Customer Reviews

Le Roi danse

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

 

 

In order to understand the movie, one has to be quite familiar with French history, especially during the reign of Louis XIV, including the background information on Lully, Robert Cambert, Moliere, Prince de Conti; otherwise, the plot and conversation could be very confusing. One of my biggest problems with this movie is that many characters were cast TOO OLD! Cambert (1628-1677) was only 4 years older than Lully (1632-1687), and yet the actor who played Cambert looks old enough to be the father of Boris Terral (who played Lully) and actually was already 50 year old when the film was shot! The actor who played "Prince de Conti" was already 56 while his character should be a twentyish or thirtyish young man! Same with Moliere. Couldn't the director find some younger French-speaking acotrs?

But if you like French Baroque music and court dance, then this movie might be for you.

It is pity, many fine French films are out of order. You may get from used seller though.

I have seen some paintings or drawings Louis XIV danses ballet. The Ballet scenes in this film reminded me those pictures.

Most of music is by Lully, A father of French Opera, that is gourgeous. I had never listen to Lully's music before but they interest me then I bought a CD.

The story is about a life of Jean-Baptist Lully with Louis XIV and Moliere,and basically followed with the fact in the history. Lully composes music for his master, Louis XIV who is a lack of power in early period. Louis danses with Lully's music. Louis takes a charge and power as a king after the death of the premier Mazarin. His idea conflicts often with his mother and Church. Louis uses power of art as the power of France. Louis orders Moliere and Lully work together and they build up comedy-ballet genre and releases some masterpieces such as "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme". Louis is unpreased Lully's bisexuality and some scandals with young boys but also Louis admits Lully's outstanding music talent. Because Lully hasn't been satisfied with working under, he is feeling, Moliere, then finally he excludes him from the court. Lully got old, injures his leg during the concert. He refuses to have his leg cut then dies. Louis didn't show up dying Lully.

In this film, the story put focus on Lully's feeling love to his master which is never completed. It looks like he admires his master so deeply that his feeling becomes love. And the master, Louis XIV acted by Benoit Magimel, is detached as a king. "I don't have any friends" says Louis XIV.

According to some history articles, Lully is a composer who gets the most from his master. And Lully is considered Louis's personal friend. So I guess their relationship was not like in the film.

The most facinating aspects in the film is, I think, music, ballet scene, custume, and arts. Each cut is as beautiful as a paintings in the museum.

I purchased this DVD after seeing a preview featured on another DVD. I was fascinated by the quality of the production and the shear extravagance of the sets and costumes. How much of the story is factual I don't know; probably very little. How much interaction there was between Louis XIV, Lully and Molière can only be guessed. However, treated as fiction this film is a wondrous tale of how a working-class musician (Lully) gets involved with the King of France and will do almost anything to keep in his good graces

Having visited the Palace of Versailles myself, I was a little disappointed that the only views of the completed building are of the Galerie des Glaces as the principal performers walk into the credits at the very end of the movie.

Louis XIV was the most capable monarch of his, or perhaps any, generation. The artistic grandeur of his court is legendary. The film, like most about La Grand Monarch, is rather simplistic. However the performances, musically and dramatically, are well worth the viewing. Do not bother with the English dubbed version. The original French is best. Just remember that Lully was only one in a thousand important relationships Louis had in his 70+ years on the throne.

I highly recommend this buyer to any party. The seller deserves a perfect score from me!

If you like baroque, appreciate art & ballet, you will probably like this movie. It is not a love story. I wish it was. But it tells the story about the Jean-Baptiste Lully & his friendship with Louis XIV. The visuals are stunning & the music is powerful. I wish there was more ballet. I wish Moliere was younger. But a young Benoit Magimel is handsome to look at & makes up for it. I wish there were more movies as beautiful as this.

Buy the Sound Track CD as well. It may be the best music of the Middle Baroque period you ever known. and see how a dish washer......dancer...... become the KING's top composer in 17th century France.

I enjoy movies based on historical people, but I found this one, and Lully's music a bit dull. In the VHS verson, the subtitles were heard to read and sometimes cut off.

The principal review states Louis XIV's mother was a Medici. Louis XIV's mother was Anne of Austria (married to Louis XIII). She was a Spanish Hapsburg, not a Medici. His wife was Marie-Thérèse, also a Spanish Hapsburg and niece to Anne of Austria. Henri IV was married to Marie de Medici (Louis' grandmother and mother to Louis XIII) and Catherine de Medici's was Henri II's wife (mother of 3 kings, and mother-in-law for a time of Henri IV).

This may have been changed to fiction for purposes of the DVD, but I am just now ordering it, so do not know.

We previously got the sound track, which was wonderful.

We were hoping to see some dancing, but there was very little and very strange. We got to see some acrobatic exhibition dance, but none of the french court dance, which everyone at the court was expected to do well.

It's impossible to believe that people would behave in such a frantic and out of control manner in the French court. No manner how talented they were.

There are many unbelievable things. For example, female singing roles were still played by young men with high voices. Didn't the director remember the movie Farinelli, which he himself directed?

Very disappointing, and we had such high hopes.