Marivaux (an 18th century playwright) had a reputation for writing 'light' comedies about love, the ambiguity that can exist between men and women, lovers of both sexes, servants and masters, and what can be fun (and semi-tragic) about it. In each of his plays, there is always something to learn, a moral which can often seem moralistic in our modern time. The language used is typical of the 18th century: every word is chosen very carefully and has often a double meaning (especially in this case). Benoît Jacquot has managed to stay faithful to Marivaux's spirit, while making a fine film that avoids all the dangers of 'filmed plays' (which can be excessively static). The scenes take place in a modern Parisian (but classical Italian-style) theater (no grandiose reconstitution like in 'Shakespeare in Love' or 'Dangerous Liaisons'), the costumes are typical of Marivaux's time, there is hardly any music (except for a few chords of Couperin's 'Charmes' between some important scenes) and the acting isn't too 'modern'. And yet, it is far from being boring: there's a perfect balance between the various genres, the actors are excellent, the intrigue becomes every minute more thrilling, and because of the proximity of the camera (something that you usually miss in a theater), you get to experience all the cruelty of the 'game' through the actors looks. The only problem might be for those who are not fluent in French. Dubbing this film wouldn't make any sense. I wonder if it has ever been subtitled, of it will ever be... Even so, there is almost no way the subtlety of the 18th century language can be translated (especially with the speed at which the actors sometimes speak). But this is nonetheless a challenge one should take up. Only because this film makes you feel like going more often to the theater, and also because it proves that filmed-plays do work!
5 Reviews
A cruel light-hearted gallantries
lionel.willoquet8 May 2001
A young heiress, Sandrine Kiberlain, dresses up as a knight to sound out the feelings of her betrothed, and, through deceptions and betrayals, seduces alternately Pierre Arditi and Isabelle Huppert. A cruel light-hearted gallantries. Filming with a rare sobriety and improvisation, Jacquot succeeds in seizing all the richness and modernity of Marivaux's play.
Alternative through being traditional
karhukissa4 June 2009
There are not many Marivaux (or for that matter, Moliére or Goldoni) comedies I have seen on film, and this is no accident. Whereas one goes to watch them to the theater, it is mostly in line with a theatrical tradition of long ago. Sch plays rarely work well in film. Not as if the themes were dated - hypocrites, hypochondriacs or, for that matter, gold-diggers are far from being extinct in our world - but because the theatrical traditions, the costumes and the style direct our attention away from the message. Even when watching Kenneth Branagh's film versions of Shakespeare comedies, I can only appreciate them as faithful renderings of Renaissance atmosphere, nothing more.
Therefore, it was quite a brave undertaking to film this 18th century piece, and to do so by apparently filming a theater performance. Apparently, for there is no audience (apart from the character of Harlequin, who sometimes appears from among the seats). Acting out a classic comedy with countesses and chevaliers, in 18th century costumes in an empty theater feels rather artificial. And this is just the point. After all, the play itself is about pretending - woman pretending to be a chevalier, gold-digger pretending to be faithful lover, nobleman pretending to be servant. The theater is an allegory for the whole theme of the play. It is no accident that, when Lélio challenges the chevalier to a duel, he leaves the stage through the back staircase - but changes his mind when he sees the chevalier following. He is not ready to give up his pretensions. The lack of set and the slightly distant way of acting (especially of the two superb actresses) turns a classic comedy into a modern, experimental performance, and this, paradoxically, allows the viewer to connect better to this world where intrigue is the only way to survive, no matter whether you're on the good or bad side.
Therefore, it was quite a brave undertaking to film this 18th century piece, and to do so by apparently filming a theater performance. Apparently, for there is no audience (apart from the character of Harlequin, who sometimes appears from among the seats). Acting out a classic comedy with countesses and chevaliers, in 18th century costumes in an empty theater feels rather artificial. And this is just the point. After all, the play itself is about pretending - woman pretending to be a chevalier, gold-digger pretending to be faithful lover, nobleman pretending to be servant. The theater is an allegory for the whole theme of the play. It is no accident that, when Lélio challenges the chevalier to a duel, he leaves the stage through the back staircase - but changes his mind when he sees the chevalier following. He is not ready to give up his pretensions. The lack of set and the slightly distant way of acting (especially of the two superb actresses) turns a classic comedy into a modern, experimental performance, and this, paradoxically, allows the viewer to connect better to this world where intrigue is the only way to survive, no matter whether you're on the good or bad side.
Exciting and entertaining (spoilers)
sleepsev15 December 2001
Warning: Spoilers
There are many reasons why I like this film very much. Firstly, the heroine (Kiberlain) is a very interesting character. She's not an ordinary heroine. She's not entirely virtuous nor evil. While she tries to protect herself from those greedy guys, she also does a very cruel thing to the pitiful Comtesse. However ruthless she is, I can't help cheering for her when she deals with those cunning guys with her quick wit.
Secondly, I think this movie is tremendously exciting. It moves with a relentlessly energetic pace. The excitement I get from this movie is as much as, if not more than, what I get from horror films. This movie makes me feel as if I am watching a horror film in which the heroine has to think fast, move fast, and act fast in order to survive. Instead of using murderous situations and physical fighting, False Servant uses love situations and verbal weapons. The heroine lives in a very risky situation, but her weapon here is her words, and sometimes her money. She must use her words or her lies to seduce, to convince, to persuade, or to cheat others, so that she can survive, or to be the last winner of this game.
I also like very much that the situations in this movie change very rapidly. Every time I think the heroine is safe and can control the game, the situation reverses. There are many times she nearly gets caught or unmasked by other characters, but she still outwits them time and again by creating new elaborate and convincing lies instantaneously. Moreover, the characters she deals with are not easy to cheat. They all have their own clever plans.
Another thing I like very much is the beauty of the dialogue. Most sentences said in this movie are very pretty and witty, and that quality is hard to find in other movies. I saw this movie 3 times, and I find that the more I see it, the more I adore its flowery dialogue and admire the person who translated it from French to English. I wonder how beautiful the original French dialogue is, because the dialogue in the English subtitle makes me feel overjoyed.
I also like that this movie doesn't try to be romantic. There are too many movies about a girl dressed as a boy and then falling in love with a boy. But in False Servant, the heroine doesn't disguise herself and fall in love. She does it in order to destroy the guy. Her disguise doesn't lead her to discover how nice the man is, but leads her to discover how crooked, untrustworthy, heartless, selfish, and greedy the man is. That's quite different from other movies, and that can relate very well to modern audience, I think.
Another thing that I like is that the movie relies solely on the power of its dialogue. The dialogue alone can make this movie much more entertaining than those movies with luxurious settings and costumes. I also like that this movie doesn't hide its fictitiousness. I think that quality goes very well with its insincere characters.
One technique used in this film is quite funny. It's when the characters turn their faces away from other characters and speak out what they think to the audience or the camera. One scene in this movie is also worth mentioning. It's the scene when Trivelin tells Lelio about what happens between the heroine and la Comtesse in the garden. I like that this movie doesn't have to show the garden scene to the audience directly. The audience can visualize that garden scene clearly just by listening to the words of Trivelin. This movie may be made with a very low budget, but it is really rich.
Secondly, I think this movie is tremendously exciting. It moves with a relentlessly energetic pace. The excitement I get from this movie is as much as, if not more than, what I get from horror films. This movie makes me feel as if I am watching a horror film in which the heroine has to think fast, move fast, and act fast in order to survive. Instead of using murderous situations and physical fighting, False Servant uses love situations and verbal weapons. The heroine lives in a very risky situation, but her weapon here is her words, and sometimes her money. She must use her words or her lies to seduce, to convince, to persuade, or to cheat others, so that she can survive, or to be the last winner of this game.
I also like very much that the situations in this movie change very rapidly. Every time I think the heroine is safe and can control the game, the situation reverses. There are many times she nearly gets caught or unmasked by other characters, but she still outwits them time and again by creating new elaborate and convincing lies instantaneously. Moreover, the characters she deals with are not easy to cheat. They all have their own clever plans.
Another thing I like very much is the beauty of the dialogue. Most sentences said in this movie are very pretty and witty, and that quality is hard to find in other movies. I saw this movie 3 times, and I find that the more I see it, the more I adore its flowery dialogue and admire the person who translated it from French to English. I wonder how beautiful the original French dialogue is, because the dialogue in the English subtitle makes me feel overjoyed.
I also like that this movie doesn't try to be romantic. There are too many movies about a girl dressed as a boy and then falling in love with a boy. But in False Servant, the heroine doesn't disguise herself and fall in love. She does it in order to destroy the guy. Her disguise doesn't lead her to discover how nice the man is, but leads her to discover how crooked, untrustworthy, heartless, selfish, and greedy the man is. That's quite different from other movies, and that can relate very well to modern audience, I think.
Another thing that I like is that the movie relies solely on the power of its dialogue. The dialogue alone can make this movie much more entertaining than those movies with luxurious settings and costumes. I also like that this movie doesn't hide its fictitiousness. I think that quality goes very well with its insincere characters.
One technique used in this film is quite funny. It's when the characters turn their faces away from other characters and speak out what they think to the audience or the camera. One scene in this movie is also worth mentioning. It's the scene when Trivelin tells Lelio about what happens between the heroine and la Comtesse in the garden. I like that this movie doesn't have to show the garden scene to the audience directly. The audience can visualize that garden scene clearly just by listening to the words of Trivelin. This movie may be made with a very low budget, but it is really rich.
Deceit
jotix10018 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes a classic theater piece needs to be updated to the present taste in order to make it more palatable to audiences that have not been exposed to these types of long forgotten plays, in this case. The work of the French dramatist Pierre De Marivaux gets an interesting reinterpretation in the hands of Benoit Jacquot, who obviously knew how to bring the material to the screen in a delicious adaptation of "La Fausse Suivante", a play written in 1724.
It is basically a work about duplicity and artifice, as a noble woman decides to disguise herself as chevalier, to expose the machinations of Lelio, who wants to capitalize on a promise he has given to a countess because he has found another woman with considerable bigger fortune. Lelio is duped by the dashing chevalier, who is in reality the woman he intends to get.
Beautifully acted by an ensemble cast. Filmed totally in a theater, M. Jacquot blocked the action to flow naturally, something that works for him. We are seeing a theatrical production what comes out of the stage into the audience, only in this instance, the playhouse is empty. Isabelle Huppert shines as the countess. There is nothing this actress cannot do. She feels right at home delivering the text. The revelation is Sandrine Kiberlain who gives life to the chevalier. Matthieu Amalric plays the duplicitous Lelio. Veteran Pierre Arditi is excellent as the conniving Trivelin.
It is basically a work about duplicity and artifice, as a noble woman decides to disguise herself as chevalier, to expose the machinations of Lelio, who wants to capitalize on a promise he has given to a countess because he has found another woman with considerable bigger fortune. Lelio is duped by the dashing chevalier, who is in reality the woman he intends to get.
Beautifully acted by an ensemble cast. Filmed totally in a theater, M. Jacquot blocked the action to flow naturally, something that works for him. We are seeing a theatrical production what comes out of the stage into the audience, only in this instance, the playhouse is empty. Isabelle Huppert shines as the countess. There is nothing this actress cannot do. She feels right at home delivering the text. The revelation is Sandrine Kiberlain who gives life to the chevalier. Matthieu Amalric plays the duplicitous Lelio. Veteran Pierre Arditi is excellent as the conniving Trivelin.
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