QUEEN MARGOT

France, 1994, 146 minutes. Colour.
Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean- Hugues Anglade, Vincent Perez, Virna Lisi, Dominique Blanc, Pascal Greggory, Claudio Amendola, Miguel Bose, Asia Argento, Julien Rassam, Thomas Kretschmann, Jean- Claude Brialy, Barbet Schroeder, Bruno Todeschini, Bernard Verley.
Directed by Patrice Chereau.

Queen Margot is an impressive film, but may be too blood-drenched for some tastes. It is quite long, with pageantry, re-creation of 16th century France, but with many grim sequences which picture what were vicious times, times of bigotry, the use and exploitation of church allegiances to destroy enemies.

The family is the royal house of France in 1572, a Mafia-like family with strict family codes and decadent morals, presided over by a sepulchral Virna Lisi as Catherine de Medici (best actress at Cannes 1994). Isabelle Adjani is her daughter, Margot, who is married to Huguenot Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil) to cement a French union. However, neither party wants to consummate the marriage and lead separate, somewhat profligate lives. However, the wedding is the occasion for the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre of six thousand Huguenots, murdered by the Catholics. This is presented in a very long sequence in strong detail.

The film also shows other members of the Medici family, especially Pascal Greggory as the Duke of Anjou, waiting in the wings to become king, but vicious in his pursuit of the Huguenots as well as his exploitation of his sister. Jean- Hugues Anglade portrays the rather weak Charles IX who is the victim of his mother’s plot against Henri of Navarre. Vincent Perez is the Huguenot, La Mole, who encounters Margot in the streets, is rescued by her during the massacre, and enters into a relationship with her, finally being executed.

The film is a grim reminder of the ugliness of the religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries (seen also in such films as The Last Valley).

1. The historical interest of the film? France in the 16th century? Based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas Snr, the combination of history, pageantry, spectacle?

2. Audience knowledge of the period, of the characters? Of the Medici family? Of the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre? Of the religious wars?

3. The title, the focus on Margot, her relationship with her mother, with King Charles, with her brother, Anjou, and with Henri of Navarre? Her relationship with La Mole?

4. August 1572: the Catholics and their control of the country, the religious allegiance, the externals and pageantry? Catherine de Medici as widow, her ethos and memories of her husband and his infidelities, yet her fidelity to him, her ruthlessness? Her relationship to her children? Her sons, Anjou being a favourite? Using Margot for cementing the Protestant- Catholic alliance? The role of Huguenots as the reform church, the Catholics as the established church? The wars and battles, the Duke de Guise? De Conde and Coligny, the Huguenot stances? Coligny and his wanting peace? Negotiations with Catherine? The use of Margot and Henri? Politics and the use of religion? Religion as an ideology? The presence or absence of God? The consequences of the massacre?

5. The introduction to La Mole, as a Huguenot, his sharing the room with the Catholic? The establishing of prejudices and the setting of the history?

6. The lavish portrayal of the wedding, the members of the family, the church? The consent, Margot being literally pushed? Neither having intentions for a proper marriage? The personalities of Henri and Margot? The aftermath, the reception, the crowds, the aristocracy – and the absence of ordinary people?

7. Margot and her liaisons, the various men? Eyeing off the court? Henriette as her friend, adviser? Wandering the streets, the encounter with La Mole? Margot’s character – active, passive?

8. Henri and the encounter with Charlotte, his own morals, the later meetings with Charlotte, the lipstick from the executioner, her death?

9. The visualising of the massacre? The role of the king, his consent or not? Catherine behind the massacre? Anjou and his brothers and their leadership? On horseback, going through Paris? The killings? Guise and the Catholics? The massacre as filmed, its brutality, the number of corpses? In the context of the castles, Paris streets? In the context of costumes and décor of the period?

10. La Mole, the pursuit, his being wounded? Margot and the rescue? The effect of him, on her? Her protection? His escape, going to London, to Amsterdam, meeting with the Protestants? The getting of the money from Mendez? The plan to rescue Henri? To rescue Margot?

11. The portrait of the Huguenots, their religious values, puritanical? Victims of the massacre, in black, their being cut down? Henri and his reaction? His going through the externals of a conversion to Catholicism?

12. Catherine and the aftermath of the massacre? Anjou? Alencon? The different intrigues? Anjou as merciless? The brothers and their relationship with Margot, sexual abuse? Anjou and the plan for him to go to Austria?

13. Margot and her defiance, forming a bond with Henri? The relationship? La Mole coming into her life? As a lover? The brutality of his death? Her taking his head?

14. The king and the hunt, Henri going with him, his saving Henri from the boar? The meal with the family?

15. Catherine and the executioner, poisoning the book on hunting? Henri as the victim? The king, reading the book, the effect on him, the disease, the poison, the blood? His carrying on? The revelation of what had happened? His death?

16. Henri, his escape, going to Navarre? His renouncing Catholicism? His being accepted – and his becoming King of France?

17. Margot, her fate? Catherine de Medici and her sons? The view of this period of French history in retrospect? The discredit to the French monarchy? The French church?