Le Roi Danse
Thomas Schmidt
Does anyone know about the status of a movie entitled "Le Roi Danse". I
noted a soundtrack recording featuring MAK on DG but could only find French
publication reviews of the movie. Iwonder if the movie will have a US
release?
PK
If it doesn't, don't cry : it's an incredible piece of gilded crap,
wasting another glorious subject which the director (the creator of the
immortal "Farinelli") wasn't even sure what it was. If you want some
details, just ask, I'll be glad to scream some more.
PK
Steven Van Impe
Thomas Schmidt <tsch...@uiuc.edu> wrote in
EkV36.499$WF6....@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu...
This is a Belgian (Walloon) movie by Gérard Corbiau, also known from
Farinelli. The website www.leroidanse.com (in French) gives some more
information on credits and stuff. The story is
about the relationship between king Louis XIV and J.B. Lully.
The release date for Belgium was december 11th, and the website gives
March/April for a release in Germany. Nothing about an international
release, which is normally highly dependent of the success of the movie on
film festivals (Cannes, Berlin) because there is not enough money to promote
good European movies in America, where Hollywood uses budgets nearing the
gross national income of a small state like Belgium.
Steven
val...@post.com
Tell me more !
Valour
Lugansky Web Site
http://lugansky.homestead.com
Lugansky plays Mozart:
(MP3 featured until 7th January)
http://lugansky.homestead.com/MP3.html
=====================================
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PK
>
> In article <3A506A0B...@cybercable.fr>,
> PK <pro...@cybercable.fr> wrote:
> > Thomas Schmidt wrote:
> > >
> > > Does anyone know about the status of a movie entitled "Le Roi
> Danse". I
> > > noted a soundtrack recording featuring MAK on DG but could only
> find French
> > > publication reviews of the movie. Iwonder if the movie will have a
> US
> > > release?
> >
> > If it doesn't, don't cry : it's an incredible piece of gilded crap,
> > wasting another glorious subject which the director (the creator of
> the
> > immortal "Farinelli") wasn't even sure what it was. If you want some
> > details, just ask, I'll be glad to scream some more.
> >
> > PK
> >
>
> Tell me more !
>
> Valour
You little provocateur! Naughty, naughty! I won't be long : what do you
think of a movie called "The King dances" (or "is dancing", but the
first form sounds somehow more proper here; maybe "The King dancing"?),
and where you barely get to see the King dancing? The subject of the
movie was to be (could have been?) the (essential) role of the "ballet
de cour" in the building up of absolutist monarchy in France and the
stature of Louis XIV; unfortunately, the director seems to have
forgotten what the subject were after ten minutes of the show (just as
he never seems to have known what the subject of Farinelli was in the
first place), moving on to display Lully as a hysterical "tante" with
late Beethoven manners, madly in love with a hunky Louis. Grotesque is a
nice French word which strongly applies here. The film reeks of money,
almost all of it badly spent. Too bad for the young actor (Benoit
Magimel) who plays Louis, and who could have been fabulous. The real
problem, as with Farinelli, being of course that nobody will ever dare
making another movie on the subject, this time with TALENT (old proverb
: if you want a work of art, hire an artist. Mr Corbiau isn't).
PK
val...@post.com
> > Tell me more !
> >
> > Valour
>
> PK
Merci beaucoup !
If "Le Roi Danse" is visually stunning and the music is well-chosen, I
would still enjoy it more than most Hollywood blockbusters.
I thought the operatic scenes in Farinelli were truly memorable, and
the soundtrack is one of the best movie soundtracks on the market. The
script was ill-conceived, but so are the scripts of many films. Once
again, thanks !
Valour
(Unofficial) Lugansky Web Site
http://lugansky.homestead.com
===================================
"Lugansky is not the most famous Russian pianist of our time; he is one
of the major artists of our epoch. The public makes him aware of this
by a standing ovation." - Alain Lompech, Le Monde
PK
>
> > > Tell me more !
> > >
> > > Valour
> >
> > You little provocateur! Naughty, naughty....
>
> > PK
>
> Merci beaucoup !
>
> If "Le Roi Danse" is visually stunning and the music is well-chosen, I
> would still enjoy it more than most Hollywood blockbusters.
>
> I thought the operatic scenes in Farinelli were truly memorable, and
> the soundtrack is one of the best movie soundtracks on the market. The
> script was ill-conceived, but so are the scripts of many films. Once
> again, thanks !
>
> Valour
Most Hollywood blockbusters are "visually stunning", but it doesn't make
them into good movies. Especially not "cultural" movies "Le Roi danse"
has the (usurped) pretention to be. I'd rather watch "Godzilla" again
any time, because it's "visually stunning", without the pretention; it's
just as stupid as you expect it to be. Moreover, I remind you of my
first argument against the movie : it promises us to be about "The King
dancing". You barely get to see the King dancing. "Godzilla", at least,
shows us plenty of Godzilla.
I don't know what you mean by "music well chosen". During an -
inevitable - sex scene between Louis and some girl, the orchestra under
the direction of Jean-Baptiste Lully (who is peeping into the tent where
the scene takes place; afterwards, he has a fit of jealous hysteria and
leaves) plays the... "Sommeil d'Atys" which shall be written many years
later. The DG disc has Lully as the composer of some movements from the
Ballet de la Nuit, where Louis appeared for the first time as the
Sun-King; in fact, Lully didn't contribute anything to this ballet.
As for Farinelli, I find the soundtrack as disappointing as it can get,
the famous "synthesis" of two very distinct voices, who never blend,
being just another silly gimmick. At least, "Le Roi danse" has two good
actors in it (Magimel and Tcheky Karyo playing Molière - both wasted as
caracters, and very badly directed; the poor guy playing Lully is
pitiful, but maybe it's not his fault), which is more than you can say
about Farinelli, which has only one, in a secondary role (Jeroen
Krabbé's useless Handel).
There's is nothing even remotely interesting in any of the two movies,
who don't master their proclaimed subjects, don't have anything
interesting to say (while they're spending a lot of time saying things
uninteresting), don't have a notion of style (which seems surprising in
our time of stylish music interpretation) and, as I have said before,
just waste two marvelous stories real, serious artists could have done
something about. Now they won't : we simply won't get really good movies
about Farinelli, or Louis/Lully anymore. And that's what I find the most
infuriating aspect of the thing : some stupid, incompetent, utterly
un-gifted hack has made these subjects "his own" forever. I don't need
to evoke any "Hollywood blockbuster" to state my case : remember
Sainte-Colombe and Marin Marais in "Tous les matins du monde", a movie
on an altogether different artistic, intellectual and musical level.
PK
Alain Dagher
PK wrote:
> Moreover, I remind you of my
> first argument against the movie : it promises us to be about "The King
> dancing". You barely get to see the King dancing.
What did you think of the Sopranos?
Alain
val...@my-deja.com
> valour wrote:
> > If "Le Roi Danse" is visually stunning and the music is well-
chosen, I would still enjoy it more than most Hollywood blockbusters.
=================================
> I don't know what you mean by "music well chosen".
=========================================
I haven't seen the film yet, so I suppose it is for you to tell me
whether the music is well-chosen or not.
============================
> afterwards, he has a fit of jealous hysteria and
> leaves) plays the... "Sommeil d'Atys" which shall be written many
years later.
======================
Historical inaccuracies are always to be expected in
films made for entertainment. ("Amadeus",
"Immortal Beloved", "Farinelli", "Braveheart" etc.)
The DG disc has Lully as the composer of some movements from the Ballet
de la Nuit...in fact, Lully didn't contribute anything to this ballet.
=======================
Ah ...poorly researched track listings. Very bad.
> As for Farinelli, I find the soundtrack as disappointing as it can
get, the famous "synthesis" of two very distinct voices, who never
blend,being just another silly gimmick.
But remember, for many people, it was the film and soundtrack
of "Farinelli" that first got them interested in Baroque music. However
gimmicky the marketing tactics, the fact is that this soundtrack
contained beautiful works by Broschi, Handel, Pergolesi and Hasse and
Porpora - composers that much of the movie-going population had never
listened to previously. (Well, many people would have heard of Handel
already, but not the others.)
Do you really think that the recent surge of interest in countertenor
voices bears NO relation to the film "Farinelli" ? (Yes, I am fully
aware that castrato voices and countertenor voices are very different
entities, so please, no lectures.) I know there's a mailing list at
Egroups...many of its subscribers are young people who loved Farinelli,
and now are avid fans of Baroque opera and countertenor singing.
=====================================
> just waste two marvelous stories real, serious artists could have done
something about. Now we simply won't get really good movies about
Farinelli, or Louis/Lully anymore. And that's what I find the most
infuriating aspect of the thing
====================================
In that aspect, your fury is justified. But time marches on, memories
fade, and a new generation may revisit these topics from a new
perspective.
Be optimistic !
Here's to the future !
Valour
The Nikolai Lugansky Web Site
A Great Pianist for the 21st Century
http://lugansky.homestead.com
PK
>
> PK wrote:
>
> > valour wrote:
> > > If "Le Roi Danse" is visually stunning and the music is well-
> chosen, I would still enjoy it more than most Hollywood blockbusters.
>
> =================================
> > I don't know what you mean by "music well chosen".
> =========================================
>
> I haven't seen the film yet, so I suppose it is for you to tell me
> whether the music is well-chosen or not.
>
> ============================
> > afterwards, he has a fit of jealous hysteria and
> > leaves) plays the... "Sommeil d'Atys" which shall be written many
> years later.
> ======================
>
> Historical inaccuracies are always to be expected in
> films made for entertainment. ("Amadeus",
> "Immortal Beloved", "Farinelli", "Braveheart" etc.)
Not in films who pretend to be about history and music (obviously, I
don't include "Braveheart"). Especially when alternative, historically
right choices are easily found.
BTW, the "Amadeus" main (and scandalous) nonsense is the fact that
neither the author (Shaffer), nor the director seemed to know the
meaning of one crucial scene, and butchered it. I won't comment over
"Immortal beloved", hysterical laughing having prevented me from going
any further than the first 30 minutes. "Farinelli" I found an incredible
bore, a musical, historical and dramatic absurdity.
> The DG disc has Lully as the composer of some movements from the Ballet
> de la Nuit...in fact, Lully didn't contribute anything to this ballet.
> =======================
> Ah ...poorly researched track listings. Very bad.
No, just a general "what the hell" attitude that poisons the whole
movie.
> > As for Farinelli, I find the soundtrack as disappointing as it can
> get, the famous "synthesis" of two very distinct voices, who never
> blend,being just another silly gimmick.
>
> But remember, for many people, it was the film and soundtrack
> of "Farinelli" that first got them interested in Baroque music.
I don't know where. In France, "Tous les matins du monde" had made it
earlier and better, and "Farinelli" was just a very poor copy,
exploiting the former film's success.
> However
> gimmicky the marketing tactics, the fact is that this soundtrack
> contained beautiful works by Broschi, Handel, Pergolesi and Hasse and
> Porpora - composers that much of the movie-going population had never
> listened to previously. (Well, many people would have heard of Handel
> already, but not the others.)
They might have listened to it in a well researched, well written, well
acted, well sung, and well directed movie which would have known what it
was talking about.
Many people discover bits of classical music in commercials, but it
doesn't turn these commercials into works of art. Amadeus, Farinelli, Le
Roi danse and commercials are all part of the same business to me
(Amadeus certainly the best of the lot - although infinitely better as a
play) : exploiting music's emotional "capital" to sell something.
> Do you really think that the recent surge of interest in countertenor
> voices bears NO relation to the film "Farinelli" ? (Yes, I am fully
> aware that castrato voices and countertenor voices are very different
> entities, so please, no lectures.) I know there's a mailing list at
> Egroups...many of its subscribers are young people who loved Farinelli,
> and now are avid fans of Baroque opera and countertenor singing.
What do you mean by "no lectures"? "Don't answer if you disagree"? These
young people have seen a stupid, bad movie about one of the greatest
singers in history (and, incidentally, about one of the greatest
composers in history), and walked away having learned nonsense about the
artist, nonsense about his art, nonsense about his voice (two voices, in
fact), nonsense about Baroque opera (which was NEVER sung by falsettists
- the countertenor voice being something entirely different).
As for the "surge of interest in" the so-called "countertenor voices", I
didn't know Alfred Deller, Russell Oberlin, Paul Esswood, René Jacobs,
Henri Ledroit, Jeffrey Gall, Gérard Lesne or Derek Lee Ragin were
post-"Farinelli" phenomenons. On the contrary : "Farinelli" tried to
bank on their careers and the public interest surrounding them, just as
it did on the success of "Tous les matins du monde".
Now, please, I DO NOT say these films should not be made. My point is
exactly the opposite, as it was from the beginning, so let's avoid any
misunderstanding here : they SHOULD BE made. But they should (and COULD)
be GOOD MOVIES. Made by intelligent, senstitive ARTISTS, not talentless,
clever hacks like M. Corbiau, with knowledgeable historical and musical
consultants (Philippe Beaussant withdrew his name from "Le Roi danse",
and is openly saying now that Mr Corbiau simply refused to listen to him
when he was pointing to the nonsense in the picture). Just as "Tous les
matins du monde" was.
PK