Customer Reviews

Angelique Collection

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The original fifteen or so written novels about the Courtesan Angelique were incredibly popular worldwide in the Fifties and Sixties and the series of five motion pictures were produced in the late 1960's as a joint French-Italian-German collaboration. - The huge input of talent, budget and production values oozes off the screen. No Computer gimmicks here - just sheer gloss, action and pleasure.
I purchased the French Box Set from Amazon UK some time back and the five films were beautifully presented in original DyaliScope (CinemaScope) with restored color and French language. All five Trailers were also included.
My five taped-off-TV in the late Seventies VHS copies still play well and are still very watchable (and in English language) but were naturally only standard screen cut-downs.
If a further updated set is not in Widescreen then why bother? The French Set is worth Ten Stars and the vision supersedes any problems with not understanding the dialogue!
However, for those who have never seen these five brilliant and extremely entertaining movies, I urge anyone to buy this Box Set just to have these Classics in your Home Library.
And yes, the haunting Music Score by Michel Magne is truly wonderful - I was lucky to obtain the overseas pressing of the priceless LP at a Collectibles Fair a few years ago.
These five movies are Gems and have given me many repeated hours of pleasure over the years since 1978 both on VHS and the recent French DVD copies - several times the five have been watched in tandem - they are that entertaining.
And Michelle Mercier - a truly beautiful Actress from the late Sixties era when the films were made, who was ideally cast in the title role. Her husband is played by Robert Hussein who gives an equally lifelike performance in all five films.
My favourite is ANGELIQUE AND THE SULTAN.

HAPPY VIEWING - TAKE THE PLUNGE WITH THIS SET OF ANGELIQUE DVD's - YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

The movies are in Widescreen and in both French and English dubbed versions. The transfers are the best you can get, as with all Lionsgate products.

As Eric Glasby urges anyone to buy this box set just to have these "Classics" in your home Library, I agree whole heartily; for Angelique is indeed a "Classic". Like the movies lovers who have viewed this Classic in tandem and have received hours of pleasure so have the readers of Angelique. The Angelique books proved an international success of gigantic proportions. Estimates of the total number of Angelique books sold worldwide are upwards of 150 million, and they have been translated and published in at least 63 countries, by at least 320 different publishers, in over 20 different languages. Given these numbers, there are only a small percentage of readers who are aware there is indeed an end to the series of Angelique. There are 3 more volumes that have never been translated and Anne Golon is striving to finish the end to Angelique's journey. There are millions of people that have read the Angelique series who are unaware that the story continues let alone they have been deprived of the knowing the story in its full context.
I urge anyone to visit: FriendsofAngelique@yahoogroups.com and http://www.worldofangelique.com/ to learn the "rest of the story".
Happy Viewing, take the plunge. To quote Joffrey de Peyrac, as he and Angelique sailed to the shore of Quebec "Let the Journey begin".

Hello to all of you globally who support the memory of Angélique - I'm reproducing my amazon.co.uk review where I have also posted images - please visit and see the recent and past photos of the author, now sadly widowed and completing her series by not only writing but also researching the background.

Where can one begin a review of this iconic heroine and do her and her creators justice? I seem to have known or been involved with Angélique throughout my adult life - I read the first book when I should have been studying for my A-Levels! My sister introduced me to the books - she felt I should have outgrown my beloved Jean Plaidy and Chalet School books by that age and moved onto something a little more sophisticated - she chose Angélique for me - and what a choice! I have written reviews for these books on Amazons fabulous review facility and according to the statistics they have proved useful to several readers. I hope I may have encouraged others to seek out the now sadly out of print versions, many of which are commanding obscene amounts of money on ebay probably due to being erroneously described as erotic - shame the sellers don't read their books first!
But to the films - I saw the first film - Marquise of the Angels on BBC2 with English sub-titles - I can't remember much of that other than I was so terribly excited that the books had been transferred to film and Michele Mercier did look gorgeous - seemingly Brigitte Bardot and Jane Fonda had turned down the opportunity to become the eponymous heroine. Considering BBs love for animals and political acumen, she might have paid closer attention to Angéliques life which mirrors these two avenues. I digress - a failing of mine. I discovered the second film in Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains of Poland where I was on holiday with a friend of Julie Christie's - yes honestly. We were out for a stroll when we saw the weather front hurtling towards us and dived into the nearest building which happened to be a cinema coincidentally showing the film - it was dubbed into Polish with English subtitles - I loved that film to pieces, especially the visual affect of the Court of Miracles and then the complete contrast as Angélique is presented to the Sun King himself by her cousin Phillipe. As an aside just as I did not discover the existence of three more books in the series until the mid-80s [still unpublished in English despite world-wide interest], so I did not realise that there were 5 Angélique films - those I discovered when I started visiting Paris in the 90s.
It has to be said that the films are visually stunning, the music score beautiful and haunting and the fact that they are now going to be available with English sub-titles is why I am going to buy my third set of DVDs - all the others are PAL SECAM playable over here but with no sub-title facility. I've enjoyed these films because they are entertaining - the characters share the same names as the characters in the books - but the storylines differ to suit the needs of the time - this is no bad thing because thanks to the films the legend lives on and Anne Golon is not forgotten. There is agreement that Desgrez [a real historical character] is portrayed as the most believable and best cast - but we perhaps forget that this is a French invention and will be viewed differently than something like the Onedin Line which is a wholly British invention [with an Angélique-like character in the form of Jessica Benton as James' sister Elizabeth].
There are some superbly innovative ideas in the films and it has a "happy ever after" ending which is a shame because the story does continue in the New World and could have created a whole second tranche of films.
It's fun,it's not serious, it's pretty to look at - see the films, then read the books!

When I was a little girl, I saw this colection a 1000 times in my v.c.r. and at last after 20 years I can watch again in my dvd and this Angelique colection I purchase from you Amazon, is an exelent quality... I am so happy... thank you!!!

I remember watching one or two of the movies years ago in Poland as a child. They must have made a huge impression on me at the time, so when I found on Amazon that they are available on DVD with English subtitles I bought them right away.
I love the movies and cannot wait for the books. As soon as they are published I plan to buy all of them.

You must purchase those dvd's, I saw this movie at least 20 times in original french, it is just SUPERB...The unforgetable music of Michel Magne will be forever in your head.Breath taking Michele Mercier, she is just perfectly gorgeous in this role; wich did ruined her acting cariere, people will only want to see her and remember her as Angelique. More than a treat for us, it will take you with her in her world...i just hope that the english dubbing is good, translation and voices, the french version is so beautiful that i'm a little "afraid" that it doesn't do to well, but will never know. I'm buying it for my 2 daughters, they saw the french version and do not understand french so I had to translate every sentences, so now they are very excited to see it in their native English.They are tell me we can't wait to see it and to finally enjoy every minute of the movies...

I have been looking for this movie for as long as I have been in US. Its French, but I saw it when I was very young and in Russian. The DVD is doubled in English and the original French. The color is wonderful and the story is timeless. I watch this movie almost every year and something about it makes me keep coming back. This is an older movie yes, but there is no other like it. You will be captivated from start to finish.

I have waited so long for English subtitles for these wonderful French period films, and now they're here! Angelique's story is one of the most entertaining and inspirational works of fiction I've ever encountered--and I'm a mad reader. Admittedly, the movies fall short of the books, but the story is good enough to translate nonetheless into beautiful movies with fun, romance, and Gallic flair. Enjoy--and check out the book series for serious reading enjoyment.

Somewhere between the pomp and ceremony of the Romy Schneider "Sissi" trilogy, and a series of four Barbara Cartland telemovies in the late 1980's, there is ANGELIQUE. Based on the bestselling book series written by Anne and Serge Golon, we follow Angelique (played by breathtaking French actress Michéle Mercier) through several continents and five movies filled with adventure, bodice-ripping romance, and more than a dash of royal intrigue.

A sprawling saga covering many years and a great sweep of historical events, Angelique (Mercier) is a headstrong young girl, virtually "sold" into marriage to the much older Count Joffrey de Peyrac ("Love on a Pillow"'s Robert Hossein). Covered in facial scars and walking with a limp, Angelique is horrified by her husband, but in true "Beauty and the Beast" fashion soon finds a compassionate heart underneath his less than thrilling exterior. Their happiness is short-lived however, when Joffrey is arrested on charges of sorcery, and Angelique's life is similarly endangered (having overheard a royal assassination plot). And this is only the first movie! The other four titles ("The Road to Versailles", "Angelique and the King", "Untamable Angelique" and "Angelique and the Sultan") follow Angelique's quest, across several continents and a string of lovers, to re-claim her wealth, place in society, and her missing husband.

The "Angelique" titles, churned out in quick succession between 1964-68, were highly successful in their day and still have the potential to thrill audiences with their spellbinding mix of period romance and adventure. It's a total mystery--to me at least--why Michéle Mercier never became a bigger international star, because she certainly had the necessary talent and camera personality. She's perfect as Angelique; her close-ups are stunning.

The DVD boxset is a strictly no-frills affair, but at least all five titles can again be enjoyed by fans old and new. Recommended.