I had to watch this movie for a French class. And I don't know if it was me trying to understand it it my horrible French or what, but I really found her husband to be the more interesting man. I know that the real Margot and Henri never got along, ,but i couldn't help wishing that she would have fallen in love with him instead of La Mole. Any one else feel the same?
sharethe real henri et margot got along quite well, forming a sort of alliance. they had a strong bond, just not one that we think of as a husband and wife
shareI agree with you sports2119. I've thought that Henri was the perfect match for Margot.
shareI agree with you, Dharma. The bond between the characters Henri and Margot was one of friendship and alliance.
As far as the movie is concerned, I personally feel that the internal choice between
A) a terribly unattractive political person one is forced to marry and
B) a loyal, beautiful, erotic, completely smitten man
is an incredibly easy one. What on earth would a Henri do with a Margot?
They remained good friends for life and Henri often visited her in after years, but a king needs HEIRS.
Margot could not have children, so Henri had to get another wife who could—for state reasons.
If the Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard, It can also be like a chicken-pox mark.
"Henri had to get another wife who could—for state reasons."
Who turned out to be a horrible woman (Maria de Medici). No wonder Louis XIII was screwed up.
Tom516
"It is not enough to like a film. You must like it for the right reasons."
- Pierre Rissient
I think one reason so many people want Margot to stay with Henri is the acting of the always superb Daniel Auteil. One of the great tragedies of our times is the fact that so many good foreign films do not get shown in the United States because they would have to use subtitles. I have often defended Americans against attacks from my French friends about American philistinism. But the refusal of most Americans to even try to watch a subtitled film is a national shame. Several of Auteil's great performances cannot be seen in America because they would have to be subtitled. By the way, I am not alone in thinking that Auteil is the finest actor of our time. Some of his films are available with subtitles. Watch them.
" ...the refusal of most Americans to even try to watch a subtitled film is a national shame. Several of Auteil's great performances cannot be seen in America because they would have to be subtitled."
Yeah... Cause the French are oh, so cultured about of the talent of foreign actors, since they're watching DUBBED films all the time... I was shocked to see that not just on television, but even parisian cinemas show foreign films that are dubbed in French - so much for appreciating an actor's talent - with someone else (usually a second rate actor) speaking in his/her place... Eeek!
I can assure you there are much more Americans who appreciate foreign films and actors than your snotty French friends seem to assume. As for the idea of not so many foreign films being shown in the US - did any of you did some survey or an actual count, or it's just another one of those assumptions based on generalizations drawn from the personal experience/knowledge of a couple of people who are arrogant enough to think that what they know about something is all there is to it?
By the way, totally agree with your point about Auteil - he's one of my favorite actors.
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Oscar Wilde
I love your observations about French / American culture; so on the nose I had to giggle!
shareYeah... Cause the French are oh, so cultured about of the talent of foreign actors, since they're watching DUBBED films all the time... I was shocked to see that not just on television, but even parisian cinemas show foreign films that are dubbed in French - so much for appreciating an actor's talent - with someone else (usually a second rate actor) speaking in his/her place... Eeek!
I can assure you there are much more Americans who appreciate foreign films and actors than your snotty French friends seem to assume. As for the idea of not so many foreign films being shown in the US - did any of you did some survey or an actual count, or it's just another one of those assumptions based on generalizations drawn from the personal experience/knowledge of a couple of people who are arrogant enough to think that what they know about something is all there is to it?
By the way, totally agree with your point about Auteil - he's one of my favorite actors.
I read that they were man and wife-but divorced but remaind on good terms;
I thought it showed class that she would stick up for Henri
and even more touching-her earnestly making love to him while in grief over Charlottes poisoning
nothing quite like grief sex
Yes, I felt the same way, I liked Margot's husband most. And they did stick together at the end, I just loved the ending.
shareThe entire La Mole subplot was pointless frankly, and it seems tacked on in some misguided effort to insert a love arc. Does anyone know if there is historical basis for the La Mole affair. Call me provincial, a prude, and so forth, but I really find it hard to believe this royal female trolling actually occurred.
Most likely, it's a hollywood add-on (French version thereof)
or
It's a rumor made up by political enemies of a powerful female later incorporated as a given into the narrative
Just, really, jeesh. If they're not 100% sure that actually happened, it's a flaming cargo wreck of a mistake in this movie, and a total distraction from the most important parts of the (hi)story.
I agree the love story wasn´t necessarily the best idea around which to build a movie, but it didn´t really distract too much from anything as all of it happened in close parallel to the political power play. As for whether the romance occurred or not... well, it´s not meant as documentary, is it?
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
I think she really did love La Mole, when they were stories of her keeping his severed head.
shareYes, after their "loves" didn't work out, I wanted Margot/Henri to have fallen for each other.
share[deleted]
Remember, this was an arranged marriage. Personally, I liked the character of Henri a lot more than La Mole, but I didn't consider the love triangle to be super central to the story's core themes.
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