This movie gives us another glimpse of the feudal life of the french King Louis XIV. "Le Roi Danse" shows us his obsession with dancing and how important music and dance was to him. But the main story is about Jean-Baptiste Lully which is the main composer and the dance instructor for Louis. Lully falls in love with his king but this love is never returned by the emperor. Benoit Magimel makes a very strong performance as King Louis - there are incredible moments when he dances or just stare at Lully. Tcheky Karyo plays Moliére - the poet and a friend of Lully. The relationship between Moliére and Lully reminds me on the situation we had with Mozart and Salieri in "Amadeus"... Strong rivalry between the characters. Karyo is very convincing in his portrayal of the poet. The interieurs, the costumes and even the music are overwhelming. The movie is a pure feast for the eyes and ears. The only minus point - as far as I can see it - is that the director expects a certain knowledge about the french history from the viewer. Some characters and situations aren't explained 'cause Corbiau seems to think everybody knows about Cardinal Mazarin and so on. Sometimes the story-telling jumps and makes a following a little bit complicating. But in general it's a movie well worth seeing!
Review of Le roi danse
