La reine et le cardinal (2009)

Actors: Philippe Torreton (actor), Christian Charret (producer), Rufus (actor), Yves Verhoeven (actor), Jean Dell (actor), Vincent Martin (actor), Jean-Louis Foulquier (actor), Jean-Pol Brissart (actor), Marc Citti (actor), Philippe du Janerand (actor), François Berland (actor), Jean-Paul Comart (actor), Franck de la Personne (actor), Corinne Devaux (miscellaneous crew), Carolin Petit (composer),

Le roi danse (2000)

Actors: Philippe Ravoet (editor), Ludo Troch (editor), Benoît Magimel (actor), Claire Keim (actress), Olivier Bériot (costume designer), Didier Decoin (writer), Johan Leysen (actor), Vincent Grass (actor), Philippe Brizard (actor), René Morard (actor), Tchéky Karyo (actor), Pierre Londiche (actor), Jacques François (actor), Bernard Vander Donckt (miscellaneous crew), Serge Feuillard (actor),

Plot: Corbiau repeats the Farinelli formula, artistic rivalry and social private drama expressed in dazzling, sometimes excessively lavish baroque scenery, music and costume, but this time in its ultimate setting: Versailles. There are two protagonists - first the title character, Louis XIV, the French sun-king who has two passions, establishing absolute rule over the realm -after decades of religious/civil wars- by divine right and artistic brilliancy as a dancer (like Nero wrote and performed musical poetry), and starts asserting himself against the entourage of his Medici mother, the regent during his minority, by building his palace complex and launching a 'fitting' new, mainly musical display of baroque show. Secondly the musical genius Gianbattista Lulli ('Jean-Baptiste') Lully, a Florentine upstart of unbridled ambition, quickly gains the king's absolute trust, despite the nationalist and aristocratic opposition to a low-born Italian, and thus turns the normally socially humble post of court composer into a 'ministerial portfolio of culture' of Cabinet rank, complete with a monopoly which kills of his artistic rivals in operatic theater. The script also weaves a complex web of court scheming for individual power and social interests, and even a sadistic but accidental murder on a young valet, producing a sensuous and sumptuous drama too complex for this format, ending in a freakish but fatal accident. Louis XIV's mother was Ana de Austria (in French, Anne d' Autriche), the daughter of one of the Hapsburgh Kings of Spain. Maria di Medici (in French, Marie de Médicis) was his grandmother, his father's mother. She was dead before Louis XIV reached the throne. Please correct the reference to "his Medici mother"

Vatel (2000)

Actors: Lionel Vitrant (actor), Tim Roth (actor), Rémy Roubakha (actor), Timothy Spall (actor), Richard Griffiths (actor), David Gabison (actor), Féodor Atkine (actor), André Chaumeau (actor), Julian Sands (actor), Vincent Grass (actor), Jay Benedict (actor), Julian Glover (actor), Gérard Depardieu (actor), Dominique Frot (actress), Arielle Dombasle (actress),

Plot: In 1671, with war brewing with Holland, a penniless prince invites Louis XIV to three days of festivities at a chateau in Chantilly. The prince wants a commission as a general, so the extravagances are to impress the king. In charge of all is the steward, Vatel, a man of honor, talent, and low birth. The prince is craven in his longing for stature: no task is too menial or dishonorable for him to give Vatel. While Vatel tries to sustain dignity, he finds himself attracted to Anne de Montausier, the king's newest mistress. In Vatel, she finds someone who's authentic, living out his principles within the casual cruelties of court politics. Can the two of them escape unscathed?

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Louis, enfant roi (1993)

Actors: Isabelle Renauld (actress), Mario Luraschi (miscellaneous crew), Brigitte Catillon (actress), Max Vialle (actor), Margaret Ménégoz (producer), Michèle Laroque (actress), Aurélien Recoing (actor), Carlo Brandt (actor), Maurice Barrier (actor), Charles Berling (actor), Laurent Gamelon (actor), Carmen Maura (actress), Paolo Graziosi (actor), Jocelyn Quivrin (actor), Jean-Pol Dubois (actor),

Plot: The title of this major French costume drama means "Louis, child-king", and indeed it's a fascinating fresco about the formative years of the young king Louis XIV, before he became the Sun-king at Versailles. It was a dark and violent period, when the Louvre (meaning 'wolves hunt castle', hunting was a major aristocratic pastime), then still the somewhat gloomy royal palace, was the battle field of palace intrigues while the regency was held by queen-mother Anne of Austria but the actual head of the royal government was the aging cardinal Giulio Mazirini ('Mazarin'), the less-known Italian successor of Richelieu, who also introduced to the court and the kingdom a host of his countrymen from whom Louis would learn the passion for Italian culture, especially music which would flourish under the direction of Lully (but that later story is another movie, "Le Roi danse"). The elaborate script sketches the story of French power politics, too complicate and devious to summarize in any detail, but mainly from the viewpoint of the immature king under maternal guardianship, who probably didn't comprehend half of the grave troubles focusing on the strife between the official Catholic church and those claiming freedom of religion, especially for the Huguenots, but in reality mainly driven by personal and family ambitions and the grip of nobles on the kingdom at the expense of the royal power, and climaxing in a full rebellion, known as the Fronde, which forces the royal family to flee for their lives, an experience that may have decided Louis to dedicate his reign to preventing a repeat by establishing absolutism as he did. Some narration is done by Louis's younger brother Philip, the duke of Anjou, who seems smarter but as the spare heir is condemned to life in a golden cage, overshadowed by Louis while any 'disrespect' for his crowned sibling is punishable on the spot by strap lashes administered on his bare behind by a servant.

La couleur du vent (1988)

Actors: Lucienne Hamon (actress), Jean-Pierre Bisson (actor), Pierre Granier-Deferre (director), Philippe Sarde (composer), Pascal Greggory (actor), Fabrice Luchini (actor), Jean-Pierre Léaud (actor), Philippe Léotard (actor), Anna Massey (actress), Christine Pascal (actress), Alain Rimoux (actor), Marcel Bozonnet (actor), Élisabeth Bourgine (actress), Jerry Di Giacomo (actor), Stéphane Sorlat (producer),

Le fou du roi (1984)

Actors: Bernard Musson (actor), Elisabeth Kaza (actress), Jean Desailly (actor), Pierre Belot (actor), Howard Vernon (actor), Pierre Semmler (actor), Lionel Vitrant (actor), Franck-Olivier Bonnet (actor), Etienne Draber (actor), Jean-Claude Dreyfus (actor), Vincent Grass (actor), Ticky Holgado (actor), Guy Delorme (actor), Yvan Chiffre (writer), Yvan Chiffre (actor),

Le pain de fougère (1981)

Actors: Jean Desailly (actor), Danièle Lebrun (actress), Paul Crauchet (actor), Antoine Marin (actor), Martine Ferrière (actress), Yvon Sarray (actor), Paul Savatier (actor), Jean Saudray (actor), Marc Fayolle (actor), Marie-Hélène Dasté (actress), Alain Boudet (director), Roger Desmare (actor), René Alone (actor), Odette Piquet (actress), André Haber (actor),

The Fifth Musketeer (1979)

Actors: Ursula Andress (actress), Olivia de Havilland (actress), Cornel Wilde (actor), Albert Rueprecht (actor), Lloyd Bridges (actor), Beau Bridges (actor), Fritz von Friedl (actor), José Ferrer (actor), Beau Bridges (actor), Michael Janisch (actor), Alan Hale Jr. (actor), Rex Harrison (actor), Bernard Bresslaw (actor), Ian McShane (actor), Sylvia Kristel (actress),

Plot: King Louis XIV has without his knowledge a twin brother, Philippe, but when he is told, he immediately locks up his brother in the Bastille. The king wants to increase his popularity and stages an assassination against himself where Philippe is dressed as king Louis. But Philippe manages to escape the assassination and everybody believes him to be the real king...

La petite fille en velours bleu (1978)

Actors: Claudia Cardinale (actress), Marie-Sophie Dubus (editor), Vernon Dobtcheff (actor), Denholm Elliott (actor), Bernard Fresson (actor), Marius Goring (actor), Georges Delerue (composer), Clément Harari (actor), Alexandra Stewart (actress), Guy Marly (actor), Charles Millot (actor), Umberto Orsini (actor), Michel Piccoli (actor), Liza Braconnier (actress), Christopher Cazenove (actor),

While the Sun Shines (1947)

Actors: Tamara Lees (actress), Charles Victor (actor), Andreas Malandrinos (actor), Clive Morton (actor), Aubrey Mallalieu (actor), Gordon Begg (actor), Brenda Bruce (actress), Miles Malleson (actor), Garry Marsh (actor), Ronald Howard (actor), Wilfrid Hyde-White (actor), O.B. Clarence (actor), David Keir (actor), Anatole de Grunwald (producer), Margaret Rutherford (actress),