''Farewell, My Queen'' (french: Les Adieux à la reine) is a 2012 French drama film directed by

Benoît Jacquot Benoît Jacquot (; born 5 February 1947) is a French film director and screenwriter who has had a varied career in European cinema. Life and career Born in Paris, Jacquot began his career as assistant director of Marguerite Duras films, inclu ...

and based on the novel of the same name by

Chantal Thomas Chantal Thomas (born 18 October 1945, in Lyon) is a French writer and historian. Her 2002 book, ''Farewell, My Queen'', won the Prix Femina and was adapted into a 2012 film starring Diane Kruger and Léa Seydoux. Career Thomas was born in Lyon ...

, who won the '' Prix Femina'' in 2002. It gives a fictional account of the last days of

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

in power seen through the eyes of Sidonie Laborde, a young servant who reads aloud to the queen. The film stars Diane Kruger as the Queen, Léa Seydoux, and Virginie Ledoyen. It opened the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012 and has subsequently been screened at other festivals. It was released on 21 March 2012 in France.

Plot

In 1789, on the eve of the French Revolution, the court at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

still live their routines, relatively unconcerned by the increasing turmoil in Paris a mere twenty miles away. The routines are seen through the eyes of the young Sidonie Laborde, who serves Queen

. When news about the storming of the Bastille reaches the Court, most aristocrats and servants desert the Palace and abandon the Royal Family, fearing that the government is falling. But Sidonie, a true believer in the monarchy, refuses to flee. She feels secure under the protection of the Royal Family. She does not know these are the last three days she will spend by the Queen's side. The Queen orders Sidonie to disguise herself as Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron,

Duchess of Polignac Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchess of Polignac (8 September 17499 December 1793) was the favourite of Marie Antoinette, whom she first met when she was presented at the Palace of Versailles in 1775, the year after Marie Antoinette ...

, and serve as bait so that the latter can safely flee to Switzerland. This Sidonie does, despite a prior warning from one of the Queen's ladies in waiting. Sidonie is stripped naked and then redressed in a green gown. The coach carrying Sidonie is also occupied by the real Duchess and her husband, dressed as her servants. They treat her with disdain during the journey but she plays her role convincingly enough to enable the party to safely cross the border. As the film ends, she remarks that she has no connections other than her position as reader to the Queen, and soon she will be a nobody.

Cast

* Léa Seydoux as Sidonie Laborde * Diane Kruger as Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France * Virginie Ledoyen as Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse de Polignac *

Xavier Beauvois Xavier Beauvois (; born 20 March 1967) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. Career His film '' Don't Forget You're Going to Die'' was entered into the 1995 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Jury Prize. His film '' Of Gods an ...

as Louis XVI * Grégory Gadebois as Louis, comte de Provence *

Francis Leplay Francis Leplay is a French actor and writer. An alumnus of France's National Academy of Dramatic Arts and Sciences Po, he began acting on television in episodes of the French detective series ''Julie Lescaut'' and'' Navarro''. His first film r ...

as Charles, comte d'Artois * Noémie Lvovsky as

Jeanne-Louise-Henriette Campan Jeanne Louise ''Henriette'' Campan ('' née'' Genet; 6 OctoberMadame Campan, ''Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France'', 1752, Paris 16 March 1822, Mantes) was a French educator, writer and Lady's maid. In the service of Mari ...

Vladimir Consigny Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukr ...

as Paolo * Julie-Marie Parmentier as Honorine * Michel Robin as Nicolas Moreau * Lolita Chammah as Louison * Marthe Caufman as Alice * Jacques Boudet as Monsieur de la Tour du Pin * Martine Chevallier as Madame de la Tour du Pin * Jacques Nolot as Monsieur de Jolivet * Serge Renko as Marquis de la Chesnaye *

Anne Benoît Anne Benoît is a French actress. She has appeared in more than 60 film and television productions since 1981. Career Benoît was trained at the Conservatoire de Versailles, under the direction of Marcelle Tassencourt. She later attended the Ta ...

as Rose Bertin * Dominique Reymond as Madame * Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc as Monsieur de Polignac * Jacques Herlin as Marquis de Vaucouleurs *

Pierre Rochefort Pierre Rochefort (born 1981) is a French actor and singer. He is the son of Jean Rochefort and Nicole Garcia. At the age of five, he appeared in the 1986 short film ''15 août'' which was directed by his mother. In 2005, he made his foray into mu ...

as Le valet Antonin

Production

''Farewell, My Queen'' was directed by

and based on a script by him,

, and

Gilles Taurand The Gilles are the oldest and principal participants in the Carnival of Binche in Belgium. They go out on Shrove Tuesday from 4 am until late hours and dance to traditional songs. Other cities, such as La Louvière and Nivelles, have a traditio ...

. They adapted the script from the novel of the same name by Thomas. She won the '' Prix Femina'' for her book in 2002. After reading Chantal's feminist novel, Jacquot wanted to create a film from this perspective. The German actress Diane Kruger was cast as

. Recognizing that many audience members had preconceptions of Marie Antoinette, Kruger approached the role by "trying not to judge her... We have the same origins, the same age. I could relate to her as a woman." While the actress Léa Seydoux is younger than the age of the ''lectrice'' character in the novel, Jacquot cast her as Laborde because "she brought this carnal dimension. She has incontrovertible sex appeal." He also added to the plot the same-sex relationship between the Queen and duchess of Polignac; he thought it might be possible, given women's strong relationships with each other in that time period.

Release

The film opened the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012. It was later shown at the San Francisco International Film Festival (19 April) and the

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival The Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival is a springtime film festival in the U.S. state of Minnesota that has been held since 1981. It began as the Rivertown Film Festival in Stillwater by Al Milgrom of Pine City and even ...

(27 April) and as part of the L'Alliance Française French Film Festival, in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, in March 2013. ''Farewell, My Queen'' opened in theaters in France on 21 March 2012, and was released on a limited basis to American theaters on 13 July 2012.

Reception

''Farewell, My Queen'' holds a rating of 67/100 on Metacritic. Several reviewers compared the film to Sofia Coppola's 2006 production, ''

''. IndieWire's Anne Thompson believed it was "an intimate and sexy period spectacle that takes us backstage at Versailles and into territory Sofia Coppola was not willing to go." Deborah Young of '' The Hollywood Reporter'' called ''Farewell, My Queen'' a "visual joy, even while its tale of a lower class girl at court infatuated with the Queen of France labors to say something relevant. Though director Benoit Jacquot opts for the grand European style of '' Girl with a Pearl Earring'' rather than a modernist rereading à la Sofia Coppola's post-punk vision ''Marie Antoinette'', the film has its own charm, a matter-of-fact treatment of lesbianism and 'magnifique' costumes and settings guaranteed to please Upper East Side patrons, all of which suggests a wide art-house release for this lavish French-Spanish coprod." Writing for '' The Independent'', Geoffrey Macnab said that the director "doesn't have any grand political statements to make. He is not trying to make a sweeping melodrama either. His approach is more like that of an anthropologist, studying a tribe in its death throes. The result is quietly fascinating." Manohla Dargis of '' The New York Times'' describes Jacquot's film as a "tense, absorbing, pleasurably original look at three days in the life and lies of a doomed monarch..." Dargia, Manohla (12 July 2012)
"As the Bastille Falls, Gossip in Versailles"
'' The New York Times''. Retrieved 20 August 2012. She suggests that Jacquot adopted his addition of the lesbian relationship from virulent political pamphlets of the time attacking the Queen. Justin Chang, the critic of '' Variety'' magazine wrote, "Benoit Jacquot's venom-tipped account of palatial intrigue and royal oblivion scrupulously maintains a servant's-eye view but winds up holding the viewer at an unrewarding distance. Cast names should lend the picture some Euro arthouse traction, though Stateside biz won't far exceed that of Jacquot's recent work." While Chang criticized the characterization and depiction of Seydoux's character Sidonie Laborde, he praised Kruger's projection of "regal desperation" as well as Ledoyen's performance as the duchess.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Farewell My Queen 2012 films 2012 drama films 2012 biographical drama films 2010s historical drama films 2012 LGBT-related films 2010s French-language films French biographical drama films French historical drama films French LGBT-related films French Revolution films Biographical films about Marie Antoinette Cultural depictions of Louis XVI Films based on French novels Films directed by Benoît Jacquot Films set in 1789 Films shot in France LGBT-related drama films Louis Delluc Prize winners Films scored by Bruno Coulais 2010s French films