Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. Tonight: an unflattering and pitiless portrait of the France of Louis XVI.
Revealed with Les Bronzés (1978) and its sequels, Patrice Leconte signed his fifteenth feature film with Ridicule, the one which earned him, in 1997, his Césars for best French film and best direction.
In 1780, Grégoire Ponceludon de Malavoy, a penniless hydrographer from an ancient nobility family who had fallen into poverty, tried to fight against the unsanitary conditions of the marshes near his estate which were making the population sick. Only one solution is available to him: obtain help from King Louis XVI in person. But to do this, he must learn the – unethical – customs of the court of Versailles. Helped by the Marquis de Bellegarde who takes him under his wing, he will have to play the game if he wishes to reach the king: it is the opportunity for him to prove the brilliance of his mind and to use his superb sense of repartee. But be careful, one wrong step and the game of seduction is lost and, above all, ridicule kills.
This film, one of the most brilliant Patrice Leconte certainly one of the most serious as well, stands out for its perfect settings – sometimes sumptuous, sometimes rustic, always authentic –, its superb costumes and its particularly tasty dialogues. Historical comedy-drama, as intelligent as it is cynical, Ridiculous also has the particularity of featuring colorful, unpleasant and/or fascinating characters, played by a whole host of remarkable actors: in the lead, Charles Berling and the late Jean Rochefort and Bernard Giraudeau, all three of whom will be nominated for the César for their performance in the film.
Speaking of Caesar, the film will win four (out of seven nominations): in addition to those previously mentioned, it will leave with that of best costumes and best sets – in addition to having been nominated for its well-crafted screenplay. Ridiculous will also be recognized abroad where it won the BAFTA for best non-English language film, while being nominated for an Oscar for best international film.
Between hypocrisy, love and disillusionment, our History – with a capital H – and its excesses is told here with humor and without filter: a treat that has not aged a bit. You will ask for more.
Ridiculous by Patrice Leconte with Charles Berling, Jean Rochefort, Fanny Ardant…
From 12 years old
Tonight on Arte at 9:00 p.m.