Vatel (film)
| Vatel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Roland Joffé |
| Produced by |
Roland Joffé Alain Goldman |
| Written by |
Jeanne Labrune Tom Stoppard |
| Starring |
Gérard Depardieu Uma Thurman Tim Roth |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Robert Fraisse |
| Editing by | Noëlle Boisson |
| Release dates |
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| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country |
France United Kingdom Belgium |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $51,080h[1] |
Vatel is a 2000 English-language film based on the life of 17th-century French chef François Vatel, directed by Roland Joffé, translated by Tom Stoppard, and starring Gérard Depardieu, Uma Thurman and Tim Roth. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction - Set Decoration. A French-Belgian-British production, the film opened the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot
The film takes place in 1671. In the prelude to the Franco-Dutch War, a financially struggling Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé is visited by King Louis XIV for three days of festivities at the Château de Chantilly. The prince wants a commission as a general, and spares no expense in order to impress the king. In charge of organizing the event is François Vatel, Master of Festivities and Pleasures in the prince's household. Vatel is a man of great honor and talent, but of low birth. As the great Condé is prepared to do anything in his quest for stature, the tasks assigned to Vatel are often menial and dishonourable. While Vatel tries to sustain dignity amidst the extravaganza he is meant to orchestrate, he finds himself in love with Anne de Montausier, the king's latest lover, who returns his affections. However, due to their incompatible social standing and the rigid hierarchy of the court, continuing the liaison is clearly impossible. The movie ends with Vatel realizing that he is nothing more than a puppet in the hands of his superiors, bought and sold like a piece of property: he consequently commits suicide by slicing his own throat. Anne de Montausier is grief-stricken upon hearing the news but she must not speak of it. In doing so, she flees the court quietly and no one ever knew about her and Vatel.
Cast
- Gérard Depardieu : François Vatel
- Uma Thurman : Anne de Montausier
- Tim Roth : Marquis of Lauzun
- Timothy Spall : Gourville
- Julian Glover : Prince of Condé
- Julian Sands : Louis XIV
- Murray Lachlan Young : Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
- Hywel Bennett : Colbert
- Richard Griffiths : Dr. Bourdelot
- Arielle Dombasle : Princess of Condé Claire-Clémence de Maillé-Brézé
- Marine Delterme : Athenaïs de Montespan
- Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu : Duchesse de Longueville
- Jérôme Pradon : Marquis d'Effiat
- Féodor Atkine : Alcalet
- Nathalie Cerda : Maria Theresa of Spain
- Emilie Ohana : Louise de la Vallière
- Sébastien Davis : Demaury
- Natacha Koutchoumov : servant of Anne de Montausier
References
External links
- Vatel at the Internet Movie Database
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