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Film: D'Artagnan's Daughter
Release date: 4th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 125 mins
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Starring: Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, Claude Rich, Sami Frey, Jean-Luc Bideau
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Studio: Second Sight
Format: DVD
Country: France
The words “I shall avenge you” conjure up images of Star Trek, or Dr Lazarus in Galaxy Quest who is farcically tormented by that phrase. Its inclusion at the start of D’Artagnan’s Daughter sets the tone for this luscious period romp through the French countryside. Dumas’ Musketeers ride out again in this adventure. Although their breeches are somewhat straining at the seams these much loved characters of literature are as endearing as their previous incarnations. This time though they have an addition to their number.
The story revolves round Eloise, a young girl living at a convent. She has been left there to be raised by nuns whilst her father D’Artagnan is in service to the King of France.
The convent is disturbed one night by a search party pursuing a runaway slave. The search for him by his pursuers leads to the Mother Superior being killed trying to protect him. Eloise (Marceau) vowing to avenge her death finds a smudged document in the old nun’s personal things. Believing it to be highly important, as lives have been lost for its procurement, she must leave the safety of the convent and find her father the famous D’Artagnan (Noiret). She intends to present him with the paper believing him still to be in service to the young King Louis XIV, and therefore able to help her.
Can Eloise find D’Artagnan and reunite Aramis, Athos and Porthos to save the day and decipher the stained paper?
The film delivers on many levels. Fans of the modern day Hollywood pirate will love it; those who love traditional action romps will also adore it. The script doesn’t take itself too seriously, and instead focuses on delivering story and fun. This isn’t ‘carry on’, though; instead it echoes the balance of early Bond films, with action front and centre followed by entertainment, plot twists and turns. Many little humorous moments are asides, like D’Artagnan’s conversation at the side of the grave of his deceased friend - when he realises he was sitting on his friends head! The audience is in safe hands with Tavernier, the film feels warm and familiar.
Tavernier indulges his audience with long shots of sweeping French landscapes, galloping horses, picturesque castles, heavily wooded glades and beautifully imagined French towns. It is a sumptuous production which is aged only by camera technology rather than production. The cinematography is a joy, and there is a real sense of action and escapism in the film which comes in part from the pace with which Tavernier sets it. The sound of thunderous galloping hooves sets an audible rhythm to the piece, usually closing or opening scenes without a hint of Monty Python.
The costumes, which have such an integral role in any period piece, are also exceptional. Full skirts, which are allowed to become muddied in street fights; and the Musketeers faded breeches and belts, which have seen better times. The villainous woman in red, her role centred on her red costume, frequently enters the scene laden in sumptuous fabric, her menacing appearance seemingly every bit as essential as her dialogue.
The Musketeers are past their glory days, although inexplicably older than they should be. For fans of the original films, seeing the older Musketeers may be something of a wondrous return, but it doesn’t actually deliver all that it could. The physical prowess of the Musketeers may have waned, and certainly much is made of that fact, but their exploits seem hampered often by an overly complicated plot which does not need half of the villainous characters it portrays - the spoilt teenage Louis XIV, quick-witted; sinister Cardinal Mazerin; slave dealer Crassac; and the devious woman in red. Along with these primary villains, there are secondary villainous characters that seem to muddy the waters, and create a somewhat farcical atmosphere of chaos and slapstick. It could be argued that these characters could be halved without very much impact on the narrative, and would in fact aid the audience comprehension.
The father /daughter dynamic between Eloise and D’Artagnan is tricky, and although played well, specifically by Noiret, who shows his experience through the affability he creates, it often leaves an audience wanting some semblance of development or affection between the characters. Although she has been in a convent for most of her life, and Noiret and Marceau play their disagreements with conviction, there seems to be a lack of believability between the two characters, which is a real shame.
Marceau’s depiction of a wide eyed Eloise - although perhaps some might argue she is slightly too old for the role - is delightful. She brings energy to the character. It is well known that Marceau did most of her own stunts in the role, training in swordplay for two months prior to the movie shoot. This could go some way to explain why her rambunctious, cavalier demeanour as Eloise works so well.
The pace of the film often builds up to fight scenes, which don’t seem to have any real bite. This is possibly due to very similar fights, and also the older cast playing the Musketeers. The high energy exertions which are required for believable fight scenes are not matched by these Musketeers echoing their supposed younger days. It is almost impossible to see these men as the canny, heroic, unbelievably dexterous men of Dumas’ books, even twenty years later. Viewers have two choices; to either let this issue glide off them and enjoy the frivolity of the whole film, or get annoyed by the disappointment of these faded idols.
Despite its shortcomings, this is still great fun. It’s a film which will happily reside in any collection and will only benefit from countless viewings. It is a genuine joy, which doesn’t take itself too seriously - a perfect antidote to Hollywood’s on-going love affair with pirates. DHA
Film: D'Artagnan's Daughter
Release date: 4th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 125 mins
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Starring: Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, Claude Rich, Sami Frey, Jean-Luc Bideau
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Studio: Second Sight
Format: DVD
Country: France
Alexander Dumas’ 1844 novel The Three Muskateers, and its story of the young hero D’Artagnan and his three swashbuckling friends, remains one of the most popular and endearing stories ever written. Recently released on DVD, Bertrand Tavernier’s 1994 film D’Artagnan’s Daughter catches up with the same iconic characters twenty years after the original tale concluded, and with an unexpected addition to the original team.
In 1650’s rural France, Eloise, the daughter of the famous musketeer D’Artagnan, has grown up with nuns in a convent in the French countryside. After marauding soldiers chase a fleeing slave into the nunnery and kill her mother superior, Eloise strikes out for Paris to track down her famous father and seek vengeance.
There reunited, and accompanied by Eloise’s newly acquired love interest, the poet Quentin la Misère, they set out across France to find the original three musketeers: Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and seek vengeance on those responsible: the odious slave-trader Crassac and his evil mistress, the woman in red…
Key to the success of D’Artagnan’s Daughter is its mischievous spirit and a wonderful sense of folly, which is entirely in keeping with Dumas’ original novel. It is extravagant; lavish, broadly sweeping, and often ridiculously over-the-top, but unashamedly so. The story is frothy and often frivolous but is completely aware of itself - and pulls off farce beautifully. The dialogue is buoyant and fast paced, with the rapport between Eloise and her father a particular delight. The jokes are frequent, and while the humour often relies on farce and slapstick, there is also a healthy vain of wit running through the film, which would see it benefit from repeat viewings.
The art direction is often stunning, and the period is rendered beautifully. Tavernier captures perfectly the lavish excess of the King’s court, the tactile squalor and filth of the Paris streets, and the sweeping French countryside and it’s ominous, looming castles. As you would expect, the costumes are resplendent; the hats enormous and invariably feathered, the boots high and the ruffled cuffs huge. At court, the finery dazzles and the bosoms heave, and the cardinal’s red cloaks sweep majestically over polished marble floors.
The film benefits from a committed and thoroughly likable cast, each of whom look like they’re having the time of their lives. Sophie Marceau is perfectly cast as the headstrong heroine Eloise, while familiar face Philipe Noiret sails through as the roguish, dashing, but somewhat gone-to-seed hero D’Artagnan. Sami Frey, Jean-Luc Bideau and Raoul Billerey all put in whole-heartedly cavalier performances as the musketeers; all older, slower and wider round the middle than we remember, but still with plenty of fight in them.
The villains are in no short supply, with Charlotte Kady deliciously evil as the woman in red, and Gigi Proietti in equal parts dastardly and hilarious as the scheming, paranoid Cardinal Mazarin. What with the shallow, politically devious teenage king, Louis XIV, and the slave owner Crassac (a marvellously worrisome Claude Rich), D’Artagnan’s Daughter is in danger of suffering from an excess of villains, but thankfully all storylines are resolved by the end, and, if anything, the abundance of foes to be overcome only adds to the sense of farce.
Things are let down a little by some unimaginative fight choreography, and a director who seems uncomfortable handling scenes of close combat. While the ageing cast struggle to handle the exertion, Tavernier’s camera idles uncertainly in the background as the action meanders along, and as a result we are detached from the action. It also requires a certain amount of faith on the part of the audience - and stretched imaginations - to believe that these three pensionable musketeers are still capable of scaling castle walls, riding leaping horses onto boats, and taking on twenty swordsmen single-handedly, but it’s all so good-natured and the stunts generally well presented that it’s easy to give D’Artagnan’s Daughter the benefit of the doubt.
The film is also too long, and feels as if the final act has been extended purely to give the musketeers more screen time while the story veers away from the plight of Eloise. It’s not a critical error, but feels unnecessary and could leave some viewers’ attention wandering.
Camp, frothy, and dazzling, D’Artagnan’s Daughter is a rip-roaring delight. Bertrand Tavernier manages to capture all the delight and folly of Dumas’ novel while adding a new spin to a familiar tale - and reminds us of why these characters and their swashbuckling exploits were once the most popular story in the world. LOZ
Film: D'Artagnan's Daughter
Release date: 4th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 125 mins
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Starring: Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, Claude Rich, Sami Frey, Jean-Luc Bideau
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Studio: Second Sight
Format: DVD
Country: France
Nearly a full decade before Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow sailed the seven seas, spurning authority and balking at the prospect of meeting a gruesome end, Philippe Noiret’s D’Artagnan was doing much of the same in rural France. Alexandre Dumas’s original three musketeers became four with the introduction of surly D’Artagnan, and even though this new installment of a much-coveted franchise sees the musketeers weary ageing men eager to recapture former glories, the result is just as farcical and pulsating a swashbuckler as its plucky, rum-fuelled descendant.
Tavernier’s film, however, is less about the musketeers themselves than it is about the titular character Eloïse (Marceau), daughter of the fourth musketeer, and every bit as keen to aid the French resistance. Her discovery of a curiously-worded note sparks speculation about whether there is a plot against the French monarchy, a conclusion hastened by the increasingly volatile behaviour of the Duke of Crassac, and his merciless muse Elgantine de Rochefort.
Eloïse turns to her estranged father for advice on the matter, the result of which is that the musketeers are reunited for one last(?) quest, accompanied by Eloïse herself, and romantic poet Misère, who is courting her affection…
More than any other element of D’Artagnan’s Daughter, Philippe Noiret’s turn as D’Artagnan is responsible for setting the comedic tone of the piece, as his interaction with Marceau - a striking doppelganger of Isabelle Adjani, if more fickle an actress – provides an interesting aside to the goofing around. Noiret is the core of the ensemble, managing to come across as a different outlet for everybody’s frustrations; an intimidating but effortlessly cool father-in-law, and to his colleagues a helplessly noble sucker for a ‘cause’.
One of the amiable successes of D’Artagnan’s Daughter is its ability to unite a set of characters so loosely bound, with wildly different approaches to adversity, to its common cause of libertarianism. Eloise is carrying out a moral crusade, while her father seems to enter the battle out of duty; Misere is a dreamer who wants to make an impact, while the other musketeers are as resigned to accept the situation as workers asked to cover a shift at short notice. Despite this, there are few moments where you wonder just what this troop of folks are doing together, which is admirable given that the ‘mission’ itself, however uncertain and sporadic, has a distinct air of the novelty about it.
The group impetuously push on with their venture, unsure of who exactly is threatening them and in what capacity, drunk on activism and motivated by a general distaste for the current political situation. As an early scene involving the murder of a Mother Superior is depicted with all of the pulp of a sherry trifle, it becomes clear that this is a project much more devoted to the sillier, camp elements of 17th century France, keen to excise historical hang-ups from the musketeer mantra. As a consequence, D’Artagnan’s Daughter feels more token, reliant upon wit and pace, carrying with it all of the irony of watching people fight for fighting’s sake, rattling off quips about each other’s incompetence, putting their own appetite above each other’s safety.
There’s a tiresome, roundabout slog to the film’s constant desire to win over an audience through non-committal bitchiness and predictably-sarcastic pockets of humour. At over two hours, it’s little surprise that the film cannot sustain its energy through this technique, dissipating as a frothy comedy and delivering lite on the promise of concrete historical satire. One is reminded, more often than not, of those pesky Pirate films, and their distracting approach to a laboured, idea-shy narrative.
It’s somewhat of a credit, but largely a misguided deferral, to suggest that the most chiefly apt description of D’Artagnan’s Daughter is ‘fun’. As well as it captures the period with marauders in tunics and brazen women in suggestive attire, D’Artagnan is just that bit too stagy and familiar to sidestep the self-consciousness of a script so skewed towards generating laughter from general indifference and incompetence. It draws attention to its own motivations far more than one would like.
As a bit of a maverick venture, D’Artagnan’s Daughter fairly obviously coasts on the notable eccentricities of Dumas’s work, and feels exactly that; a well-meaning fixture, rather than a genuine extension of the franchise. It introduces a different angle to a well-known story, but is too content to hide behind flippant remarks, its lack of ambition curbing any legitimate shots at glory. This may be more than mildly entertaining fare, but it isn’t one for all. CR
