Marguerite (2015)
Catherine Frot (The Dinner Game) stars as a clueless aspiring opera singer in this French period dramedy set in the 1920s.
"It is party day at Marguerite Dumont’s castle. Like every year, an array of music lovers gathers around a great cause at the owner’s place. Nobody knows much about this woman except that she is rich and that her whole life is devoted to her passion: music. Marguerite sings. She sings wholeheartedly, but she sings terribly out of tune. In ways quite similar to the Castafiore, Marguerite has been living her passion in her own bubble, and the hypocrite audience, always coming in for a good laugh, acts as if she was the diva she believes she is.
"When a young, provocative journalist decides to write a rave article on her latest performance, Marguerite starts to believe even further in her talent. This gives her the courage she needs to follow her dream. Despite her husband’s reluctance, and with the help of a has-been divo, both funny and mean, she decides to train for her first recital in front of a crowd of complete strangers." (Venice Film Festival)
- Director:
- Xavier Giannoli ('In the Beginning', 'The Singer')
- Writer:
- Xavier GiannoliMarcia Romano
- Cast:
- Catherine FrotAndré MarconMichel FauChrista ThéretDenis MpungaSylvain DieuaideAubert FenoySophia Leboutte
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Adam Fresco
flicksFlorence Foster Jenkins took the tale of the tone-deaf English Diva, cast Meryl Streep, and spun it into an amusing delight. Inspired by the same true story, French movie Marguerite also places a powerhouse actress in the lead, with Catherine Frot delivering a multi-faceted performance as eccentric songstress Marguerite Dupont (the same name as the actress who played the rich lady routinely flattered and fleeced in Marx Brothers movies).
An operatic performance of pride’s folly.
The comedy of manners is the weapon of choice for satirising the wealthy and powerful. Its favourite target is vanity, like in the fairy tale Emperor’s New Clothes where a vain ruler is fooled into believing that beautiful garments have been made for him only to display his pompous nakedness for all to see. The narrative of Marguerite (2015) is framed...
Variety
pressCover your ears and open your hearts: In French director Xavier Giannoli’s pitch-perfect comedy of manners, “Marguerite,” a shameless chanteuse with a surplus of money and a shortage of talent buys her way into the spotlight...
The Washington Post
pressIn the end, Marguerite isn’t a comedy so much as a love story. True love, it seems, isn’t just blind; it must be deaf, too.
The Guardian
pressGiannoli and Frot ensure that Marguerite is never the butt of the joke. On the contrary, she embodies something admirably unruly - a devotion to music that transcends the stifling disappointments of real life.
The Guardian
pressIt's a film that relies on our sympathy for her and she flawlessly commands it, without ever resorting to sentimentality.
The Australian
pressDespite its longueurs, offers much to enjoy, particularly Frot's ripe, passionate performance.
Stuff
pressThe irony is, the French film feels more honest, human and believable than the American one ever did.
Hollywood Reporter
pressXavier Giannoli offers up an amusingly entertaining portrait of fortune, infamy and severe melodic dysfunction in the polished French period dramedy, Marguerite.
Flicks, Adam Fresco
flicksFlorence Foster Jenkins took the tale of the tone-deaf English Diva, cast Meryl Streep, and spun it into an amusing delight. Inspired by the same true story, French movie Marguerite also places a powerhouse actress in the lead, with Catherine Frot delivering a multi-faceted performance as eccentric songstress Marguerite Dupont (the same name as the actress who played the rich lady routinely flattered and fleeced in Marx Brothers movies).
Variety
pressCover your ears and open your hearts: In French director Xavier Giannoli’s pitch-perfect comedy of manners, “Marguerite,” a shameless chanteuse with a surplus of money and a shortage of talent buys her way into the spotlight...
The Washington Post
pressIn the end, Marguerite isn’t a comedy so much as a love story. True love, it seems, isn’t just blind; it must be deaf, too.
The Guardian
pressGiannoli and Frot ensure that Marguerite is never the butt of the joke. On the contrary, she embodies something admirably unruly - a devotion to music that transcends the stifling disappointments of real life.
The Guardian
pressIt's a film that relies on our sympathy for her and she flawlessly commands it, without ever resorting to sentimentality.
The Australian
pressDespite its longueurs, offers much to enjoy, particularly Frot's ripe, passionate performance.
Stuff
pressThe irony is, the French film feels more honest, human and believable than the American one ever did.
Hollywood Reporter
pressXavier Giannoli offers up an amusingly entertaining portrait of fortune, infamy and severe melodic dysfunction in the polished French period dramedy, Marguerite.
An operatic performance of pride’s folly.
The comedy of manners is the weapon of choice for satirising the wealthy and powerful. Its favourite target is vanity, like in the fairy tale Emperor’s New Clothes where a vain ruler is fooled into believing that beautiful garments have been made for him only to display his pompous nakedness for all to see. The narrative of Marguerite (2015) is framed...
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