionate soliloquys are tiring & there is no greater range of emotion. Adamant defiance of the new order is the only distinct thing about her. Rohmer hints at her charitable & caring nature, at her love for the Duke but these traces in her are not highlighted & almost go unnoticed. Instead, she continues to condemn the new regime. This is too little to make up a convincing character. And by the end of the film Lucy Russells intonations become totally predictable.
Musical accompaniment is virtually non-existent; without a thought-through soundtrack the film seemed flat, two-dimensional.
The film was made in a studio, so dont expect breathtaking filmings of Paris - & prepare yourself for the exaggerations of colour lithographs.
As to the release, no complaints can be made except that there is no English soundtrack for those who want to watch the film in English. If you are happy to watch it in French, be warned that I couldnt turn the English subtitles off, & they can be irritating at times.
 | Eric Rohmer is a French film director He was born in Nancy, France. He is regarded as a key figure in the post-war New Wave cinema & is a former editor of influential French film journal Cahiers du Cinema. He was formerly a teacher & a writer of film theory & criticism, until commercial success in filmmaking in 1967. The Lady & The Duke an account of part of the life of Grace Elliott.
Posters Of Triple Agent Editors Choice: Triple Agent, The Lady And The Duke, A Winters Tale, A Tale Of Springtime, Full Moon In Paris, The Green Ray, Pauline A La Plage, The Aviators Wife, View DVDology |