I remember it was 20 years ago that I watched this French film about the St. Bartholomew Massacre. At that time, it was completely directed at Adjani, except for the pair of blue eyes and the naked lens. Although I have always regarded this movie as a classic, I haven't watched it well. It wasn't until recently that the movie was released in 4K. Under the effect of technology blessing, I finally felt its classic power.
The two-and-a-half-hour plot goes away, and it's a bloody, frantic tale of court killings in which everyone is caught in a vortex of chaos and paranoia that no one can escape. In order to cooperate with this story, the director has put a lot of effort into the form of expression. The first is photography, almost all of which are medium and close-up shots, which make the audience feel depressed and cramped from the camera perspective, highlighting the tension and unpredictable violence. People are trapped in the incomprehensible layers of palace walls. The second is the aesthetic style. The creators of the film have won the essence of classicism and reproduced the artistic pursuit from Michelangelo to Rembrandt on the screen, emphasizing the strength of muscles, the originality of the human body, the impact of composition, shades of color. I thought this was the most fascinating part of the film, from beginning to end the audience was like watching a flowing Caravaggio oil painting, rich colors like oil paints, sculpted body lines, and interweaving of light and dark The composition of the picture is extremely gorgeous. Then there is the performance of the actors. The actors in the whole play chose a staged performance style, exaggerated and deformed, sometimes neurotic or even hysterical. This kind of performance is completely in line with this almost crazy violent story. Therefore, when the audience is immersed in the artistic effects carefully designed by the creator, they can fully appreciate the complementarity between the performance and the style of the film. At this time, I can understand why Adjani should play this role, because this is her field of expertise; I can also understand why the director is treated by the major film festivals, because this is every classic style director. A model they are all looking for.
20 years later, revisiting the classics. In the face of such a grand and exquisite work of art, I have nothing to say but amazement.
View more about Queen Margot reviews
