Merveilleuse Angélique

Although the plot of Angelica's stories can be safely described as shallow, and her love for de Peyrac as a mere cover and a flimsy thread that neatly ties the whole series together, since Angelica is in fact an insatiable nymphomaniac (all the more reason to root for her), I'll be very charitable. Despite the fact that it is very hard to empathise with the protagonist's fate because, let's face it, Angelica is a selfish bitch who walks over dead bodies, craves power, according to her own words, and would rather trade the righteous revenge of a young boy's death for a confession over a chocolate cake. But what the hell. The films are nice to watch, these old-fashioned costume narratives are a big weakness of mine, Michele Mercier is gorgeous, the music is downright divine in some passages, and my favorite Jean Rochefort is "Mr. Charisma", an acting devil who steals every scene with his mere presence, and his ambiguous character as the head of the secret service is a very refreshing touch. In short: a very subjective 4* and I won't go lower even for a night with the Marquise de Peyrac :) (10.03.2007)

This is my favorite part. I'll never forget one of the many reruns when I realized how plot-laden it was. Revenge for the events at the Place de Gréve, Nicolas's end, the Gutter Poet, free enterprise at the Inn of the Red Mask, Madame Chocolat, and the return to court. And of course, the most magical of endings and Philippe du Plessis de Belliere's questions, which can only ever be answered with no. Who can resist? (06.02.2009)

I'm kind of surprised how different this movie is from the first one. Angelique is a well-seasoned schemer who goes about her business and more or less only obeys men for show, because they are mostly useful to her to achieve something. Still, she remains a positive figure, albeit with issues. Angelique: The Road to Versailles is nice to look at, the set is beautiful, the characters are many and the plot is varied, although it could have been less abbreviated (for example, the rescue of a child from a gypsy camp, which happens in a few seconds). Of the supporting characters, of course, Jean Rochefort leads the way in an interestingly ambiguous role, and perhaps the most impressive scene was before the Red Mask fire. I really didn't expect something like this. (02.09.2015)

It's not that much of a decline yet, but after the first installment, it's truly disappointing. In terms of the script, it's much emptier, and it's really just about intrigues and how Angelica manages to get out of some real trouble once again. Michele is still beautiful, there are interesting characters here, but many of them are only present to be seen less. (04.06.2016)