Customer Reviews

On Guard

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
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Alexandre Dumas made a reputation for himself writing stories chiefly about the uncommon man who had to rise to the occasion in extraordinary circumstances. Arguably, THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO stand as some of the best literature of the ages, and the film adaptations have created some of the most incredibly swordplay put to the silver screen.

The little heard of and rarely seen ON GUARD ("Le Bossu," 1997, from the French novel by Paul Feval of the same name), by far, features some of the most exciting swordplay with a story that compares to Dumas' best work in many ways.

Daniel Auteuil stars as Lagardere, a budding swordsman who can't back down from a fight. One evening, upon trying to best the Duke of Nevers, he inadvertantly falls into the duke's good graces and joins him -- as a sidekick -- on a journey to rescue the man's infant daughter, Aurore. However, as the duke is soon murdered by his villainous cousin Count Gonzague (played with ample creepiness by Fabrice Luchini), Lagardere escapes with the infant and, along with the help of a traveling circus, raises her as his own child for sixteen years ... until Aurore takes up the sword and performs a move only her real father could've known, alerting the now-in-power Gonzague to the fact the the daughter has survived. Now, Legardere is faced with the ultimate challenge of devising a masterful plot to put the woman back on the throne and into her position of prominence!

Much of the film is pure plotting and humor, some of which can only be the product of the French ("Ever try sodomy, my friend?"), and I'm quite certain several of the jokes might be lost on an American audience. Still, Auteuil as Lagardere is the film's masterful stroke; he proves himself capable of a Musketeer-like defender, a loving father, and a pining lost soulmate to the lovely Aurore, all the while maintaining his sense of duty coupled with a great sense of humor.

The film is presented widescreen, filmed on beautiful locations, and the sound is very crisp and vibrant. ON GUARD is a wonderful adaptation that deserves to be discovered by a much larger audience.

I picked this movie up on a whim and was I ever glad that I did. This movie is swashbuckling entertainment at its finest. Not only is the movie beautiful to look at, the acting is top notch and the story line is refreshingly crisp and intruiging.

Daniel Auteuil is the witty and bold Lagardere, who has vowed to avenge the death of his friend and fellow swordsman, the Duke de Nevers, who has been assassinated on his wedding day by his treacherous cousin. Lagardere must then raise the Duke's daughter and somehow regain her birthright. Interspersed through the story is exceptionally choreographed sword play, a love story and a Monte Cristo-like plan of revenge.

Auteuil is lovable and dangerous at the same time as Lagardere and somehow convincingly pulls off being the main romantic lead as well, even though the age difference between he and his paramour is something that most American audiences shy away from. Vincent Perez as the Duke was a wonderful touch. He's frivolous, prissy and hedonistic, but he's also a dangerous man with a sword, in fact more dangerous than Lagardere, and he's also a loving man to his wife and child he hasn't seen and comes out being downright likable. Marie Gillain is spunky and charming as Aurore, the Duke's daughter and Lagardere's ward. She's truly her father's daughter and more than a match for Lagardere.

As with the Count of Monte Cristo, this is a revenge movie at heart with a lot of heart in it. It makes for a lovely period adventure piece and well worth the watch.

Note: French with English subtitles.

'On Guard' released in '98 is a delightful movie encompassing masterful swordplay, murder and revenge, love and redemption. Starring Daniel Auteuil in one of his finest roles, it's easy to see why he has become a recognized "National Treasure" of France. He is funny, charming, sly, dashing, brave, sensitive and romantic. Truly one of the most engaging actors on the scene today.

Plot: Lagardere (Daniel Auteuil) is hired to escort the Duke of Nevers ((Vincent Perez) to a distant town to wed his beloved Blanche (Claire Nebout) who has already given birth to his daughter. His envious cousin Count Gonzague (Fabrice Luchini) desires both the Dukes money, property and fiance, escorting an envoy of mercenaries to kill the Duke and everyone at the wedding except the lovely Blanche. Lagardere steps in and becomes the hero saving the baby Aurore and escaping to raise her as his own. With the passing of sixteen years the time of revenge and redemption arrives. Is the brave Lagardere up to the task?

This is my favorite French film. Not only is Atreuil magnificent but he has a wonderful supporting cast with the villianous Fabrice Luchini (Count Luchini), Vincent Perez (Count Nevers) and the lovely Mari Gillain as Aurore.

My Highest Recommendation!

Philippe de Broca's 1997 version of Le Bossu (aka On Guard), an oft-filmed warhorse of French cinema, is probably the best of the bunch. Daniel Auteuil is the sword-for-hire who finds himself sworn to avenge the death of Vincent Perez's amiably pompous aristocrat and to restore his daughter to her inheritance, purloined by Perez's evil cousin (Fabrice Lucini). Shades of Scaramouche ensue as they hide out with a group of travelling players, Auteuil working his way into Lucini's confidence by disguising himself as a hunchback (many businessmen used to hire hunchbacks because it was believed lucky to touch their humps or sign contracts on their backs!). The first half is a little awkward in tone, with Auteuil overdoing the youthful enthusiasm a bit (he's better at doleful than happy), but the second half is pure joy, filled with swordfights, rescues and good old fashioned sentimentality. Vincent Perez has fun sending up his swashbuckling image and even the usually one note Lucini rallies in the second half as he gets to wallow in his own villainy. De Broca's direction has much more panache and wit this time round than in his other classic swashbuckler, Cartouche, the script is extremely witty and Philippe Sarde's score even finds room for a few in-jokes, from the inclusion of a song from his own score to The Judge and the Assassin in a street scene to a wonderfully sentimental use of Cavaleria Rusticana. Good old-fashioned entertainment in the very best sense.

The 2.35:1 transfer is a little soft at times but is more than acceptable. The extras package is more solid than inspired - interview soundbites, B-roll location footage, a few stills and two trailers - but still offers more than overseas releases of the title.

Being a huge fan of Daniel Auteuil's work, watching this
film was a no-brainer. (Anything Daniel touches I must see!) And may I say, it was definitely worth seeing! The storyline, acting, and direction is excellent! It is a fantasy-world that you delve into within the film, and one must remember this. Have a little imagination while watching and don't ask too many questions about character development. This is a film where you escape complicated, everyday life, and are transported to a world where honor, love, loyalty and goodness always conquered above all. Definitely recommended!

From the DVD case of the movie under its French title, Le Bossu (The Hunchback), which is more satisfyingly overwrought than I could manage: When his great friend the Duke of Nevers is slain in a dastardly assassination plot by the Count Gonzague, fencing master Lagardere swears he will avenge the Duke's death and take care of the Duke's beloved orphaned daughter, Aurore. Sixteen years later, after secretly hiding with a touring theater group and raising the baby to young womanhood, Lagardere returns to the sumptuous Parisian courts to honor his deadly oath. Disguising himself as Gonzague's hunchback manservant, Lagardere infiltrates the Count's entourage and waits for his moment to strike and triumph over the traitorous forces of evil.

This is a first-rate swashbuckler that takes place in 18th century France. There's great sword play, a strong story, cunning disguises, some effective villains and a terrific acting job by Daniel Auteuil as Lagardere. The other actors are no slouches either, and there is a small but funny and effective part by Phillipe Noiret as an aging and selfishly charming Duke of Orleans.

Auteuil is an extraordinary actor with ordinary looks. Check out his role as Yves Montand's nephew in Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring, then see him as the captain in The Widow of St. Pierre, then see him in this. Completely different roles and completely believable performances.

Some might be a bit squeamish toward the end at the sight of a 16-year-old crumpet passionately kissing a fortyish man. In this case, the man also has been her guardian and has taken care of her for nearly all of those years...and they live happily ever after. Ah, the French.

The DVD disc I have looks great. This is a movie worth getting if you like sword play, wit, heiresses restored to their fortunes and justice winning out.

ON GUARD delivers. Better than almost all other French swordplay films, this film version of the Paul Féval novel 'Le Bossu' has been aptly adapted for the screen by de Broca, Jean Cosmos, and Jérôme Tonnerre and under Phillipe de Broca's keen eye for detail and entertainment it effervesces on the screen.

The story is solid but predictable: a young swordsman Lagardère (a brilliant Daniel Auteuil) falls into the service of the Duke of Nevers (Vincent Perez in a dashing role) to recover the Duke's daughter Aurore (Marie Gillain). But the evil Gonzague (Fabrice Luchini) kills the Duke and the remainder of the non-stop romance involves the revenge and eventual love story of Lagardère and Aurore.

de Broca's style is lushly authentic for the period yet he manages to always infuse his story with light touches of comedy, luch lighting and spectacular photography, The cast is uniformly excellent. This is one of those 'escapist movies' that is bound to entertain and please even the most critical audience! In French with English subtitles, Recommended. Grady Harp, September 05

I went into this expecting it to be one of the greatest swashbucklers of all time -- as some reviews had led me to believe. Well, it isn't. But that doesn't mean that it's not well worth a viewing.

My biggest complaint is that I thought the film would have wall-to-wall swordplay. It doesn't. After the first 30 minutes or so, long stretches go by where there isn't much exciting action at all. When our hero disguises himself as a hunchback in order to infiltrate the villain's lair, the story begins to feel stale and predictable. And the finale is a huge disappointment, mainly because the lead villain isn't much of a fencer. Shouldn't the film's best swordfight have been saved for the end?

That said, the movie looks terrific and has a fine lead performance by Daniel Auteuil, who excels in both the comical and dramatic aspects of his role. His swordplay is also surprisingly convincing. While the action choreography is effective, it's not as spectacular as I had hoped. And, once again, I wish there had been more of it. Marie Gillain is quite fetching as the sprightly Aurore, although American viewers may feel uneasy about the romantic relationship that develops between her and her adoptive father.

Like many viewers who checked out this 1997 French film because of the trailer, I found that "On Guard" did not have as much sword play as I was led to believe. This is also a function of the title given the film in the United States, because you would not expect a lot of swordplay from a film entitled "Le Bossu" ("The Hunchback"). If that was the title then you would be pleasantly surprised at how much swordplay is involved for a film about a hunchback, but when you call it "On Guard," the trailer is filled with swordplay and you live in a world of cinematic excess you have different expectations.

"On Guard" is a swashbuckling romance apparently shot by Philippe de Broca ("King of Hearts") by candlelight as often as possible since almost every sceene is efused with a yellowish glow. It is based on a popular novel from 1857 by Paul Féval and set in the 18th century as the Duke of Nevers (Vincent Perez) accepts the services of Lagardere (Daniel Autueil), a talented swordsman of humble birth. When the Duke is betrayed by his counsin, Count Gonzague (Fabrice Luchini), he tells Lagardere to raise his baby daughter, Aurore, who has been born to the Duke's noble girlfriend Blanche de Caylus (Claire Nebout). Lagardere escapes with the infant and spends sixteen years hiding out with a traveling troupe of actors and acrobats while Aurore grows up into Marie Gillain. When Aurore, who has been taught how to fence by her "father," visits Paris for some fun and ends up in trouble, Lagardere decides it is time to restore the girl he has raised as his daughter to her mother, her title and her fortune. So he disguises himself as a hunchback in order to be employed by Gonzague, who wants to cause a run on the bank so that he can purchase the Louisiana Territory and set the stage for justice to be realized in the end.

For the most part this is a fairly predictable film, the main question being how Lagardere will bring down Gonzague before he runs him through with a sword (and in this film that means driving the point of your sword through a particular part of the anatomy). But I was surprised that when Aurore learns that Lagardere is not here father and she is of noble birth that her main reaction is that now she can marry the man she has been calling father all these years. At least Lagardere tries to acts like this is a bad idea and I have to admit that it does allow for the fencing instructions that come into play throughout the film to be used in a slightly different context at the end. There are several good old fashion swordplay sequences, although Aurore does strike me as being a lot more awkward than you would expect. The end result is a bit long, but certainly enjoyable enough as a reminder of those thrilling days of yesteryear when movies were filled with great swording.

Amazon's one-click feature, combined with Amazon prime, is an excllent tool (for them!) in that, at least in my case, it drives a lot of impulse buying. I find myself browsing through my recommended items lists one-clicking my way towards a smaller bank account and a huge pile of books and DVDs I'll never find the time to make it through.

On Guard was one of those items that, when it arrived, I thought to myself "what the hell was I thinking when I bought this?". It had been recommended to me because I had recently purchased another French film, the 6+ hour French version of The Count of Monte Cristo (which I've also reviewed and gave 4 stars).

Now, I've never read "Le Bossu" or anything else by Paul Feval for that matter, but I am a big fan of Alexander Dumas and it was the comparisons to his work in the helpful Amazon.com reviews that drove me to one-click a copy of On Guard.

My curiousity being piqued, the very evening the DVD arrived I settled down with a bottle of fine Bordeaux (ok it was an $8 California Cabernet) and watched it - and was pleasantly surprised.

I found the film to be very good - as I said before I haven't read anything by Feval (but may order something of his after watching On Guard) but the Dumas references were spot on, with Auteil's character himself having some very d'Artagnan-esque qualities, in my opinion.

I thought the film had plenty of swashbuckling action - certainly enough to keep it interesting and fast paced, but not so much as to turn it into a cheesy hollywood-style action movie with no plot.

I'm not going to go into the story because a) others have done so and b) I don't like spoiling anything in my reviews, but suffice it to say if you're a fan of swashbucklers, or of Dumas (and presumably of this Feval character), or if you just want to try something new and different from the typical crap hollywood churns out, I highly recommend On Guard.