Director Patrice Chéreau of "La reine Margot" belongs maybe more to the world of opera than to the world of film. In 1976 he was, togeher with Pierre Boulez, responsible for a "Ring des Nibelungen" production.
This opera experience can be seen in "La reine Margot". The set pieces and costumes are very beautiful but the complicated story is hard to follow. Maybe Chéreau assumed that the details about St Bartholomew's Day massacre ( a wave of Catholic mob violence against the Huguenots (French protestants) in the night of 23-24 august of 1572) were known to his audience, but at least for the non French audience this is a rather ambitious assumption.
The violence in St Bertholomew's Day massacre is closely linked to the marriage of Henry de Navarre (played by Daniel Auteuil) and Marguerite de Valois (played by Isabelle Adjani). Both the violence and the marriage were staged by Catherine de Medicis (mother of the bride, played by Virna Lisi).
There is a European and an American version of the film. In the European version the emphasis is on the violence. Star of this version is Virni Lisa, who plays her part as a sort of Godmother. She was awarded at the Cannes film festival. In the American version the emphasis is on the marriage (romance would be to big a word) between Henry and Marguerite. Star of this version is Isabelle Adjani. Besides being a very beautiful woman she is also wearing very beautiful costumes. The film was nominated for an Oscar for best costume design.
This opera experience can be seen in "La reine Margot". The set pieces and costumes are very beautiful but the complicated story is hard to follow. Maybe Chéreau assumed that the details about St Bartholomew's Day massacre ( a wave of Catholic mob violence against the Huguenots (French protestants) in the night of 23-24 august of 1572) were known to his audience, but at least for the non French audience this is a rather ambitious assumption.
The violence in St Bertholomew's Day massacre is closely linked to the marriage of Henry de Navarre (played by Daniel Auteuil) and Marguerite de Valois (played by Isabelle Adjani). Both the violence and the marriage were staged by Catherine de Medicis (mother of the bride, played by Virna Lisi).
There is a European and an American version of the film. In the European version the emphasis is on the violence. Star of this version is Virni Lisa, who plays her part as a sort of Godmother. She was awarded at the Cannes film festival. In the American version the emphasis is on the marriage (romance would be to big a word) between Henry and Marguerite. Star of this version is Isabelle Adjani. Besides being a very beautiful woman she is also wearing very beautiful costumes. The film was nominated for an Oscar for best costume design.