''Angélique, Marquise des Anges'' is a 1964

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

romance film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

directed by

Bernard Borderie Bernard Borderie (10 June 1924 in Paris – 28 May 1978 in Paris) was a French film director and screenwriter. His father, Raymond Borderie, was one of the producers of ''Children of Paradise, Les Enfants du Paradis'' (''Children of Paradise'', 194 ...

and starring

Michèle Mercier Michèle Mercier (born 1 January 1939 as Jocelyne Yvonne Renée Mercier) is a French actress.

Robert Hossein Robert Hossein (30 December 1927 – 31 December 2020) was a French film actor, director, and writer. He directed Les Misérables (1982 film), the 1982 adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and appeared in ''Vice and Virtue'', ''Le Casse'', ''Les U ...

and

Jean Rochefort Jean Raoul Robert Rochefort (; 29 April 1930 – 9 October 2017) was a French actor. He received many accolades during his career, including an Honorary César in 1999. Life and career Rochefort was born on 29 April 1930 in Paris, France, to ...

. It is based on the 1956

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

of the same name by

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

and Serge Golon. It was made as a co-production between France, Italy and West Germany It was shot at the

Cinecittà Studios Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City) is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios were constru ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and the

Billancourt Studios Billancourt Studios was a film studio in Paris which operated between 1922 and 1992. Located in Boulogne-Billancourt, it was one of the leading French studios.Szczepanik & Vonderau p.141 It was founded in the silent era by Henri Diamant-Berger. Dur ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and on location at the

Château de Tanlay The Château de Tanlay at Tanlay (Yonne) is a French château built in Burgundy during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, famous for its beauty and the setting. The walls are of limestone under tall sloping slate roofs ''à la française' ...

and Fontenay Abbey. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

René Moulaert René Moulaert (1901–1965) was a Belgian art director who worked on designing stage (theatre), stage and film sets.Thys p.316 Selected filmography * ''The Marriage of Mademoiselle Beulemans (1932 film), The Marriage of Mademoiselle Beulemans'' ...

. The film was a major hit across

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

, and in 1967 was distributed in Britain. It was followed by four sequels starting with '' Marvelous Angelique''.

Synopsis

In mid-17th century France, young

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

is struggling for his throne, beggars and thieves haunt Paris and brigands roam the countryside. Fifth child of an impoverished country nobleman, Angélique de Sancé de Monteloup grows up in the

Poitou Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...

marshlands. Her logical destiny would be to marry a poor country nobleman, have children and spend her life fighting for a meagre subsistence. Destiny has other plans in store for her. At 17, on returning from her education in a convent, she finds herself betrothed to the rich count Jeoffrey de Peyrac (Jeoffrey Comte de Peyrac de Morens, Lord of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

), 12 years her senior, lame, scarred and reputed to be a wizard. For the sake of her family, Angélique reluctantly agrees to the match but refuses the advances of her husband. Peyrac respects her decision and does not pursue his claim to conjugal rights, wishing rather to seduce than use force. With the passing of months, Angélique discovers the talents and virtues of her remarkable husband: scientist, musician, philosopher; and to her surprise falls passionately in love with him. But Jeoffrey's unusual way of life is threatened by the ambitions of the Archbishop of Toulouse, and soon arouses the jealousy of the young king himself, Louis XIV. Jeoffrey is arrested and charged with

sorcery Sorcery commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Goetia, ''Goetia'', magic involving the evocation of spirits ** Witchcraft, the ...

. Angélique will single-handedly take on the might of the royal court and, survive murder and poison attempts on herself in a supreme effort to save Jeoffrey from the stake, to no avail. Instinctively, her whole being intent on revenge and her determination to survive, Angélique, alone and desperate, plunges into the darkness of the Paris underworld.

Cast

Michèle Mercier Michèle Mercier (born 1 January 1939 as Jocelyne Yvonne Renée Mercier) is a French actress.

as Angélique Sancé de Monteloup *

as Jeoffrey de Peyrac *

as François Desgrez, solicitor * Claude Giraud as Philippe de Plessis-Bellières *

Giuliano Gemma Giuliano Gemma (; 2 September 1938 – 1 October 2013) was an Italian actor. He is best known internationally for his work in Spaghetti Westerns, particularly for his performances as the title character in Duccio Tessari's '' A Pistol for Ringo'' ...

as Nicolas Merlot, the childhood friend of Angélique aka Calembredaine * Jacques Toja as King Louis XIV * Jacques Castelot as Archbishop of Toulouse *

Charles Regnier Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

as Conan Bécher * Bernard Woringer as Bernard d'Andijos * Robert Porte as Monsieur brother of the king *

Madeleine Lebeau Marie Madeleine Berthe Lebeau (, 10 June 1923 – 1 May 2016) was a French film actress who also appeared in American films, most notably ''Casablanca''. Early life Lebeau married actor Marcel Dalio in 1939; it was his second marriage. They had ...

as la Grande Demoiselle * Philippe Lemaire as De Vardes *

François Maistre François Maistre (14 May 1925 – 16 May 2016) was a French film, television and theatre actor. Born in Demigny, Saône-et-Loire, France, he appeared in nearly 100 films between 1960 and 2003. His father was singer and actor A.-M. Julien. Se ...

as Prince de Condé * Geneviève Fontanel as Carmencita, a former mistress of Jeoffrey *

Jean Topart Jean Topart (13 April 1922 – 29 December 2012) was a French language, French actor. He was considered one of the best known voices on French television for decades. In addition to providing the voices and narration for television series and anim ...

as Mr Bourié, the prosecutor * Etchika Choureau as Hortense de Sancé, a sister of Angélique *

Jacques Mignot Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...

as Frère Raymond de Monteloup, a brother of Angélique *

Yves Barsacq Yves Barsacq (17 June 1931 – 4 October 2015) was a French film actor, who appeared in more than 150 films. He is the son of the French-Russian production designer Léon Barsacq and the nephew of the French theatre director André Barsacq ...

as Le procureur Fallot * Bernard Lajarrige as Baron Sancé de Monteloup, Angélique's father * Jean Ozenne as Marquis de Plessis-Bellières *

Alexandre Rignault Alexandre Rignault (14 February 1901 – 2 April 1985) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films between 1931 and 1985. Biography He was born on February 14, 1901 in Paris 5th, at his parents' home, rue Guy-de-La-Brosse. H ...

as Guillaume Lützen * Renate Ewert as Margot * Pierre Hatet as Chevalier de Germontaz *

Robert Hoffmann Robert Hoffmann (30 August 1939 – 4 July 2022) was an Austrian actor, best known to British audiences for his title role performance in '' The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe'' (1964). Hoffmann was born in Salzburg. ''Crusoe'' was his screen d ...

as Chevalier de Lorraine * Roberto as Barcarole * Denise Provence as Barbe *

Jacques Hilling Jacques Hilling (26 May 1922 – 16 February 1975) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1949 and 1975. Selected filmography * '' Return to Life'' (1949) - Un soldat (segment 4 : "Le retour de René") (uncredit ...

as Mr Molines, notary * André Rouyer as Clément Tonnelle *

Black Salem Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''Psy ...

as Kouassiba, loyal servant of Jeoffrey * Claude Vernier as President of the tribunal *

Rosalba Neri Rosalba Neri (born 19 June 1938) is a retired Italian actress. Early life Born in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Neri was regarded for her beauty even in youth, winning a beauty pageant when she was still young. Eventually pursuing an acting ...

as La Polak *

Henri Cogan Henri Cogan (13 September 1914 in Paris – 23 September 2003 in Boulogne-Billancourt) was a French actor and stuntman. Biography Before Henri Cogan became a fight choreographer for European action films he proved his expertise in hand-to-hand com ...

as Cul-de-Bois * Serge Marquand as Jactance *

Monique Mélinand Monique Mélinand (9 March 1916 – 16 May 2012) was a French film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or ...

as Marquise de Plessis-Bellières * Sylvie Coste as friend of Carmencita * Albert Dagnant as The Swiss fugitive * Michaël Munzer as Beau Garçon *

Paula Dehelly Paula or PAULA may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Paula, in television sitcom '' Dr. Cándido Pérez'' * Paula, in video game ''EarthBound'' * Paula, in ''The Larry Sanders Show'' * Paula Campbell (''EastEnders''), in ...

as Angélique's governess * Le chien Karlo as Sorbonne, Desgrez's dog. * Claire Athana as Queen Marie-Thérèse of Spain * Georges Guéret as Fritz Auer, alchemist * Elisabeth Ercy as Rosine * Patrick Lemaître as Flipot *

Guido Alberti Guido Alberti (20 April 1909 Birth name: Guido Renato Vittorio Alberti. – 3 August 1996) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1963 and 1993. Selected filmography * ''Wild Love'' (1956) – Sor Alberto (uncredited) ...

as Le grand Mathieu *

Jean-Pierre Castaldi Jean-Pierre Castaldi (born 1 October 1944) is a French actor. He is the father of French TV presenter and radio host Benjamin Castaldi. On stage Filmography Television 2000–2002 : Host of '' Fort Boyard'' References {{DEF ...

as A courtier ;Voice dubbing: * Jacques Thébault as French voice of Giuliano Gemma *

Rosy Varte Rosy Varte (22 November 1923 – 14 January 2012) was a French actress of Armenian descent. She made more than 100 film and television appearances during her career. She starred in the 1972 film '' The Bar at the Crossing'', which was ente ...

as French voice of Rosalba Neri * Michèle Montel as French voice of Renate Ewert

Production

Michèle Mercier Michèle Mercier (born 1 January 1939 as Jocelyne Yvonne Renée Mercier) is a French actress.

recalled she had a clause added to her contract not to appear frontally naked on camera. "For the bath scene of the wedding night, I had put plaster on the point of my breasts and a plastic triangle at the bottom. Once in the water, panic, everything came off! I redid the scene. Me, a pharmacist's daughter, I know all about plasters!"-Mercier said.

Box office

In France, the film sold 2,958,684 tickets, making it one of the top ten highest-grossing films of 1964 in the country. This was equivalent to an estimated in gross revenue. It was also the second top-grossing film of the year in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, where it sold 6,471,800 tickets and grossed (). It was also the year's fifth top-grossing film in Italy with ticket sales. In Spain, the film sold 211,941 tickets upon release in 1964. In the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, the film sold tickets upon release in 1969, equivalent to estimated in gross revenue. It was the year's second highest-grossing foreign film in the Soviet Union (after the Indian

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

film '' Mamta''), and the 31st highest-grossing foreign film ever in the country. In Poland, it did very well, selling millions of tickets, making it one of thirteen high-grossing foreign films in the country in 1968. In total, the film sold more than tickets worldwide, grossing an estimated in France, Germany and the Soviet Union.

Angélique films

*1964: ''Angélique, Marquise des Anges'', director

, starring

Michèle Mercier Michèle Mercier (born 1 January 1939 as Jocelyne Yvonne Renée Mercier) is a French actress.

*1965: '' Marvelous Angelique'', director Bernard Borderie, starring Michèle Mercier, Claude Giraud, Jean Rochefort *1966: '' Angelique and the King'', director Bernard Borderie, starring Michèle Mercier, Jean Rochefort *1967: '' Untamable Angelique'', director Bernard Borderie, starring Michèle Mercier, Robert Hossein *1968: '' Angelique and the Sultan'', director Bernard Borderie, starring Michèle Mercier, Robert Hossein

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Bergfelder, Tim. ''International Adventures: German Popular Cinema and European Co-Productions in the 1960s''. Berghahn Books, 2005.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Angelique, Marquise Des Anges 1960s historical romance films French historical romance films German historical romance films Italian historical romance films West German films Films set in the 1670s Films based on French novels Films based on historical novels Films based on romance novels Films directed by Bernard Borderie Films produced by Raymond Borderie Films shot at Billancourt Studios Films shot at Cinecittà Studios 1960s French-language films Gloria Film films 1960s Italian films 1960s French films 1960s German films French-language German films French-language Italian films Films scored by Michel Magne French-language historical romance films