BasicLogic
actually is no different from any common people, no matter how many subjects surrounded His Royal Highness's deathbed. You cursed someone you hated so much with harsh words like: "I wish you die alone and nobody will give a Fxxk!" Well, practically and realistically speaking, everybody indeed die alone; your parents, your wife, your husband, your kids, your friends won't join you and die with you, no matter how they love you or hate you; and these people aforementioned, would also die alone one by one. When a plane or car crashed, a ship sank, a building on fire and collapsed like the twin tower of World Trade Center, an earthquake cracked up the mountain slop and crashing down on a village on the foothill, a whole village wiped out instantly; people died in great number at the same time in a mass death toll, even so everybody still died alone, in group, large or small, but every one of them still died alone. After hundreds of people eating the same food on the hot-cold counter-top in a buffet restaurant, when they take dump at home or elsewhere afterward, the stinking smell would be in some degree almost the same, to some degree, nobody can be separated and distinguished differently, and you cannot claim that yours got some independent unique odor. Dying is always a lonely process no matter what. And for this film, all you should do is to focus on the cinematography, the lighting, the make- up, the costumes and the score(soundtrack) and the acting of all the participating actors. "Eight Million Ways to Die in L.A." still meant that you are the only person to die there, and die alone.
writers_reign
Stately is the word for this film in which nothing happens all at once. It boasts arguably the greatest number of close-ups in the history of the Cinema and is shot with a touching concern for the light bill of the Producer(s) in muted tones with dialogue seldom rising above a murmur. If you like this sort of thing then this is the sort of thing you'll like. Director Albert Serra is a new name to me but the leading man, Jean-Pierre Leaud is indelibly associated with something called the Nouvelle Vague which is anathema to me and I doubt if I have ever knowingly seen him on screen. Having said that he can't be faulted at lying supine thanks to a gangrenous left leg. Serra definitely establishes a mood albeit downbeat.
gsandra614
Every frame of this movie could be an art museum masterpiece. I can't remember seeing such a beautifully mounted production. The acting was finely nuanced. This is a study of regal life and death. It's interesting to note how far medicine has advanced since those days -- an advance we blithely take for granted.I loved this movie mainly because it is beautiful. The garments, the hairpieces, the attention to detail in every frame is just incredible. I liked that the camera lingered on the faces of the players so that we viewers could take in the beauty of it all. Few movies achieve this level of art. A feast for the eyes.
asako
I totally agree with the assessment of the first reviewer: it is a beautiful, claustrophobic film with very little "drama". One thing I would like to add is that the film depicts the dying king with great respect and dignity. Having touched by death of elderly family members in recent years, I appreciated the film's compassionate and dignified portrait of Louis XIV and the people who served him closely. There is no political intrigue or ugliness in the film. It quietly and matter-of-factly tells a story. So even though the film's main theme is death, it is not a depressing film and you leave the theater marveling the fine acting of Jean-Pierre Léaud.
AD
