The Princess of Montpensier

Cast

Only a few of the characters are real historical figures.

Production

Unusual for a Bertrand Tavernier project, the director was not attached from the very start. When he became involved, there was already a first version of a screenplay written by François-Olivier Rousseau. With his usual co-writer Jean Cosmos, Tavernier went back to the original source in order to adapt the script to his own vision. The screenplay was not an entirely faithful adaptation of the original short story, published anonymously in 1662. "Mme de La Fayette, who was from the 17th century, wrote about the 16th. Knowing that the 17th century had become very puritanical, while the 16th was not, we removed some filters, but never bent the feelings portrayed", Tavernier explained in Le Figaro.

The film was produced by Paradis Films. It received co-production support from StudioCanal, the television channels France 2 and France 3 and the German company Pandora. Additional funding was provided by the National Center of Cinematography and the Deutsch-Französische Förderkommission. The budget was 13.35 million euro.

Costumes were made in Italy and England. An inspiration for the costume design was the 1994 film La Reine Margot, which is set during the same period. What Tavernier liked about the film was how casual the costumes were, and not at all based on the ceremonial clothing seen in paintings from 16th century. Horses were brought to the set from Paris. Lambert Wilson and Raphaël Personnaz were the only actors with previous riding experience, and all main actors prepared for their roles by taking riding lessons.

Filming started 28 September 2009 and lasted nine weeks, in the city Angers and the regions Centre and Cantal. Filming locations included the Château de Blois and the Château de Messilhac, with more than 100 people working permanently on the sets. For the riding scenes, a steadicam was placed on a motorcycle or a small car in order to provide freedom of movement for the riders. Tavernier drew inspiration from old Western films, where important conversations often take place on horseback. The lighting was inspired by film noir, as the director primarily aimed to create an atmosphere of emotional tension, "not imitate paintings or pictorial reconstruction". The film was shot in Panavision and contains no artificial special effects or computer-generated imagery.

Release

The film premiered on 16 May as part of the main competition of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. StudioCanal released it in 384 French cinemas on 3 November the same year. Distribution rights for the United States were bought in Cannes by IFC Films, which releases it on 1 April 2011. The release in the United Kingdom occurred on 8 July 2011. The film was released in the United States on 14 April 2011.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 84% based on 63 reviews and an average rating of 7/10. At Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100 based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

François-Guillaume Lorrain reviewed the film for Le Point and was impressed by the adaptation: "Tavernier knows how to give breath, get rid of dust, be modern, without ever sullying the original". Lorrain complimented the performances of Wilson, Vuillermoz, Personnaz and Leprince-Ringuet, and wrote that the film "reconciles the taste of unbound feelings and sharp blades". Léo Soesanto of Les Inrockuptibles was less enthusiastic and described the film as "the wars of religion in a teen movie". He did think it had a certain sense of fresh air and lucidity, but that "the flamboyant feelings and the battles are freeze-dried", which only left an impression of emptiness. It received the top rating of three stars in Le Parisien, where Marie Sauvion wrote: "The beauty of the images, of the costumes, the delight of a dusted off romance, of an inspiring troupe of actors, of amazing supporting roles ... , all of this contributes to make The Princess of Montpensier an ambitious and poignant film."

In the U.S., the film has received largely favorable reviews, including one from Roger Ebert.