Marguerite (2015)

Great Film overall

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

"Marguerite" is a very well crafted French film. It's lovingly filmed and has a lot of wonderful aesthetic qualities. However, it's also a film that ultimately left me dissatisfied as the payoff wasn't at all what I would have anticipated...or enjoyed.The Baroness Marguerite Dumont has the delusion that she has a beautiful singing voice and she dreams of becoming a world famous opera singer. When the film begins, she does a recital and the audience behave as if she is gifted...but she sounds much like an animal being tortured! Why each of these people go along with the ruse is uncertain but you can only assume many of these folks genuinely like her and don't want to spoil her dream. However, there are also those with hidden motives...such as the husband who is cheating on her as well as the Dadaist artists who believe anti-art and want to provoke audiences to hate her. What's to become of her and her plans of one day doing a giant recital in a real concert hall for the public?This film seems, at times, like it's trying to be a comedy...albeit a dry one. After all, the name Marguerite Dumont appears to be a nod to the lady who co-starred in so many Marx Brothers films, Margarite Dumont. And, at times it seems like it's all a big joke. But ultimately the film becomes serious and a bit depressing...and left me feeling extremely dissatisfied. Still, it did take a risk and looked nice...but that's just not enough for me to recommend it.

Biographical films can be really good and intriguing when done well, and there are a number of great ones out there as well as a few disappointing ones.There are better biopics overall than 'Marguerite', and there is a preference for 2016's 'Florence Foster Jenkins', also about a notoriously bad singer and one of my personal favourites of 2016. However, it is very much a winner with many fantastic things.'Marguerite' does fall too much in mawkish and slightly heavy-handed melodrama in the final act, and the aspiring young singer subplot doesn't slot into place as much as it should. Same with a few of the characters, some more interesting and serving more purpose to the story than others.However, 'Marguerite's' pros far outweigh the cons, and when the film is at its best it's very good indeed and often even better than that. It's lovingly filmed and lavishly staged with gorgeous settings, scenery, colours and costumes that capture the era brilliantly and evocatively. The music is magnificent even when it's butchered.Xavier Giannoli clearly put a lot of thought into the direction and handles the themes and any tone shifts and the numerous sub-plots often very well indeed, succeeding in keeping the story compelling and not feeling cluttered or too stretched. The script is intelligent with an ideal balance of humour and pathos, the humour very funny and the pathos heart-rending.Like with 'Florence Foster Jenkins', it is easy making this sort of character interesting or easy to sympathise with and oddly wanting them to succeed. 'Marguerite' actually does a great job with that. This is also largely down to the lead performance of Catherine Frot, which is truly superb and captivates the viewer throughout the length. The rest of the performances are also very impressive, but it's Frot who lives in the memory the most.On the whole, lavish, intelligent and absorbing, Frot and the production values particularly coming off well. With a stronger final act and more consistently with a couple of the sub-plots and the characters it could have been a wonderful film instead of an overall very good one. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The comedy of manners is the weapon of choice for satirising the wealthy and powerful. Its favourite target is vanity, like in the fairy tale Emperor's New Clothes where a vain ruler is fooled into believing that beautiful garments have been made for him only to display his pompous nakedness for all to see. The narrative of Marguerite (2015) is framed around this theme, except that instead of clothes the hapless victim is encouraged to believe she has a beautiful voice. In her case, the self-deception is less about vanity and more about her love of singing and the inability to hear her own voice.Marguerite is loosely based on the true story of American socialite Florence Foster Jenkins. This sumptuous art-house style French production portrays her as a wealthy and eccentric benefactor of the arts in 1920s Paris. She is easily manipulated by the flattery of others and obsessive about opera singing. She also loves her unfaithful and financially dependent husband who is incapable of telling her the truth about her voice and who always has an excuse for missing her recitals. Her friends and house staff protect her from the knowledge of how badly she sings in gratitude for her kindness and because she is a 'lovely lady'. The stakes are raised when Marguerite decides on a public recital where of course the audience cannot be stacked with grateful patrons. The resulting performance is a seat-squirming experience that fills both the on-screen theatre and your own cinema with painful laughter and vicarious embarrassment for someone who can be so cruel to music. The film itself becomes an operatic performance of pride's folly.This could have been an unbearable story made worse by intolerable singing, but it works well as a comically sad tale about a gullible woman who wants desperately to believe she can create beauty with her voice. The filming, sets and costumes evoke the era with authenticity and French actress Catherine Frot's subtle performance balances the sublime with the ridiculous. Frot's wide-eyed trust in others is both endearing and engaging as she draws us into her make-believe world that borders on madness. Some truly beautiful operatic voices create a haunting background score that only accentuates the appalling noise that comes from Marguerite's voice box. Its an entertaining story but don't be surprised if you catch yourself asking "what is so funny about bad singing?" and feeling embarrassed for laughing at another person's delusions.

Marguerite Dupont seems to have it all – great riches, a husband she loves and a passion for music. On the inside she is striving for her husband's attention and her love of singing gradually turns into an obsession. She arranges private recitals and, with the help of some new friends, who have dubious agenda, is training to step on the stage of the real opera house. There's only one problem, however. Marguerite's singing voice is terrible.Placed in Paris of 1920 and inspired by the real life story of Florence Foster Jenkins, MARGUERITE is about a woman who would not let the truth to stand on the way of her desire to sing. Director Xavier Giannoli has a special interest in all things infamous. All his previous films examine the short distance between the infamy and fame and what one is capable of to step into the limelight. His Marguerite is an eccentric with a heart of gold, willfully portrayed by Catherine Frot, the actor whose status in France can only be compared with the one of Meryl Streep.The movie is emotionally charged and finds a perfect balance between funny and sad. However it is a bit overloaded with characters and not every storyline finds a desirable resolution. With a lengthy running time, and multiple story arcs, MARGUERITE could become a perfect miniseries, which may happen in the future, considering the interest the directors have to Florence Foster Jenkins these days.A little bit too long, but never boring, MARGUERITE is an exciting film that will hold your attention all the way through – an achievement for any film these days. With an exceptional performance by Catherine Frot, the movie's character study is impeccable and the real reason to see this period drama gem.