Marguerite
Highlights:
1921, the beginning of the Golden Twenties. Not far from Paris. It is party day at Marguerite Dumont’s castle. Like every year, an array of music lovers gathers around a great cause at the owner’s place. Nobody knows much about this woman except that she is rich and that her whole life is devoted to her passion: music. Marguerite sings. She sings wholeheartedly, but she sings terribly out of tune. In ways quite similar to the Castafiore, Marguerite has been living her passion in her own bubble, and the hypocrite audience, always coming in for a good laugh, acts as if she was the diva she believes she is. When a young, provocative journalist decides to write a rave article on her latest performance, Marguerite starts to believe even further in her talent. This gives her the courage she needs to follow her dream. Despite her husband’s reluctance, and with the help of a has-been divo, both funny and mean, she decides to train for her first recital in front of a crowd of complete strangers.
Director:
Xavier Giannoli
Cast:
Catherine Frot, Andre Marcon, Michel Fau, Christa Theret
Screenplay:
Xavier Giannoli
Screening Date:
Feb 27, 2016
Studio:
Cohen Media Group
Running Time:
129 min.
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41.0% | 25.6% | 17.9% | 15.4% | 0.0% |
“A commentary on art and people using others. Many used her. Marguerite is the mirror of the many facets we all have in ourselves. She was naïve and wise all at once. We all lie at times (white lies, cruel exploiting and mocking ones). Suffering is part of human condition, some suffer for love or because of actions of others. There’s a strong message here.”
“Very SUNSET BOULEVARD. The chauffeur/butler was beyond evil, unlike the other hangers-on. Sad that so many people were contributing to her delusion about her voice. The actress Frot was wonderful to watch. The actual Florence Foster Jenkins died at 76 and wasn’t as attractive as the star. Heartbreaking story of a woman who is surrounded by terrible people. The giant eyeball rolling around on the lawn and the peacock also screeching in the background.”
“Luscious to look at and to listen to. A complex, somewhat troubling film. The story of how a gentle, probably naïve lady who is deceived by everyone. A story of illusion and epiphany. Interesting, strange and disturbing.”
“Beautiful, brutal and bizarre. I don’t know what to make of this, but glad I saw it.”
“Moving the story of Florenece Foster Jenkins to Post-WW1 Paris is brilliant as it places it smack in the middle of Dadaism, where everything is upside down, and so her singing is seized upon by the young revolutionary as both Dada-esque and the epitome of bourgeois excesses.”
“Extraordinary. A movie of illusion, truth, money and class.”
“Marguerite Dumont is incredibly close to Margaret Dumont from the Marx Brothers movies, herself the foil of the Marx Brothers humor she never quite understood.”
“A shocking psychological exploration of illusion, delusion, complexity, cruelty and tenderness, using and abusing. Kept waiting for the truth to be revealed, so many twists and turns to keeping the secret. Madelbos’ action at the end a shocker. A study of knowing vs. not wanting to know and the power of the mind to create a reality. As a study of human behavior a beautifully crafted story, beautifully filmed. Great acting! Great casting! Wonderful production settings, sets and costumes. That eye and the peacock’s plaintiff call. Thanks for this film. So much to discuss and think about, such as the hunting scene cutting the trachea out of the deer. There are so many images to discuss.”
“Fabulous picture! Best music ever!”
“Hans Richter said that Dada was not art: it was ‘anti-art.’ Marguerite’s singing is clearly anti-singing. Her rendition of La Marseillaise the epitome of a disenchanted post-war youth.”
“Requires effort from the viewer, but it is well rewarded in the end.”
“An amazing story, poetically and brilliantly realized.” It will be interesting to see what Meryl Streep and Stephen Frears do to the story, but I’m betting even those talents don’t come close.”
“Images of the eye and perception abound, her peering at the audience, the giant eyeball, the photographer’s lens, the swinging chandeliers and eye in the viewfinder. The disconnect between seeing and hearing gives rise to dozens of interpretations. Loved it!”
“Too long.”
“Catherine Frot deserves every award she was given and more, an incredibly moving performance of a totally unique character.”
“Her performance was A+. The directing was A+. This film was so interesting initially and captivating but it seemed to fall down in its own preposterousness when she did briefly sing well on that stage…it collapsed into a whole new faux platform and lost me.”
“This film absolutely bowled me over. Beautiful, disturbing, heartbreaking and thoughtful. One of the most sensitive and complex telling I have ever experienced of an individual and her social group. The scenes where Marguerite is barefoot outside the Opera House in the sanitarium signaled her vulnerability wonderfully.”
“Amazing that, at times and early in the film, we laugh at Marguerite, and by the end her poor singing is incredibly moving and ultimately as eloquent a statement on love as the cinema has seen.”
“Some scenes could have been cut, others shortened.”
“So much to discuss, which means the film is rich with provocative images, incredible direction and marvelous storytelling.”
“Best film I have seen in a long, long time. I’d write more but a second viewing is necessary, the highest praise I can give.”
(Spoiler alert!) “Her final on-key singing for those precious seconds is about the most romantic moment I can remember in film. OK, slightly corny but so romantic.”
If you'd like to know more about the film...
The film Marguerite is loosely based on the real life story of Florence Foster Jenkins. This year a film based on Florence Foster Jenkins is due to come out starring Meryl Streep in the leading role. Below is a link to the first teaser trailer for the film.
http://www.thewrap.com/meryl-streep-seems-perfect-in-florence-foster-jen...
The story of Florence Foster Jenkins is one which is both unique and quite interesting. For this reason it is not too suprising that someone decided to base a movie on her, as her story lends itself to a cinematic format. If you would like to know more about the life of Florence Foster Jenkins you can view the documentary provided below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVcatZDdaIY
