(Contains spoilers) The butler Madelbos is us
When I watched the film it was interesting to observe the cinema audience's reaction to Marguerite's singing. In the initial recital, when we barely know her and certainly not her motivation for performing, everyone laughed aloud. However when she gives her ultimate performance, there was silence. The audience become like her friends and supporters and care about her character. Its curious as to whether Marguerite ever does really hit the right notes in her final aria, or, as we see by their delighted reaction, it is only the hopes of her husband and others that care about her. Our role, in observing her, is characterised by her manservant. He is obviously protective of her, despises her husband for his treatment of her and yet reveals his mercenary motives in capturing her on film. Interestingly the film closes with a close up of his eye peering at Marguerite through the lens - a bitter blend of empathy and voyeurism