Major spoiler question - Vatel (2000) Discussion

According to history, he stabbed himself three times with his sword. I imagine that's what he was trying to do here.

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[–] woodkmw 19 years ago

I think he poisons himself. Just before he dies, it shows him hesitantly holding then drinking something. The blood comes later I think when they show him from the knees down and he falls forward hitting something. I assumed he hit his head or something. But I think he poisons himself. I nodded off to sleep soon after and it's a miracle I stayed awake that long. Kind of a snoozer movie.

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[–] teacher_tom516 18 years ago

He 'falls on his sword' - an interesting suicide usually one 'reserved' for soldiers or generals. You can see the empty scabbard later on and when he stands before the wall or door and he pushes forward he's pushing himself on to his sword. I just found it interesting since Conde - historically one of the age's 'Great Captains' - tells Vatel that he is 'his general' and relies upon his 'battleplan' for the next days festivities.

I think they must have taken some liberties with the story but I think artists will sympathize with Vatel's character - he's like another Depardieu character, Cyrano de Bergerac - an artist ne plus ultra whose art is its own highest calling.

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[–] justbeyou_4 18 years ago

I think he pushes himself into his sword

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[–] ejavignon 18 years ago

He definitely fell on his sword. The whole movie (except for the unlikely love story) is based on an episode in the memoirs of a courtier named Madame de Sevigne.

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[–] simonize-1 18 years ago

Vatel slits his wrists, I would imagine: he drains himself, symbolically of blood, just as he would the animals used in his incredible feasts...

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[–] UmaMillaElizaDollhouse 18 years ago

When I saw it I thought he'd just bashed his head on the door a few times.There was a lot of blood running down it, and I don't think I saw a sword.But, i'd believer anything because of the angle of the camera.

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[–] limin-li 18 years ago

So why did he commit suicide?

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[–] rainleaf 17 years ago

at the end of the movie, when anne de montausier (the king's mistress whom he falls in love with) reads the (suicide) note that he leaves her, the reason for his suicide is apparent (this might not be historically accurate though, just what's shown in the movie): he was tired of the materialistic and selfish artistrocratic life. everyone, more or less, treats him like a indignified slave. in the end, even the man who calls him his friend, prince de condé, stakes him for a card game. coupled with this, the fact that he will never be able to openly have a relationship with anne de montausier because of the social barriers that seperate them (anne de montausier is of noble birth, while vatel is a peasant) really does lead him to take the greatest step.
all he craves is freedom - the kind of freedom that he will never gain in the real world.
and of course, the ultimate price to pay for freedom is sacrificing your soul.

ps. i love how symbolic the scene of freeing the parrot is - just before vatel kills himself. the parrot has been chained, all this time, and throughout the movie you see him trying desperately to be unchained and go free --- a scenerio that has uncanny parallels to vatel's own life.

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[–] Lutzqueen 17 years ago

He fell on his sword....but it is poorly photographed indeed!

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[–] tweedlepixie 16 years ago

For all this falling on his sword.....would there be quite so much blood?
I'm thinking he did 'something' with his sword but not just a random shoving it through the body....for starters I'm sure you hear an almost gushy noise as he falls against the door and there is a lot of blood falling...against the door not down his front...
Methinks personally he slashed his throat with the sword or rammed it somewhere equally that would cause an almost arterial blood spurt
(You can thank me for the gory details later...! LOL) :-)

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[–] blountstmd 15 years ago

that is what they mean--historically, Vatel was said to have run himself through with his sword in the throat area and died of massive blood loss. The movie showed it obscurely and so it is hard to really see the detail.

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[–] amatoanima 15 years ago

Yes, but I think it best that they didn't show all the blood shooting out...It would have been unnecessarily gory, and may have possibly taken away from the scene.

Can you imagine? Blood gushing out as he stumbled around? It could have bordered on comical perhaps.

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