Directed by:
Alan RickmanCinematography:
Ellen KurasComposer:
Peter GregsonCast:
Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Helen McCrory, Steven Waddington, Jennifer Ehle, Hal Hewetson, Rupert Penry-Jones (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
A female landscape-gardener is awarded the esteemed assignment to construct the grand gardens at Versailles, a gilt-edged position which thrusts her to the very centre of the court of King Louis XIV (Alan Rickman). Can she overcome the challenges of this new and complex world, and the ghosts of her own past tragedy, to secure a future with the man she loves? (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (4)
This would have been a failure even as a Czech project with local actress Aňa Geislerová. Now imagine it with a stellar cast, proudly introduced at a festival opening by its director, who says that he made it “mainly for the audience” (by which he wanted to say “not for the critics”?). Were it not for the actresses’ voluptuous curves, I’d die in an infinite ocean of BOREDOM. Not even the visuals are interesting, despite the film supposedly taking place in the gardens of Versailles and its surroundings. Remember the beautifully shot misty gardens in The King’s Speech? If only just the scenography had been on a higher level, the film could have been saved. As it stands, it’s a nightmare that will haunt the filmography of Kate Winslet, who probably only agreed to take part in this to help out a friend.
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I must admit at the outset that I sought out this film mainly because of Kate Winslet, but I was also curious to see how Alan Rickman would handle directing. Unfortunately, I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed. From a technical point of view, i.e. in terms of production design, cinematography, costumes and overall historical authenticity, I was quite satisfied, but the stumbling block was the script and sometimes the behaviour of the characters, which did not leave a very positive impression on me. All in all, an average film that is visually compelling, but it’s marred by the plot.
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Nice acting, but mainly a directorial farewell from Alan Rickman, showing that he has an eye for interesting stories and is capable of directing them from a perspective other than just acting. And as good as the film is, it's just not that memorable. You will have quite pleasant feelings about it, but they will soon fade and not much will remain. Perhaps just the desire to see Versailles.
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This really isn’t very good. It’s good to have a film about dead people, but Rickman as director was the wrong choice. The whole thing is rather pointless. Playing with history may not always be a failure, but it should have some logic. Also, this version of Kate didn't have anything to work with.
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