Farewell, My Queen
Lavish French period drama capturing the scandal surrounding the court of Marie Antoinette in the final days before the Revolution. Stars Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and Léa Seydoux (Midnight in Paris). Based on the best-selling novel by Chantal Thomas, nominated for 10 César (French Academy) Awards.
Sidonie (Seydoux) is a quiet worker trying to weave her way into Antoinette’s (Kruger) special favours. But the seemingly innocent girl’s objectives are soon rattled, with the Queen revealing her infatuation with her secret lover Gabrielle de Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen). As France's civil rebellion builds, Sidonie secretly witnesses this relationship grow.
2012Rating: M, Mature themes and nudity100 minsFrance, SpainFrench with English subtitles
DramaHistoricalWorld Cinema
- Director:
- Benoît Jacquot ('Villa Amalia', 'A Single Girl', 'Right Now')
- Writer:
- Benoît JacquotGilles Taurand
- Cast:
- Diane KrugerLéa SeydouxVirginie LedoyenXavier BeauvoisNoémie LvovskyMichel RobinJulie-Marie Parmentier
Farewell, My Queen / Reviews
Time Out
Once the rote plot takes over - the tension brought on by the film's you-are-there verisimilitude quickly devolves into soapily overwrought theatrics.
Full reviewThe New York Times
Tense, absorbing, pleasurably original look at three days in the life and lies of a doomed monarch...
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Roger Ebert
Benoit Jacquot's engrossing film tells a story we know well, seen from a point of view we may not have considered.
Full review
Los Angeles Times
Matching the strength of these actresses and their personal drama is the film's masterful sense of time and place - the way it makes us feel that this was how it was during four pivotal days in July 1789 as the wheels came off the French monarchy.
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