Barnes & Noble

The tongue is a lethal weapon in this razor-sharp French period comedy from director Patrice Leconte (Monsieur Hire). Set six years before the French Revolution, Ridicule follows Gregoire Ponceludon de Malavoy (Charles Berling), an idealistic young aristocrat who travels to Louis XVI's court at Versailles in search of funding for a project that will save the lives of thousands of peasants. There's plenty of charm and intrigue as our hero finds true love with an enchanting young amateur scientist (Judith Godreche) and later strays into a dangerous liaison with a Machiavellian temptress, played with devilish glee by the inimitable Fanny Ardant (The Woman Next Door). But the film's real appeal lies in its thorough exploration of the power of wit and its dark side, ridicule. Leconte ushers us into a world of privilege where double entendres, repartee, quips, wordplay, retorts, and paradoxes are the only accepted currency. Gregoire learns that mastery of these arts opens all doors; he also discovers that failure at this high-stakes game can be deadly. While there's a seriously populist Mr. Smith Goes to Washington moral to its story, Ridicule never loses its essential buoyancy. The result is a sparkling classical comedy of manners with aristocratic elegance and a Capra-esque heart of gold. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

This is a French costume drama from director Patrice Leconte that recalls both Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Restoration (1995). Gregoire Ponceludon de Malavoy (Charles Berling) is a baron of the 18th century French countryside, wealthy in property and high in social position but poor in cash. Local peasants -- dependent upon his largesse for their income -- are in poor health, the result of a festering marsh that, if drained, could solve the villagers' illnesses and create valuable farmland. Ponceludon travels to Versailles to plead his case before King Louis XVI. There, he is informed that he has no chance of success unless he can impress the court with his verbal prowess, for the king and his minions value banter, preferably of the ironic, cruel, and insulting variety, above all else. Under the tutelage of the Marquis de Bellegarde (Jean Rochefort), Ponceludon discovers that his sober, blunt honesty can be mistaken for a skewering wit. Though the baron falls for his mentor's science-minded daughter Mathilde (Judith Godreche), he's forced to woo the politically powerful Madame de Blayac (Fanny Ardant). Ridicule (1996) opened the 1996 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Karl Williams

Product Details

• UPC: 786936231120
• Source: MIRAMAX
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround
• Language: Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:43:00
• Sales Rank: 18,096

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