Ben says: I've been looking forward to this film since I saw "The Hairdresser's Husband" early this year. It was done a disservice by being shown at about 4AM, but I taped it and thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Unlike the former film, Ridicule isn't a light-hearted frippery, but a mordant indictment of French court life just prior to the revolution. In it, Grégoire Ponceludon de Mavoloy is an idealistic young noble determined to petition the king (Louis XVI) for a grant to drain the swamps of his barony to rid his land of malarial mosquitos which are rapidly killing off his peasants. In his treaties he is aided by M. Bellegarde, an amiable old inventor (and the Hairdresser's Husband from the afore-mentioned film of the same name) who has a stunningly attractive daughter who is promised to be wed to another elderly aristocrat (mainly so that she can continue her research into diving equipment). However, Madame de Blayac, a leading aristo, has her eye on him too. Fanny Ardant, who plays Mdm. de Blayac is splendid as the love foil, even better than Glenn Close as the horror in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, but then the French are expected to play these roles with relish. Judith Godrèche also excels as the beautiful Mathilde de Bellegarde.

Interesting to note, the film's American distributor Miramax can't even be bothered to get the simplest things in the plot right in its description (click the logo at the top of the page). It's patently obvious that Ponceludon cannot be a phtographer at this period in history, but is referred to, somewhat ironically, in the film as a "hydrographe". The biting wit is what really makes this film and leaves the viewer in no doubt that the Revolution was the best thing to happen to France in the eighteenth century. Do try to get to see this one, if you can.
Ben gives it:yay!yay!yay!yay!yay!

last updated: 2nd April 1997