| Ridicule | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Patrice Leconte |
| Produced by | Frédéric Brillion Philippe Carcassonne Gilles Legrand |
| Screenplay by | Rémi Waterhouse Michel Fessler Eric Vicaut |
| Starring | Charles Berling Jean Rochefort Fanny Ardant Judith Godreche |
| Music by | Antoine Duhamel |
| Cinematography | Thierry Arbogast |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | May 9, 1996 |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | ~ 50 million FRF |
| Box office | $2,503,829 |
Ridicule (French pronunciation: [ʁidikyl]) is a 1996 French film set in the 18th century at the decadent court of Versailles, where social status can rise and fall based on one's ability to mete out witty insults and avoid ridicule oneself. The story critiques the social injustices of late 18th century France, in showing the corruption and callousness of the aristocrats.
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The film begins with an aristocrat later shown to be the Chevalier de Milletail (Carlo Brandt) visiting the elderly, ailing Monsieur de Blayac (Lucien Pascal), confined to his chair. He taunts him about his past prowess in wit and reminds him of how he humiliated him, naming him "Marquis de Clatterbang" when he fell over while dancing. He then proceeds take his revenge by urinating on the helpless old man.
The film then shifts to the Dombes, a boggy region north of Lyon. The Marquis Grégoire Ponceludon de Malavoy (Charles Berling) is a minor aristocrat and engineer. He is one of the few aristocrats who care about the plight of the peasants. Horrified by the sickness and death caused by the disease-carrying mosquitoes that infest the swamps, he has drawn up plans to drain them; however, the project is far too costly for him to finance himself, so he goes to Versailles in the hope of obtaining the backing of King Louis XVI (Urbain Cancelier).
Just before reaching Versailles, Ponceludon is robbed and beaten. He is found by the Marquis de Bellegarde (Jean Rochefort), a minor noble and physician. As Ponceludon recuperates at the marquis' house, Bellegarde sympathizes with Ponceludon's mission and takes him under his wing, teaching him about wit (l'esprit), the primary way to be recognized at court. At first, Ponceludon's provincial background makes him a target of attacks at parties and gatherings, even though he proves himself a formidable adversary in verbal sparring.
At one such party, he catches L'abbé de Vilecourt (Bernard Giraudeau) cheating at a game of wits, with the help of his lover, Madame de Blayac (Fanny Ardant), the beautiful and rich recent widow of Monsieur de Blayac who was to have been Ponceludon's sponsor at court. Although Madame de Blayac fears being exposed, Ponceludon assures her that such is not his intention. Blayac repays his generosity by arranging for the certification of his lineage—thereby allowing his suit to proceed. Despite his success, Ponceludon begins to see how hollow and rotten is the tree that is the court at Versailles—a motif that runs throughout the film (his barren swamp-infested land; the dark roads that lead to court; the moral corruption of Versaille, etc.)
The only exception is Mathilde de Bellegarde (Judith Godrèche), the doctor's daughter. She has agreed to marry Monsieur de Montaliéri, a rich, old aristocrat whose wife is dying. Her motivation is twofold: to support her science experiments and to help pay off her father's debts. He contracts to provide her with a generous income and a workshop in return for bedding her twice a month and for her promise never to appear in court before or after the wedding. Her latest invention is a diving suit and Ponceludon begins to help her with her experiments. Once Mathilde collects pollen for an experiment in cross fertilization by dragging her skirt edges across flower beds. She asks Ponceludon to dust the pollen from her skirts on to the experimental plants and as he does so he repeatedly strokes her leg. Unknown to them, Montaliéri watches them. Mathilde is attracted to and aroused by Ponceludon but also questions his intentions, claiming he only lusts after her. However she falls in love with him. Ponceludon expresses his disapproval of her decision to marry Montalieri while she observes that he is becoming like all the other courtiers. Later, Montaliéri tells Ponceludon that he should wait, as he is not likely to live very long and at thirty Mathilde would be a rich widow. Even after Mathilde admits that she dreads her upcoming marriage, Ponceludon feels guilty about dissuading her as she would get the money she needs. He says that she would only end up the wife of a poor man.
A servant of Bellegarde and Mathilde has a deaf-mute boy, Paul, who one day runs through the woods wearing Mathilde’s diving suit and frightens Madame de Blayac. Blayac makes Bellegarde to send him away. Bound by rules of courtesy, Bellegarde sends the boy away to the Abbé de l'Épée, a pioneering educator of the deaf. Mathilde visits Madame de Blayac and unsuccessfully pleads for Paul. Madame de Blayac is struck by her beauty and senses a rival for Ponceludon. Meanwhile Vilecourt is concerned that Ponceludon is becoming too successful so Madame de Blayac promises to bring him down. These considerations lead Madame de Blayac to trap Ponceludon during a dinner party (with her accomplice Montaliéri) where one too many guest has been invited. A contest of wit is used to settle who must make a humiliating departure. Sexually distracted by Blayac, Ponceludon is the loser and is convinced that his disgrace will force him to leave the court. However, he is reminded of why he set out in the first place when a village child dies from drinking contaminated water. During this time, Mathilde appears at court, breaking the terms of her engagement contract.
Vilecourt finally has his moment in the sun: an audience before the king. The abbé initially impresses the king, but then immediately falls out of favor by accidentally blaspheming God in an attempt to be witty, and Blayac turns her attention back to Ponceludon—convincing him to return to Versailles. He sleeps with her in exchange for her assistance; in the end, she arranges a meeting with the king. She maliciously has Bellegarde attend her in his capacity as physician when Ponceludon is still with her, ensuring that Mathilde learns of their relationship.
During a presentation at court of the Abbé de l'Épée's work with deaf people and development of sign language, the nobles ridicule the deaf mercilessly. However, some nobles change their minds when it is shown that the deaf have their own form of wit via sign language puns. In response, de Bellegarde stands and asks how to sign "bravo," leading Ponceludon to rise and clap to show his support. This act of kindness touches Mathilde and they soon make up.
Ponceludon joins the king's entourage and, after showing off his engineering prowess by proposing an improvement to a cannon, secures a private meeting with the king to discuss his project. The embarrassed cannoneer then insults Ponceludon, forcing him into demanding a duel. Madame de Blayac almost persuades him to avoid the duel, but he eventually decides to proceed, under the supervision of Bellegarde. He kills the cannoneer, but is later informed that the King cannot meet with someone who has killed one of his officers right after his death, although he is assured that it was right to uphold his honor.
Madame de Blayac is furious when she learns that Ponceludon has left her for Mathilde and plots her revenge. Ponceludon is invited to a costume ball "only for wits." Upon arriving at the ball with Mathilde, he is maneuvered into dancing with Blayac and is tripped. His spectacular fall earns him the derisive nickname "Marquis des Antipodes." The coiner of the title is none other than Milletail, the aristocrat whose ruthlessness in the opening scene and now shows how he fully has assimilated the cruelty of those who once turned against him. In contrast, Ponceludon tears off his mask and condemns their decadence. He tells them that that they class themselves with Voltaire because of their wit but they have none of Voltaire's compassion. He vows to drain the swamp by himself, and leaves the court with Mathilde. Although everyone resumes their dancing, Madame de Blayac removes her mask and stands silently crying, having grown genuinely fond of Ponceludon and realising that he is lost to her forever.
The movie closes in Dover, England in 1794, where Bellegarde has fled from the French Revolution and where he gets a taste of the English “humour” which the nobles had discussed earlier in the film. On-screen text states that Citizens Grégoire and Mathilde Ponceludon successfully drained the Dombes and live in revolutionary France, where Grégoire is now a civil engineer.
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by La Haine |
César Award for Best Film 1997 |
Succeeded by On connaît la chanson |
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