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Vatel
- Director: Roland Joffé
- Writer: Jeanne Labrune; Tom Stoppard
- Producer: Patrick Bordier; Timothy Burrill
CGiii Comment
It bombed at the box office, the critics hated it...
It is a moving canvas of incredible design and detail - the design crew should have been clicking their heals at their Oscar nomination.
A first rate cast, a fine script by Stoppard - so, what went wrong?
Joffé keeps it together - he does have a strange fascination with filming feet - and, it is as rich as rich could be...we liked it, alas...there's just no pleasing some people.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
In 1671, with war brewing with Holland, a penniless prince invites Louis XIV to three days of festivities at a chateau in Chantilly. The prince wants a commission as a general, so the extravagances are to impress the king. In charge of all is the steward, Vatel, a man of honor, talent, and low birth. The prince is craven in his longing for stature: no task is too menial or dishonorable for him to give Vatel. While Vatel tries to sustain dignity, he finds himself attracted to Anne de Montausier, the king's newest mistress. In Vatel, she finds someone who's authentic, living out his principles within the casual cruelties of court politics. Can the two of them escape unscathed?
Cast & Characters
Gerard Depardieu as Francois Vatel;
Uma Thurman as Anne de Montausier;
Tim Roth as Marquis de Lauzun;
Timothy Spall as Gourville;
Julian Glover as Prince de Conde;
Julian Sands as Louis XIV;
Murray Lachlan Young as Philippe d'Orleans, 'Monsieur';
Hywel Bennett as Colbert;
Richard Griffiths as Dr. Bourdelot;
Arielle Dombasle as Princess de Conde;
Marine Delterme as Athenais de Montespan;
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Duchesse de Longueville;
Jereme Pradon as Marquis d'Effiat;
Feodor Atkine as Alcalet;
Nathalie Cerda as The Queen Marie-Therese