For the 25th week of 2019 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We delve into the subject of period dramas as they would take place on a certain period of time as a way to recreate that period or to explore themes during those times. Here are my three picks:
1. Lola Montes
Max Ophuls’ 1955 film about the famed dancer/courtesan who tells her life story in a circus about her numerous affairs in a stylish presentation. Set in the 19th Century, it is this unusual yet rich film that features a radiant performance from Martine Carol as it plays with history but also explore a woman who endured so much as she rose high and then fall into ruin.
2. Barry Lyndon
Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of William Makepeace Thackery’s novel of the life of an Irishman who would find himself into various situations out of his control and become part of high society only to fall when he takes advantage of being part of that world. Featuring Ryan O’Neal in an understated performance, Kubrick’s film is a high watermark of what a period film should be in terms of visuals and in atmosphere as it remains this fascinating study of a man putting himself into situations that are completely strange to him.
3. Farewell My Queen
Benoit Jacquot’s adaptation of Chantal Thomas’ novel about the final days of Marie Antoinette’s reign as Queen of France is a compelling and gorgeous film that follows those last days told from the perspective of a young maid. With Diane Kruger as Marie Antoinette and Virginie Ledoyen as her friend the Duchess of Polignac, it is Lea Seydoux’s performance as the maid Sidonie that really drives the film as someone who is trying to observe everything around her just as this world of palace life is about to come apart.
© thevoid99 2019
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