The Lady and the Duke

The Lady and the Duke (French: L'Anglaise et le Duc) is a 2001 feature film by French director Éric Rohmer. The film was inspired by Ma vie sous la révolution, the colourful memoirs of Grace Elliott, an Edinburgh-born royalist caught up in the political intrigue following the French Revolution.

Contents

• Cast
• Reception
• References

According to a description of the film in The Guardian, Rohmer's "customary verbal sparring and complex intellectual arguments are spiced by lavish sets, suspenseful plotting and the continuous threat of violence."

Cast

Jean-Claude Dreyfus as Duke of Orléans

Lucy Russell as Grace Elliott

Alain Libolt as Duke of Biron

Charlotte Véry as Pulcherie the Cook

Rosette as Franchette

Léonard Cobiant as Champcenetz

François Mathouret as Dumouriez

Caroline Morin as Nanon

Marie Rivière as Madame Laurent

Héléna Dubiel as Madame Meyler

François-Marie Banier as Robespierre

Reception

The film was criticised by many viewers in France because of its uncompromising presentation of revolutionary violence; some described it as reactionary or monarchist propaganda. Asked about this, Lucy Russell remarked: "There does seem to be a great problem, not just in France, but every country has problems facing up to the nasty parts of its history. But there's a reason it was called the Terror."