User Reviews

"Farewell, My Queen," a dramatized account of the relationship between Marie Antoinette and her personal reader in 1789 Paris, so frequently comes within a hair's breadth of being a salacious lesbian melodrama that one wonders why director/co-writer Benoît Jacquot didn't go all out and actually make it that way. Historical accuracy notwithstanding, at least then audiences would know how to respond to it; it would never once feel as if Jacquot was holding back when he should have been pushing the envelope. When it doesn't tease us with longing stares, burning confidences, impassioned tears, and even an instance or two of full-frontal voluptuousness, it drags us, at times kicking and screaming, through a backstage labyrinth of wild rumor, juicy gossip, and dangerous political tidings, the French Revolution inching ever closer to the sheltered world of Versailles.

Adapted from the novel by Chantal Thomas, the film is told from the point of view of Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux), a Lady in Waiting for Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger), who assigns her to read passages from her favorite stories, mostly plays. Sidonie's unwavering loyalty to her Queen, we gradually see, masks a deeper, somewhat unsettling erotic fixation; she takes full advantage of every opportunity with Marie Antoinette to gain special favor, perhaps even win her love. True enough, the Queen does confide in Sidonie on several occasions, sometimes quite candidly and emotionally. However, it's obvious that her feelings for Sidonie are not romantic. The real object of her affection is the Duchess Gabrielle de Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen), who in real life was indeed Marie Antoinette's closest friend and was actually accused of being her lesbian lover. Whether or not this was actually the case, no one really knows. I suspect, however, that the film's treatment of it has more to do with sensationalism than with considering possibilities.

The film effectively shows that two different worlds existed within the walls of Versailles. One is bright and opulent, a gaudy display of bulky gowns, marble floors, hand-carved crown molding, sparkling crystal, and powder-white faces and curly wigs. The other is shadowy and dank, an inhospitable maze of cold stone passageways lit by torches, filthy servants' quarters, crowded dining halls, and curved block staircases. It's in this latter world that Sidonie hears all the murmuring, not just of the Queen's relationship with Gabrielle de Polignac but also of the peasants who are on the verge of revolt. Initially, Sidonie refuses to listen. But then news of the Bastille being taken quickly spreads. Both the nobles and the servants wait anxiously as King Louis XVI (Xavier Beauvois) tries to calm the members of the Third Estate with a political speech, one he gives outside Versailles' supposedly safe gates.

Even with this development, Sidonie is only concerned about her beloved Queen, whose reputation is slowly but surely being tarnished. Gradually, she sees just how deep her love for Gabrielle runs. It comes to a head not long after Louis refuses to leave Versailles, which effectively destroys any hope that he and Marie Antoinette will get out alive; during a tearful moment between them, the Queen begs Gabrielle to leave and never return, all the while secretly hoping that she will refuse and stay by her side until the very end. The decision she ultimately makes is not what matters. What really matters are the consequences of that decision. They matter because they involve Sidonie, albeit without her initially knowing it. The final scene with Marie Antoinette involves Sidonie stripping down to nothing and staring at her Queen with a mixture of desperate longing and tremendous sadness.

The scene immediately following this arguably depicts Sidonie slipping into madness, the Queen's request allowing her to indulge in a fantasy despite the fact that her very life has been put on the line. Was this done against her will? If it were any other queen, the answer would be yes. But because it's Marie Antoinette, it's more a matter of love than of duty. In that moment, brief though it may be, Sidonie is allowed to believe she is the Queen's favorite, and she milks it for all its worth. Only through a voice-over narration do we come to realize just how empty Sidonie is without Marie Antoinette. It isn't so much that she no longer has the Queen to admire; it's more a matter of life's purpose and personal identity, because with the Queen, Sidonie has nothing and truly is nothing.

All of this is handled about as competently as one might expect, and it would be a bald-faced lie to say that the performances aren't good. Nevertheless, considering the scandalous implications of the material, it's a mystery to me why Jacquot couldn't bring himself to just go ahead and make a gay erotica, a genre the plot dances around as if it were a touchy subject. I grant you that this approach would have necessitated an almost total removal of anything even remotely historical, but then again, most audiences don't go to movies for history lessons. Lord knows if I were genuinely interested in the French Revolution, I'd actually bother to read a book on the subject. "Farewell, My Queen" is a valiant effort – a fine cast, superb costumes, intricate sets, and beautiful art direction are among its accomplishments – but it plays like an idea that wasn't given the chance to come to fruition. It should have been so much more than it was allowed to be.

-- Chris Pandolfi (www.atatheaternearyou.net)

Les adieux à la reine (Farewell, My Queen) is a luxurious, visually stunning film about the moments before the citizens of France stormed the Bastille and headed for Versailles. Without a rather thorough understanding of that period of French history the film may leave some viewers confused as to the story line. This film is more about the manner in which Marie Antoinette functioned as a queen and as a woman with needs than it is about a precise description of what was occurring outside the palace walls.

In July 1789, the French Revolution is forming and gaining momentum. Seemingly oblivious to the people of France, at the Château de Versailles, King Louis XVI (Xavier Beauvois), Queen Marie-Antoinette (Diane Kruger) and their courtiers keep on living their usual carefree lives. The comparison to Upstairs Downstairs is evident - carried to the extreme. The matter of note is the window into the personality of Marie Antoinette who has been having a lesbian affair with the Duchess Gabrielle de Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen). To pass her time away when the Duchess is not available for assignations, Marie fills her hours looking at materials, fashion books, and she has a lady in waiting reader - Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux) - read stories to her. The two become confidants and Sidonie is utterly devoted to Marie, knowing that Marie and Gabrielle are in a relationship. But when the news of the storming of the Bastille reaches them, panic sets in and most of the aristocrats and their servants desert the sinking ship, leaving the Royal Family practically alone. Sidonie remains at Marie's side and as preparations for the evacuation of the palace are made, Marie asks Sidonie to disguise herself as Gabrielle and to escape to Switzerland with Gabrielle and her husband dressed in disguise: should the French stop their carriage it would be Sidonie that would be beheaded, saving Gabrielle to return to Marie when the 'nasty business outside Versailles is over'. Sidonie does as she is asked out of her devotion to Marie and the film ends with only with words of the results of the historical events (the beheading of Marie in 1793 etc) - a quite subtle and fitting ending to a moment of recreated history.

The film is based on Chantal Thomas' novel and written for the screen by Gilles Taurand and director Benoît Jacquot. The costumes and settings are magnificent and the other members of the large cast (especially Noémie Lvovsky as Madame Campan and Michel Robin as Moreau) are uniformly excellent. It is an interesting look at the characters of French history and though the film in many ways lacks substance it still merits seeing for the period piece that it is.

Grady Harp

Most of the movies set in and around the Versailles, in the time when it was still the residence of the French kings, show the building and its inhabitants in all their glory and splendor, but there are always those who take a different approach. "Les adieux à la reine" ("Farewell, My Queen"), latest movie from French director and screenwriter Benoît Jacquot, falls in the latter category. It's based on the book of the same name by Chantal Thomas, French historian and writer, and guides us through Versailles from 14th to 16th of July 1789. Those were hard days for the monarchy. 14th of July 1789 is the day the Bastille fell, which marks the beginning of the French Revolution. But Jacquot isn't interested in politics as much as in reactions of unsuspecting Versailles denizens. What we see aren't the lush and wondrous chambers and halls but rather the small, concealed and poor ones. The characters we meet are mostly servants and lower class nobility, wondering through that "other" Versailles in shock and horror, debating on news and gossip about what's happening in Paris and wondering about their uncertain fates. Amidst all of that is Sidonie Laborde, queen's reader and the main character of the movie. She seems to be the only one who's not concerned by her own fate but by that of the person that means everything to her, the queen. Sidonie worships queen and would do anything for her, but the queen, although somewhat intimate with her, holds that kind of feelings for another woman, Duchess Gabrielle de Polignac.

So we have a story about unreturned love between three women on the French court on the eve of the French Revolution. But how interesting is it? Not that much, really. There is one scene where Sidonie and Marie read aloud a conversation between two lovers from some drama, and through that enacted conversation Sidonie expresses her true feelings for the queen. In that scene we can sense the feelings and the longing which they both carry inside themselves and in that moment we really care. Unfortunately, for the rest of the time, we don't. We're meant to, of course, but performances from Léa Seydoux and Diane Kruger, while good, are not good enough to make their though characters engaging. Also, the fact that Sidonie, smart and well read young woman, is defining herself in relation to the queen (when she left Versailles she said she doesn't exist no more) doesn't come up as believable. The main story disappoints, but there are still some things of interest in the movie. The mentioned, "other" Versailles being the main one. The scenes of servants and nobility wondering through dark and narrow halls and steep stairs, at one moment crowded but just behind the next corner eerie with their emptiness, provide an almost hallucinatory experience and the feeling of dread and uncertainty which possesses those people feels very authentic.

As you can imagine, costume design and makeup are amongst the highlights of the movie. Which unfortunately couldn't be said about direction and screenplay, although some of its holes add up to that hallucinatory feeling. Also, some details seem redundant, and I'm still puzzled by their significance (the clock, the flower sample). I already commented on the two main actresses and, although we meet more than few characters throughout the movie, no one else stands out.

In spite of its different approach to the theme, "Les adieux à la reine" doesn't feel fresh. Just as Sidonie becomes a captive of the queen and the queen becomes the captive of the duchess, the movie becomes a captive of its main characters, much to its detriment. It has a few bright spots, as noted, but not enough to stop us from saying "adieux".

In film alone there have been eight representations depicting the life and times of Marie Antoinette. Benoit Jacquot's latest interpretation comes from a screenplay that he and Gilles Taurant adapted from Chantal Thomas's novel. Filmed largely at Versailles it looks closely at the class divide between monarch and servant and how blind love can distort your view. It's told from the point of view of a servant blindly committed to her Queen. Visually sumptuous with a compelling narrative it skilfully avoids the dullness of many period dramas.

The story takes place during the last four days leading up to the French Revolution. Culminating in the overthrow of the monarchy and the execution of the King and Queen of France. A young woman Sidonie (Lea Seydoux) is the official reader to the Queen. She is Marie Antoinette's (Diane Kruger) number one fan. Scratching away at mosquito bites and grimacing at the site of a giant rat lurking in the servant's quarters she chooses to ignore all the rumblings and gossip of rebellion and dissent emerging around her. She is an unapologetic servant of the beautiful seductive Queen. Having shared a coffee she observes "It's all going wonderfully well." Marie Antoinette spends most of her time draped in fine clothes and surrounded by gold in her private chambers. She vaguely peruses the latest fashion magazine. She requests embroidery and books, self-absorbed, vain and removed from the realities of poverty and deprivation outside her Palace walls. Running and stumbling and always late Sidonie serves at the behest of her Queen. "So young and already so blind" comments the wise old historian Morcau (Michael Robin). As the days pass the hallways and corridors become crowded with panicked servants and gentry alike. A list of names to be beheaded emerges causing terror amongst the Bourgeoisie. The final hours of a corrupt monarchy reveal a Queen who will sacrifice anyone for the love of her dearest Mme de Polinac (Virgine Ledoyen).

Throughout the proceeding Jacquot gives the film a contemporary feel, using a constantly moving camera that follows Sidonie wherever she goes. No conventional traditional set-ups, the fluidity of the camera-work gives the film a sense of urgency. Benoit loves a tracking shot. The Production Design by Katla Wyszkop (Potiche) is worth the price of admission contrasting the emptiness of the maid's quarters, against the opulence of Marie Antoinette's private quarters. Cinematography and lighting by Romain Winding is exquisite. It's as if he's lighting by candle for much of the picture. The performers are all excellent, Kruger captures the seductiveness of the Queen, but it's Seydoux in almost every seen who transfixes with her sublime performance.

"Farewell, My Queen another story about Marie-Antoinette this time with a great performance by Diane Kruger as the women herself"

Marie-Antoinette is one of the most hated women in all history and once again she appears on the screen. This film tells the story of Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux) a book reader to the queen of France Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger), over the course of three days we see into the running of the palace and how the royals hold complete power until the Bastillle is hit by the rebellion of the time. During these days we see love, loss and trying to please those who are above you by doing anything you can even sacrificing your life for your queen.

Benoît Jacquot is the director behind this film and his direction is well suited to this almost claustrophobic area that is the kingdom of France in 1789 as these royals were hated by the people of France. The story at first seems very simple but as we get to know Sidonie more and see that she does not want to say anything offensive causing her to do things for the queen no normal women in her job would have to do. The costumes and sets are very well suited to the time period and they way they move also is great to see that the crew behind the film took to time and effort that goes into a period piece like this.

Léa Seydoux plays the main women of this tale and she gives a fine performance but she is not allowed to emote which is what the character had to do because she was a lower class worker and that is why even though she is in almost every scene she does not get to stand out as others, also she mostly comforts people feeling pain. Diane Kruger in her short screen time for her entrance to departure owns the screen in part due to the role she plays because it is Marie-Antoinette. There is one scene when she gets to finally show her emotions when they all boil up when she says goodbye to her lover for good. In her final scene we see the true villainies of Marie as she sacrifices her book reader in order to save her lover which is something a normal nice women would do but an evil one would do it.

The film overall as some great production displayed mainly in it'costume but the fact the main character is not interesting is a major problem with the film but it is made better every time Diane is one the screen making the film the better to watch.

MOVIE GRADE: C (MVP: Diane Kruger)

This film is a wonderful study of what the last days of the French royalty in Versailles, particularly of the way, Marie Antoinette behaved and delivered her commands. It is all seen through the eyes of her reader, a very interesting character. She is the queen's personal reader, someone who has been bewitched by the Queen's strong charm. There are rumours in the palace, and very few people can validate them. Whether it is from loyalty, admiration, or fear, secrets are guarded and some dubious qualities admired, maybe misunderstood. It is hard to believe Sidoine can't see the true nature of the queen. Maybe it is because she might be infatuated with her, or maybe because the way Antoinette is played by Diane Kruger, there is very little choice but to be in awe of her.

Kruger is a beautiful woman, and she can play mystical characters very well. One could believe kingdoms were fighting for her Helen in "Troy", and in "Farewell", it is likely she probably wielded and manipulated her court more effectively than her husband did. There is still room in her performance to show that she still felt limited and bound by some conventions, but it was clear she was a powerful woman.

Her scenes with Sidoine are full of tension, making us wonder what is going behind each woman's facade. We never really know because all we see is very controlled reactions, emotions, furtive glances, light brushes, hints at deeper and more forbidden forces.

Sidoine knows how to find information, and she struggles because it might not be a good idea to know too much. It haunts you. She is in the most inner circle of the palace, and she might see and know too much, but she fails to make good use of what she knows. In fact, like Antoinette, she might be restricted by her social place and gender, and it's that inability to overstep her boundaries that might surprise people in the final scenes of the movie, as we are floored by Antoninette's request and Sidoine's reaction.

The film is gorgeously produced, scored, and photographed. There is something about the way that period in French history looked like. It complements the decadence of the upper classes. We know such opulence is not cheap, and we can see in the disdain shown to the lower classes, that there will be consequences for all involved. It is an elegant and intelligent film, full of layers that are shown are effectively displayed. Much is done with the presentation of a costume, a reference to a special dish, how culture is appreciated and used as a weapon here. Antoinette knows her place, and she uses it grandly, as we can see by Kruger's performance. Power is intoxicating and binding, and it can lead to very dangerous resolutions, but this will not beat the power of the human heart, and that's the essence of this queen's maneuvers.