Vatel (C or 2/4 stars)
Gerard Depardieu stars in 'Vatel', a 2000 historical drama/romance directed by Roland Jaffe. The year is 1671 and the Sun King, Louis XIV, (Julian Sands), rules over Versailles. He announces his intention to spend a long weekend at the northern countryside chateau of Prince de Conde (Julian Glover). This gout-ridden warrior, who hopes to lead the French army in a brutal war against Holland, commands his steward, the titular Francois Vatel (Depardieu), to manage details regarding lodging, food, merriment & spectacle. The Prince de Conde is destitute and, assumes that if all goes according to plan by getting back in the king's good graces, that he & the locals in the region will be rewarded swimmingly & avoid economic disaster.
The story at hand has a fairly contemporary vibe to it, including elements of filthy rich people addicted to overconsumption & being wildly entertained while the masses around them live in abject poverty. Vatel, knowing that the destiny of many people lie in his hands, faces a copious amount of crises while prepping his resplendent banquets & splendid theatrical events. With inventive assurance, he saves a little boy from the clutches of the king's greedy brother & is able to create lanterns out of hollowed-out melons after the glass lamps arrive in a pile of broken pieces.
Vatel is especially compassionate in regard to Anne de Montausier (Uma Thurman), the latest conquest of lusty King Louis XIV, who is weary of his wife. Despite his skill set, the resourceful steward earns the wrath of the Marquis de Lauzun (Tim Roth), the king's oily lieutenant. The mournful finale also has a contemporary vibe to it. Those who are unwilling to be the toys of the rich & powerful must force themselves to make disquieting decisions.
'Vatel' is likely & rightly to earn Academy Award consideration for various components. Robert Fraisse's camerawork, Jean Rabasse's production designs, Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle's costumes & Ennio Morricone's music are out-of-this-world excellent. But few people will remember much else about this film after it is over. Period costume drama such as this {and I LOVE me a good period costume drama} are expected to offer opulence. But in the case of this movie, it's all it's got. The performances are all fine. But the script is too turgid; offering a costume drama with no actual ... drama. And the glum ending didn't do anything to alleviate the uninvolving storyline which came before. 'Vatel' offers such beauty, but lacks warm-hearted characters and, its sumptuousness can't enliven the deadly dull stretches.
The story at hand has a fairly contemporary vibe to it, including elements of filthy rich people addicted to overconsumption & being wildly entertained while the masses around them live in abject poverty. Vatel, knowing that the destiny of many people lie in his hands, faces a copious amount of crises while prepping his resplendent banquets & splendid theatrical events. With inventive assurance, he saves a little boy from the clutches of the king's greedy brother & is able to create lanterns out of hollowed-out melons after the glass lamps arrive in a pile of broken pieces.
Vatel is especially compassionate in regard to Anne de Montausier (Uma Thurman), the latest conquest of lusty King Louis XIV, who is weary of his wife. Despite his skill set, the resourceful steward earns the wrath of the Marquis de Lauzun (Tim Roth), the king's oily lieutenant. The mournful finale also has a contemporary vibe to it. Those who are unwilling to be the toys of the rich & powerful must force themselves to make disquieting decisions.
'Vatel' is likely & rightly to earn Academy Award consideration for various components. Robert Fraisse's camerawork, Jean Rabasse's production designs, Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle's costumes & Ennio Morricone's music are out-of-this-world excellent. But few people will remember much else about this film after it is over. Period costume drama such as this {and I LOVE me a good period costume drama} are expected to offer opulence. But in the case of this movie, it's all it's got. The performances are all fine. But the script is too turgid; offering a costume drama with no actual ... drama. And the glum ending didn't do anything to alleviate the uninvolving storyline which came before. 'Vatel' offers such beauty, but lacks warm-hearted characters and, its sumptuousness can't enliven the deadly dull stretches.