- Actors: Catherine Frot, André Marcon
- Director: Xavier Giannoli
- Format: Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language: French
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: R
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Release Date: August 2, 2016
- Run Time: 129 minutes
If the premise
for this French satirical backstage musical from last year sounds familiar,
that is likely because of a similar American production this year. Marguerite is loosely based on the true
story of tone-deaf singer and socialite Florence Foster Jenkins, which was the
name of the American film with Meryl Streep in the title role. But Marguerite came first, with the
wonderful Catherine Frot in the role of the delusional vocalist. If a bit
overlong and repetitive in its themes, Marguerite
offers thoughtful commentary on the purpose behind the passion for musical
artistry, as well as a magnificent central performance from Frot.
Marguerite Dumont (Frot) is a wealthy French socialite and wife to
the important Georges Dumont (André Marcon), who uses his power to protect her
from the truth about her abilities. Able to convince all of their friends to keep
Marguerite in the dark about her lack of abilities, Georges thinks he has
contained his wife with a harmless hobby, allowing him the freedom for an
extramarital affair. He ha a carefully prepared (albeit unoriginal) lie to keep
him from having to attend the recitals that he arranges for her, each time
blaming his car for breaking down. This delicate house of cards is disturbed when
an avant-garde nihilist artist (Denis Mpunga) and his journalist friend
(Sylvain Beaumont) sneak in to witness a private performance from Marguerite.
After an article is written about her, Marguerite suddenly sees an opportunity
to perform in front of a real audience and Georges sees the harsh reality that
will inevitably crash down on his wife.
The relationship
between Georges and Marguerite is the delicate heart of the film, but this is
also the element of the story which ends up feeling the most neglected despite
a lengthy running time of 129 minutes. Part of the problem is the numerous
supporting characters, some of which retain minimal relevance to the main
storyline. We follow the gradual advancement of a successful young singer’s
career (played by Christa Théret), essentially only because of her initial job
singing in one of Marguerite’s private recitals and for the filmmakers to show
a parallel path in singing. While this is an interesting comparison, the
character never comes to life enough to feel relevant in the story of
Marguerite, and Théret’s performance is so subdued that it occasionally feels
noncommittal.
The remainder of the film is somewhat
repetitive in the narrative journey of its protagonist. With each disastrous
performance, each reaction from unsuspecting audience, each pointless effort
towards improvement, the impact of these jokes begins to wane. Not enough
variety is inserted into the narrative until the final fifteen-minutes, at
which point the momentum has already been lost. Frot’s performance makes the
film engaging throughout, though it seems she was slightly let down by an
unimaginative screenplay and an unfocused edit.
The Blu-ray release of Marguerite includes four deleted scenes
and an interview with director Xavier Giannoli. There is also a theatrical
trailer.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 4/10
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