The Princess Of Montpensier

This French period romance tells the story of a lady caught in her own desires and responsibilities towards her father. The plot of the endearing movie is inspired by the short stories of Madame de Lafayette.

Marie de Mezières, the protagonist of the tableau falls in love with her cousin Henri de Guise, but she has to sacrifice her love in order to fulfill her father’s political ambition. Marie gets hitched to Philippe de Montpensier, by going against her will. The plot takes a turn around, when Philippe has to leave alone his newlywed wife in order to fulfill his duties at the war front. Soon, Marie’s barren life gets exposed to the sexual desires of France’s civil war men. The movie has some engrossing moments, especially, when the plot centers on the relationship of Marie with her husband. Apart from this, it also gives a mirror image of the condition of French aristocracy during the years of battle between the Catholics and the Protestants.

The storyline has intertwined the elements of romance and the religious upheavals of the 16th century France. It’s not just a story of a woman who has to deal with all kinds of troubles, but, a look back at one of the influential historical incident in France that changed the course of Christianity. The movie puts forth the social, cultural and consequently, behavioral disposition of the French in 16th century.

Bertrand Tavernier manages to flawlessly recreate French medieval history in this spectacular take on 16th century France. The best part about the movie was the princess herself, played by Mélanie Thierry. The actress is the epitome of beauty and the kind of woman who would make any man go weak in his knees. She was the perfect choice to play a princess with four love interests.

The movie is a wonderful adaptation of the novel by Madame de Lafayette, and does perfect justice to the essence that the original work evoked. The realistic presentation of the battle scenes makes the movie all the more engaging. Also, the sets and costumes are completely apt for the medieval setting and successfully manage to transport one to the period in which the movie is set. All in all, The Princess of Montpensier is a perfect repertoire of lust, royalty, passion and a tinge of love.