(1994; French) In 1572, in an effort to end a long war in France between Catholics and Protestants, Queen Catherine de Medicia (Virna Lisi), arranged for a marriage between her Catholic daughter Margot de Valois (Isabelle Adjani) and nephew Henri of Navarre, a Protestant Bourbon; in the church Margot is literally pushed into accepting her groom. As exquisitely gorgeous as its female lead, graphic and grisly in its naked violence, director Patrice Chčreau's lavishly captivating film, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas pčre with adaptation by Daničle Thompson, begins with Catherine's evil optimism: "This wedding will fix everything."

Margot informs her husband: "I don't have to sleep with you"; she prefers her lover, de Guise. In the court rumors suggest she has had incestuous relations with her brothers. Her eldest sibling is the cowardly King Charles IX (Jean-Hugues Anglade), dependent upon and dominated by Admiral Coligny.

Following the wedding, various conspiracies prepare to set their schemes into motion. Looking for revenge - his mother having been murdered and himself wed to a Catholic whore - Henri plots with his fellow Protestant leaders as the queen sends an assassin to eliminate Coligny. At the same time Henri attempts to recruit his wife to his cause, pleading with her to become his ally to outfox their rivals, to which she answers: "Maybe."

After de Guise abandons her on her wedding night, Margot and her closest friend, Henriette de Nevers (Dominique Blanc), go disguised in search of a man to ignite Margot's inner embers, finding La Môle (Vincent Perez), a Protestant recently robbed of all his belongings and horse but for a book on hunting.

The attempt on Coligny's life inflames the suspicions of the Protestants, but before they can act, Catherine's Catholics strike, killing most of the leaders and murdering en masse 6,000 followers. One of the few to escape, La Môle is saved by Margot's intervention; horrified by the slaughter - "Paris is a cemetery" with everyone dead or shamed to damnation, including herself - she convinces Henri to convert for his safety. Insecure within the Louvre, the seriously wounded La Môle retreats into the streets where he encounters Coconnas, the queen's chief henchman.

In Amsterdam the surviving French Protestants regroup, receiving generous funding from a wealthy Jew. Back at the palace, a necromancer reveals to Catherine a future she cannot abiding knowing; another attempt on Henri's life costs his mistress Charlotte of Sauve hers. Margot warns him never again to show love for anyone he cares for since his enemies will make victims of them as a means toward destroying him.

With the Protestants assembling at Meaux, La Môle returns to Paris to save Margot while Henri is expected to desert during a boar hunt with Charles; instead, Henri comes to the king's rescue, and Margot goes into temporary exile with La Môle. "You're my only friend," Charles says to Henri, as the queen prepares yet another stratagem, poisoning with arsenic the pages of La Môle's book.

Margot accuses Henri of having betrayed both his faith and his friends, whereas Catherine speaks of another betrayal as "following the flow of events."

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Patrick Ivers can be reached via e-mail at .