In preparation for studying the French Revolution next year at A level I’ve been watching and reading loads of things on the French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon. This film is absolutely what I crave at the moment; a dialogue driven historical film on the brutal relationship between Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre, two of the most crucial architects of the French Revolution. Robespierre is portrayed as a very austere and often egocentric figure, he’s devoted to keeping the revolution alive while forgetting the initial truth of it. Danton on the other hand is very lively and human, he’s not cold or principled but passionate and understanding, he wants France to be about the people rather than the ideals of the revolution. Gérard Depardiue’s performance as Danton is spectacular, he’s incredibly intense without seeming too theatrical or overly dramatic and has a brilliantly charismatic personality that just controls every scene he’s in. His courtroom monologue was absolutely incredible, so fantastically written and performed. The film stays extremely engaging throughout, exploring the hypocrisy and brutality of the reign of terror with intense detail and compelling depth. Stylistically this film is also perfect, it nails late 18th century France in all of its dreary glory without it seeming too tacky or false, the film takes place in many candlelit rooms with rather drab interiors setting the scene perfectly for a powerful historical story. The camera work is terrific and really shines in that amazing execution scene near the end. The haunting score is also a very striking part of the film, it rises tensions and highlights the bleakness of this period in French history. It’s so interesting that Andzrej Wadja decided to create a film on this topic, it feels very different to Ashes and Diamonds but I could still see some similarities in the genuine quality of the film. Overall this is a perfect film on the French Revolution, it stays true to its ideas and doesn’t stray too far from reality, Wajda has impressed me once again!
In preparation for studying the French Revolution next year at A level I’ve been watching and reading loads of things on the French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon. This film is absolutely what I crave at the moment; a dialogue driven historical film on the brutal relationship between Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre, two of the most crucial architects of the French Revolution. Robespierre is portrayed as a very austere and often egocentric figure, he’s devoted to keeping the revolution alive while forgetting the initial truth of it. Danton on the other hand is very lively and human, he’s not cold or principled but passionate and understanding, he wants France to be about the people rather than the ideals of the revolution. Gérard Depardiue’s performance as Danton is spectacular, he’s incredibly intense without seeming too theatrical or overly dramatic and has a brilliantly charismatic personality that just controls every scene he’s in. His courtroom monologue was absolutely incredible, so fantastically written and performed. The film stays extremely engaging throughout, exploring the hypocrisy and brutality of the reign of terror with intense detail and compelling depth. Stylistically this film is also perfect, it nails late 18th century France in all of its dreary glory without it seeming too tacky or false, the film takes place in many candlelit rooms with rather drab interiors setting the scene perfectly for a powerful historical story. The camera work is terrific and really shines in that amazing execution scene near the end. The haunting score is also a very striking part of the film, it rises tensions and highlights the bleakness of this period in French history. It’s so interesting that Andzrej Wadja decided to create a film on this topic, it feels very different to Ashes and Diamonds but I could still see some similarities in the genuine quality of the film. Overall this is a perfect film on the French Revolution, it stays true to its ideas and doesn’t stray too far from reality, Wajda has impressed me once again!
