''Marquis'' is a

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

French-language film, produced in Belgium and France, based on the life and writings of the

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusat ...

. All the actors wear animal masks, and their voices are dubbed. There are a few scenes involving

clay animation Clay animation or claymation, sometimes plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine clay. Tra ...

. The film was a project by French cartoonist

Roland Topor Roland Topor (7 January 1938 – 16 April 1997) was a French illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, painter, novelist, playwright, film and TV writer, filmmaker and actor, who was known for the surreal nature of his work. He was of Polish-Jewis ...

, who had previously delivered the imagery for the animated cult classic '' La Planète Sauvage'' (1973). ''Marquis'' too is considered a cult classic today. The tagline used in the US release was, "A bizarre tale of sex, lust, and the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Plot

In pre-revolutionary France, the canine Marquis de Sade sits in jail working on his writing and having conversations with his penis which has a face and is named Colin. When Colin is not whining about his need for stimulation and espousing his impulsive philosophies, he is "telling stories" that make up the Marquis' work (some of which is illustrated via clay animation). The Marquis was imprisoned for allegedly defecating on a cross, however he is also accused of raping and impregnating the bovine Justine. The latter is a plot by the camel-headed priest Don Pompero and the cocky Gaetan De Preaubois try to keep secret the fact that Justine's rapist was actually the King of France. Meanwhile, the revolutionaries prepare to stage a coup and depose the king, under the lead of Juliette de Titane, an equine noble. Several of the inmates are also political prisoners leading to several failed escape attempts which land the inmates in the Bastille dungeon. They are eventually freed, however, by the revolutionaries. Colin eventually falls in love with Juliette and runs away with her to continue the revolution, leaving the Marquis to continue his writing and to muse about his life in peace.

Voices

Sources

External links

* * 1989 films Belgian drama films Films based on works by the Marquis de Sade Films about the Marquis de Sade French prison films 1980s French-language films 1980s prison films French Revolution films Films set in Paris Puppet films Clay animation films Surrealist films Roland Topor 1980s stop-motion animated films French drama films 1980s French films {{1980s-France-film-stub