User Reviews

The movie misses a better plot, it deserves a better plot when shooting at the Versailles and dealing with Louis XIV. Not that it is bad, just don't expect too much. The costumes, the location, the music, the historical facts, it all seems to be present, but the director just didn't make good use of it. It is an entertaining movie for those who like costume-dramas though, be not mistaken. I had expected it to be better. The characters are well drawn, the actors are good enough, especially the Queen and the Dance Master. The director did not fear the use of some explicit body-language, something that I applaud, it fits well in this landscape of courtly love.

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!

I haven't seen the movie yet, but it's historical accuracy was criticized vehemently by Benoît A. Racine (baracine@idirect.com) from Toronto, Ontario, Canada that I decided to say that this movie was recommended to me by a professor of French History & Literature from Stanford University. I'll write again later with my review, but from what I was told this is an excellent example of court life. Apparently the dances, rivalry between the artists and life as a boy king are well represented in light of this particular period of their lives. To sum, based on the reviews most people thought the film was a beautiful, now you know that the essence of it is based on historical fact as well. I guess that history can be fun after all!

What a relief to see a film about the 17th century that does not feature Gerard Depardieu! Wonderful fashion detailing and locations support a serious history lesson on how music and theater were key to the success of Louis XIV. One of the best exemplars of how young men measure themselves by their physical abilities, the film provides a unique timeline for the long reign of Louis. He grows from an unsure child into a confident (well, yes, arrogant) man -- and partly this is accomplished through his passionate involvement in music and dance. Think of the foolish Emperor in "Amadeus," telling Mozart there are "too many notes," and then see this depiction of a king who actually understands and appreciates music. Yes, of course, peasants were mistreated and millions starved, but we don't see that part of 17th century France. That is another story, another film. This one is stunningly beautiful; like great art, some of these images may never fade from your mind's eye.

le roi danse feels like a french response to the excellent film "amadeus." a beautiful costume film with sumptuous scenes of dance and song, it takes its liberties with historical accuracy. we never get too deep into the characters louis xiv, lully or moliere, but with hints of obsessions (homosexual or otherwise) here and there, we understand them all well enough. if you're looking for something entertaining this film will undoubtedly please, though it won't make you think too hard. many of the reactions viewers have are probably quite visceral -- though the film talks about the loftiness of dance, it deals with the most basic of human motivations and feelings, of jealousy, lust, desire, horror even. there are a few wince-worthy moments (not for the squeamish), two specifically seem to book-end the film. they're not explicit, just painful, so the squeamish should be okay once these moments pass. le roi danse is not a terribly deep movie, but there's enough there to feel compelled by the characters, thus this is still compelling and astoundingly beautiful. on top of the great visuals and direction, excellent acting by magimel, terral and karyo all.

Having just seen this film I was impressed and intrigued enough to want to comment on it.The subject is quite unusual-the life,rise and court of the famous French king Louis the fourteenth,the famous "sun king" as seen by his court musician,the not least famous Lully. The style,imagery,artistic means of this film reminded me of another much talked about film which also deals with a composer,Forman's Amadeus-in both films we see certain taste for the dramatic, even overtly theatrical,for haunting and often violent scenes,for the grotesque and almost disturbing. However I prefer a more disturbing,uncomfortable view of history than the typical Hollywood style of idealizing historical characters whether if actually good,bad or just complex(a mixture of good and bad,like most historical characters and most people really are). The film is historically somewhat biased,mainly for two reasons: 1.though an important part of Louis's reign,Lully's music wasn't the most important affair of state,yet in this film it is depicted as if it were the only reason of existence for France,the king,s family,his court 2.Lully and Moliere weren't the only artists to contribute to the glamor,luxury,power,glory,cultural achievements and distinctive style always linked with the sun-king's reign-there were also architects like Le Brun,Le Vau,Le Notre,tragedy-play writes like Corneille and Racine,literary critics like Boileau,carpenters like Boulle and many other,among whom even the tens of thousands of laborers,who died or became ill while turning,with immense efforts and during decades of relentless work,the inhospitable marshes of Versailles into Europe's most famous and glamorous royal residence... The sun-king is depicted in an awkward,somewhat strange way:the immense opulence of his lifestyle is known,however I always pictured him much more formal and reserved,almost arrogant,distant in his majestic dignity,exhaling a spartan sobriety and god-like greatness out of every pore. Without being a parody or caricature of the real Louis,I often got quite the opposite of what I expected-he seems to me vulnerable,lonely,often unloved and misunderstood,unbalanced,craving for appreciation and success(historically,these attitudes can be partly explained by the fact that Louis was at the beginning of his reign,before he gradually became an absolute ruler). And Louis dances...Russel's The Devils seems to anticipate this film,as we see that also Louis the thirteenth,none else than the sun king's father is also depicted as a music-lover,an innate artist rather than a monarch(remember Russel's creation and how the French king from that film was depicted wearing almost the same elaborate costumes and performing almost the same histrionic,yet fascinating dance movements),however Russel's intention was to detract French monarchy as decadent,capitalizing on the homophobic reactions the king's slightly effeminate clothing and gesture might cause,especially to the more conservative viewer. A certain homo-erotic message is undoubtedly present,however not in order to deconstruct the myth of the sun-king,it is often hinted how hard it is for Lully,who anxiously tried to closet his bisexual desires and fit into the heterosexual mainstream,to keep his secret love for the king hidden well,even if strictly heterosexual in his private life it is a historical fact that Louis the fourteenth is known to have been an extremely good-looking man and therefore likely to attract admirers of both genders-I think the actor playing Louis is a good choice as he both resembles the historical character and is handsome enough to justify Lully's crush,however a profssional dancer would have also depicted truthfully Louis the showman rather than the politician(or a politician trough his on-stage extravaganza,as an expression of power and a manipulatuive technique),this very side of the king's personality would have been the ideal part,even more than for Magimel or Tarding for brilliant real-life performers Nurejew or Baryshnikow.Another historical character with whom the sun king might be compared is the Emperor Nero-he too build an impressive,megalomaniac palace as symbol of his absolute,almost divine power(Versailles being a baroque version of the legendary Domus Aurea-The House of Gold),both being fascinated of overindulgent self-marketing by comparing themselves to particularly grand and lavish imagery like the sun,the sun-god,gold and the golden age,both of them being known not only as protectors of art but also as performance-Nero scandalized the virtuous Romans with his acting and his often effeminate costumes and parts,just like young Louis shocked the Catholic circle gathered around his aging and strict mother and some exaggeratedly pious and narrow-minded aristocrats,which rather than understanding the beauty of art played the strict moralists(though often immoral themselves). In the end,as we also know from history,the sun-king succeeds to fulfill his dreams of magnificence,however at a high cost,among the ones who payed the price being eventually the court composer himself:Lully got injured while stubbornly insisting to conduct a Te Deum which his monarch didn't even honor with his presence,this injury getting infected and causing Lully's death(this is historical fact,Lully really died this way),the whole film being,like in Amadeus,a deathbed confession recalling the most important moments in the composer's life. Even if Lully's death appears as accidental,useless and stupid,it gave his life the ultimate meaning and apotheosis-by refusing to accept the amputation of the wounded body-part he ultimately sacrificed his life to his sovereign,being the perfect subject,faithful to his master till the end,giving both his work and his love for the king a noble and uplifting conclusion,defying&defeating all the rumors and irony spread by his many rivals.

Le roi danse is easily one of the worst movies that I have ever seen in my entire life. An inner voice kept telling me to get up and leave, but, unfortunately, I didn't listen to it as I kept thinking, "It simply cannot be this bad." Well, it was. Offhand, I can hardly imagine a bigger waste of two hours that this film.

I happen to think this is a movie well worth watching. The historical aspect isn't so boring as a viewer might suspect (and unlike some believe, there is actually quite a bit of historical fact). This film has a way of making it fun and exciting, even with the politics of the day playing a prominent role. Another thing I really liked about it, was the amazing, and I do mean amazing, visual style. The film is chock full of style and pinache. The costumes are incredible, the music is excellent (particularly if you're a fan of the Baroque), and the theatrics are just... beautiful! It's a beautifully crafted film, well acted, and wonderful to look at. I'd almost say it's the kind of film that's less of a movie and more of an experience. I could actually see this being performed on stage, if that helps to describe it. Truly a neat movie and I feel lucky to have seen it. I'd have to give it ****1/2 out of *****, just on visuals alone.

A story of the Sun King told through flashbacks from the mind of his choreographer and court musician Jean-Baptiste Lully. The director didn't want to make an accurate depiction from his life, which is his total right, but freely mixed historical fact with luscious, soap-opera fiction with static characters and overblown baroque settings. It is so boring and pointless you feel the need the vomit all over the rich costumes and make-up, in an uncontrolled reflex of nausea and a deliberate attempt to give all that lifeless material some soul. I am still waiting to see a story from Louis XVI, which is worth seeing.

This movie focuses on one side of Louis the fourteenth's reign:the patron Sun King.All the best artists who were living at the time were working for the King,from the painters to the musicians to the chefs (see "Vatel" whom Louis stole from Fouquet).

Although a lot of famous historic characters appear (Colbert,Louvois,La Vallière,Maintenon),only five emerge :the threesome KIng/Lulli/Molière and ,at the beginning, two silhouettes ,the Queen mother,Anne d'Autriche ,and the king's cousin,Conti.

The king,played with talent by Benoit Magimel,who shows himself a first-class dancer ,is not exactly the king we find in history books:okay,he rules alone,but a lot of time is given over to arts ..in the first part of his reign,the king was first a soldier :the fine arts connoisseur came only second.(music,dance,gardens...).

Lulli (or Lully depending on whom you ask)was an Italian,so it's very surprising -and it's the main flaw of the whole film- he speaks without the slightest accent.Of course,and probably because c'est à la mode,the director doesn't pass over Lully's homosexuality but he does not lay great stress on it,preferring to give music more than its due:Lully's was majestic and magnificent,the KIng Music par excellence.

Tcheky Kario shines as Molière and gives what will probably be his lifetime role.A jaded and coughing actor/playwright/director whose genius was still brilliant,he had to cope with sanctimonious persons (les dévôts de la compagnie du Saint-Sacrement)and leter with Lully's jealousy.

The last Lully -Molière collaboration,"le bourgeois gentilhomme" (arguably Molière's funniest work),made Molière a visionary who was beginning to see theater as a complete show .The Turkish ceremony " in "le bourgeois gentilhomme" and its celebrated menuet (sadly not included in the film) were forerunners of the musicals.But Lully,who played the "Mufti" in the play ,felt like a buffoon and feared that the king might favor Molière over him.

Lully wanted to be a king and" a king ain't satisfied till he owns everything "as Bruce Springsteen sings ,so the dancer became a wolf .Molière was not his one victim :he actually put down all his rivals and had a complete stranglehold on the king's music.

Some users complain about Courbiau's baroque style:since at least one third of the time is dedicated to arts ,what's the point of being realist and austere ?We're not dealing with Rossellini directing "la prise du pouvoir par LOuis XIV",dash it! Okay ,some sequences are ponderous -Molière's death on stage while playing "le malade imaginaire" did not need this dancers dressed up as skeletons,for instance.But if cinema means change of scenery,"le roi danse" pulls it off with gusto.

I just saw the movie during a French art and culture festival in Hong Kong. It was the answer to my quest for a movie that deals with the subject of King Louis XIV's passion for dance and that of Lully's influence in the king's life. (I had previously seen half a dozen movies dealing with the subject of Louis XIV but NONE even touched on the fact that he loved dancing.) I was thrilled by what I saw, especially "Le Ballet de la Nuit" performance in which the 14-year-old king was dressed in the fashion of Apollo and danced a majestic dance. I am surprised none of the comments mentioned anything about the choreography.

I had the fortune of meeting the choreographer of the film, Béatrice Massin, who attended the screening. She is THE authority of Baroque dance in France, after having worked with Francine Lancelot, who was the pioneer in the restoration of Baroque dance into its original form. Massin works with original dance notation materials from Louis XIV's time, especially the Feuillet notations, which provided very detailed and exact instructions on the dance steps used at Louis XIV's court. This dance form is very important because it is the origin of today's ballet, which has gone through a lot of transformations, especially from that of a male-only art form to one where the female dancer dominates the stage.

During production, Massin worked with the lead roles in the movie every day for three months, and she has high regard for Benoît Magimel. Though not a professional dancer, he attempted all the dance sequences with courage, never uttering the words "I can't." Of course, the repertoire of Baroque dance was wide-ranging and Massin could not possibly have included all the varieties of that era. She mainly worked in such a way to show what the director wanted. In the context of this movie, the director had wanted to show the masculine power that the king wanted to demonstrate, as a way to consolidate his power on the throne. So what we see in the movie comes across as very forceful, masculine movements.

One thing that the film has left out - what Massin feels as a mistake - is the character of Pierre Beauchamps. Beauchamps was the key dance master at Louis XIV's court and was responsible for dance education and choreographer, although he was also a musician - not as accomplished as Lully at that, while Lully's dancing skills would pale alongside Beauchamps'. In fact, Lully, Beauchamps and Molière were working very closely together. For me, it is a big, big regret that this movie, whose theme is Louis XIV's passion and talent for dance, has treated Beauchamps in such a dismissive manner (the only scene where he appeared was when the king asked him to leave the room and rearrange the choreography, to give it "more air!").

Another thing that I miss seeing is the establishment of l'Académie Royale de la Dance. Surely, the film shows that the king announced it in a royal decree as soon as he took over all the power upon Mazarin's death. But it would have been nice to see a snippet of the academy's activities, such as how the first group of professional ballet dancers were trained.

Unlike what some of the commentators here have said, though, I think that the film does have a deep aspect. The idea that Louis XIV cared so much about the art of dance and music and Lully's concept of music being something to make the king immortal -- points to the transcending nature of these arts. Although dance and music was used as much as a political tool for power as a form of entertainment at the court, I personally feel that the passion for dance and music - as a pure form of truth and beauty - is powerfully expressed through the dramatic performances of the actors and actresses in this film.

Anybody who loves the subject of Louis XIV, Baroque music, dance and ballet should go and see this film.

Belgian director Gerard Corbieu's "Le Roi Danse" is really about two things: the life of Jean-Baptiste Lully, composer to Louis XIV, and the creative chaos inherent in musical genius. Lully was probably the most controversial composer ever to serve Louis XIV. He was a Florentine attempting to fit into a French World that did not want him, but which in the end had to acknowledge his musical genius. He was a libertine who shamelessly carried on extramarital affairs with men and women at a time when a man of his station (the kings and nobles were not held to such lofty moral standards) was required to be prudish and monogamous. He was mercurial, unpredictable, unscrupulous, cold and vain at a time when advancement depended on him being subservient and capable of flattery. But Lully's wild and unorthodox ways came from the same well spring as his musical genius, which was why he retained the king's favor for such a long time. This is the Lully that is portrayed so well by Boris Terral in "Le Roi Danse." Experiencing this movie is likely experiencing wild bursts of energy on screen. The music is often the source of that energy, but Boris Terral and Benoit Magimel (whose Louis XIV is the best I have seen) contributes to it as well. Sometimes this film was criticized for its graphic portrayal of Anne of Austria's breast cancer surgery without anesthetic (a scene which, by the way, was faithful to what actually happened) or its tendency to clutter one event after the other in furious succession until Lully's career approaches a crescendo unheard of in the French music world. But it is important to remember that this what the 17th century world was like. Moreover, we are seeing that world largely from Lully's eyes as he recalls his life shortly before an agonizing death from gangrene. For Lully, the 17th century world of a music was filled with ups and downs, humiliations and triumphs, and the agony of it all was that each success (when Lully was successful) was only fleeting because Lully was only someone as long as he retained the king's favor. There is an extraordinary scene where Lully explains to his wife Madeleine that without the king he is nothing. In other words, forget about all the brilliant compositions in the past or all the great work he was doing now. If Lully could not compose works that were better than his last to hold on to the king's favor, his career was over and he was nothing.

I could go on, except I would be missing something: the artistry involved in making this film. Visually, this film is great to look at. Moreover, it is easy to mess up a film with such a complex script as this one. But the acting in it is superb, especially from Magimel (Louis XIV), Terral (Lully) and Tcheky Karyo (Moliere). Finally, Corbieu paces everything at an appropriately frenetic pace that we experience and understand the 17th century and all its uncertainties for a composer. In short, Le Roi Danse is a truly brilliant film.

The director's motto, judging from his body of work so far, seems to be: "You don't like history, kids? No problem, I hate it too! But I have ways of making you watch just the same!" This is a prime example of an over-the-top Mexican telenovela trying to pass for what it's not, i.e. an 'historical' epic. It describes Louis the XIVth's changing allegiances between Molière, the court dramatist, and Lully, the court composer, as a series of off-colour vignettes with a vaguely homosexual subtext. No expense is spared to gross out the spectator at every turn: a plethora of endless scenes involving various body fluids are interspersed between sundry bloody surgical emergencies (a staple of every soap-opera) and scenery-chewing, bodice-ripping drag-queen-on-a-rampage mad scenes. This is truly cinema by hairdressers for hairdressers. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with history. At no point in the whole film is the spectator given to even timidly wonder what makes a prince a king, a dramatist a great playwright and a musician a genius. The events depicted in "Le Roi danse" have been elaborated brilliantly in at least half a dozen films and TV series by directors as diverse as Rossellini and Ariane Mnouchkine during the past 50 years. This is not one of these films. Watch this film, by all means,if you really, really enjoyed the extreme close-up of Haendel squashing a bug with the tip of his walking-stick in "Farinelli". Otherwise, save your money, go for a walk, buy a book, listen to a record, get some culture in. Even "Moulin Rouge!" is marginally less embarrassing than this piece of barocaca!

There are several films, both American and European, aimed at the reign of the French king Louis XIV, "The Sun King". It is undoubtedly a period that makes filmmakers dream, thanks to all the splendor and magnificence of the French court. But to understand this movie well, you need to have some knowledge of the court, the music of this period and the characters that are appearing. In fact, the French court was a cultural center at this time, thanks to the king's role as patron and protector of numerous artists and writers.

The focus of the film is the figure of Giovanni Battista Lulli, an Italian who naturalized French when he went to work for the court and adopted all the habits of his host country, to the point of making his name Jean-Baptiste Luly. He would become one of the most remarkable composers of his time. Initially focused on dance, he composed several ballets and dance numbers for the court, involving the king himself, who was a skilled and proud dancer in his youth. However, as time went on, the king's interest in dance diminished and Lully began to dedicate himself to the theater, composing the music for Moliére's most popular plays. He also devoted himself to opera, obtaining royal control of stage music in France until he died, a victim of the gangrene that consumed his flesh after accidentally injuring himself in a foot with the pointed stick he used to conduct an orchestra during a Te Deum. . Presented by the film as a man obsessed with his work and the art of ballet, looking for how much he could be in the good graces of the king, Lully was indeed a libertine and may have been bisexual. In addition to Lully, the king himself, and Moliére, the film features several other historical characters, such as Prince of Conti, Colbert, Louise de La Valiere, Cardinal Mazarino and Queen Mother Ana of Austria.

Benoit Magimel was a very competent Louis XIV, and I think he knew how to grasp the essentials of the monarch's personality and danced well. Moliére was played by Tchéky Karyo, an actor I don't know but who was brilliant and did a great job. The film clearly shows the collaboration and then the conflict between Moliére and Lully. And, as in real life, so here Moliére died on stage (well, actually he didn't die on stage, just passed out to die hours later, but that's details). Colette Emmanuelle also seemed excellent to me as the austere, devoted Queen Mother of France.

Being a film in full Baroque period, it uses and abuses the charm of Baroque costumes, full of details, wigs, lace and swords, as well as excellent scenery in the French castles and palaces of the time. Of course, as it is also a film deeply linked to music, some of Lully's best-known passages of music are well present. A movie that is undoubtedly a treat for the eyes and ears.

Having purchased the CD of Le Roi Danse, I was looking forward to the film. At last it was on in Norwich on Tuesday 17th September and I was very impressed with the story-line, acting, and of course the music. It begins with Lully preparing to conduct his sumptuous music whilst waiting for the King. Being very impatient, he begins without him, and subsequently stabs himself in the foot, which ultimately leads to his death. The film then drifts back to his introduction to the court of Louis 14th - The Sun King with all its' splendour. If you love the music of Lully, you will not be disappointed. I am hoping that this film can be purchased, either on VHS or DVD - I would certainly buy it.

I like this movie very much, for the very good music ( Jean-Baptist Lully) the reconstitution of the Louis XIV century and the very good acting of all the actors.This movie is like an historic movie because the king Louis XIV was a art lovers and it is the time of the theater time of the french guy Moliere.

I have watched this movie probably 20 times and find it always enjoyable. Mainly because the music is perfectly connected to the movie script and particular moments. Especially the very last opera scene when we see Lully getting older and older his hair getting more grey yet the music is still coninuing. At the same time the king and the court become darker and older.... Very moving scene. Like most of the movie.

I do not receice it as a biography. It is rather a presentation of Lully masterpieces along with the film scenes. Somehow similar to Amadeus but Forman managed to bring his movie on different level what brought him several Oscars. Mainly because he focuces his story much more on the conflict with another composer. With Lully we cannot see any particular conflict except within himself. His desires, his passion confronted with his dependance on King.

I really enjoyed the King character. Played perfectly by the actor who gave the King something very unique - solitude. Growing masculinity.

And of course Moliere character by Tierry. I really wish the accent was on their cooperation more. Worth to note this is the cooperation between them gave us opera we know today and all other music shows linking singing and dancing and theatrical shows. It is a great source of histoiry aboout how art was developing. I see this thing too little accented.

Despite small things... I still love this film.

Mostly because I am always listening to Lully works while I work on my photographs - I am a pro portrait photographer- and it give me lots of pleasure listening to the petit monets. I encourage to try.

Another reviewer was mistaken when he wrote, "In order to understand the movie, one has to be quite familiar with French history ...." While it wouldn't hurt to know everybody's back story, it is NOT essential to appreciating this movie. Before I watched it, I had never heard of Lully or Cambert or Anne of Austria; I had heard of Molière and Conti but knew nothing about them except their names; but I had no trouble at all following the movie and enjoying it as much as I could with its substantial flaws.

The same reviewer complained that the actors playing Molière, Conti and Cambert were much too old, that all three were closer to Louis' age. What bothered me more than the wrong ages of some of the supporting characters was the fabulous gorgeousness of the actors who played Louis and Lully. Please! There are good portraits of both men, and both of them were as homely as my aunt Gertrude - especially Louis.

That a man who looked like a gargoyle dwarf (he was only a few inches over five feet tall), saddled at the age of four with a bankrupt, strife-torn, second-rate country, transformed himself into the Sun King and his country into a major world power, and by the force of his will completely dominated Western civilization for nearly a century - and STILL, more than 300 years later, and despite the horrific revolution that destroyed the world he created, is the single most significant person in the history of France (only Napoleon comes close, and he was a flash in the pan compared to Louis) - is a big part of what makes him so extraordinary. If he had looked like Benoît Magimel, what would be the big deal? Gorgeous people automatically control the world; they don't have to DO anything. Louis is fascinating because he was NOT gorgeous, and making him gorgeous wipes out 75% of what makes him interesting.

The answer to both that reviewer's and my beefs with this movie is that its makers had no intention of making an historically accurate quasi-documentary about this fascinating man and the almost equally fascinating people around him. They intended to make an overblown, potboiler soap opera based loosely on real people. They made the principals gorgeous because who cares what happens to ugly people? They made the villains grotesque and old because if they had been young we might not have known they were the villains.

This is a French movie, but it might as well have been made in Hollywood. It is cheap (and I'm not talking about money) melodrama, with gorgeous, dashing heroes and old, ugly, hunched-over, troll-like villains with grotesque birthmarks on their faces. It was NOT made for experts in French history or any other persons of intelligence and discernment.

It was made for an audience that neither knows nor cares how accurate it is or who the people in it are. That's how Hollywood does everything, by formula - the same formula they used in silent westerns, where you knew the good from the bad guys by the color of their hats - so audiences don't have to think, don't have to understand anything. They know by their looks which characters to cheer and which ones to boo, and that's all that matters.

LE ROI DANSE demands an acute delight and elevated sensibility to the music of LULLY, MARAIS, CHARPENTIER, DE LELANDE et al Baroque Francais. In the event, this is your sweet spot...pour a large snifter of H'ors d'Age Cognac and prepare to be so transformed as to never want to leave Versailles de Louis XIV.

Am still there.

Just arrived home from a jump into the 17th century at the royal court of Louis XIV. This film gives you an excellent inside look of one of the most protectors of the arts. You may find the story a bit thin, but the images are very carefully chosen and composed. It's not an ordinary costume show and happily made under the supervision of culture historians. Maybe the music does sound a bit the same during the film, but it also let you hear some magnificent moments. I enjoyed this movie very well because of the richness of the photography and the well balanced cast. I recommand this film to those who love western culture during one of the highest levels, the baroque.

The music is wonderful, the various pieces of Lully really set the mood for this colorful film, but the carelessness of the director is seen in the costumes. The clothing of the 1660s and early 1670s were radically different from the ones in the 1680s. I expected to see more petticoat breeches, over skirts and short coats on the men, with the scenes in the 1660s, but instead they have costumes from the 1690s (long coats, waistcoats)! Would someone make a movie about the 1970s and have everyone outfitted from clothes from the 1990s?

images. costumes. acting. music. extraordinary show, Baroque explosion. and little more. because the force of Magimel to create a splendid Louis XIV is central clue. the king is not only a character but an extraordinary scene. because, out of accuracy of facts, the spirit of a past page is all- mighty. colors, intrigues, map of a war. and many seductive nuances of a metamorphose. nothing else. only a form of joy without precise definition. because , like each good films, it is a mixture between fable, parable and fairy tale. great difference - the shadows as bones of light of power conquest. art - only instrument. the best. or only step for a not ending dance.