art of dueling and feminist struggles in an educational and spectacular film by Vincent Perez

Vincent Perez signs a successful historical film behind the scenes of the duels at the end of the 19th century, with a top-of-the-range cast.

After trying his hand at a historical film in 2016 with Alone in Berlina film about the Second World War, Vincent Perez is this time interested in the end of the 19^e century. A period that he recounts through the prism of a custom then in vogue, the duel, which gave men the opportunity to settle a dispute and above all to seek reparation for what they considered to be an offense, in order to clear their honor. A spectacular and educational film, to be seen in theaters from December 27.

1887, Clément Lacaze (Roschdy Zem), a respected fencing master, breaks the very strict rules of dueling by challenging Colonel Berchère (Vincent Perez) to a duel, not to defend his honor, but to wreak vengeance. At the same time, he meets Marie-Rose Astié (Doria Tillier), a woman with a strong character, artist and feminist, who demands the authorization for women to wear pants and cross swords. These two will find common ground to settle their quarrels…

The duel, a romantic and highly cinematic theme, inspired a literary genre in the 19th^e century, then numerous “cloak and dagger” films. Vincent Perez has often wielded the epee or the foil in his career as an actor (The Hunchback, Queen Margot or Fanfan the tulip). This time he takes on this theme as a director, in the historical context of the 19th century, like Ridley Scott with his Duelists in 1977.

The film clearly shows how widespread this practice was at that time in bourgeois circles. Often bloody, it was strictly regulated, with gradations in the offense, a choice of weapons, reports, witnesses, a whole ritualization full of codes, a real protocol which made it a very serious matter.

“Honor is an organ…”

Another idea of ​​the film is to feature a woman in the middle of this audience of men, journalists, politicians, obsessed with their honor. Men for whom “doubt is a weakness”and who sometimes also use duels to satisfy their thirst for violence and blood… This cheeky feminist acts as a counterpoint and a revealer of the paradoxes of this practice of dueling, which oscillates between panache and noble sentiments on one side, and absurdity and ridicule on the other, when it simply does not end in tragedy. . In this case, Marie-Rose Astié really existed, and her extraordinary personality for the time was skillfully inserted into this fictional film.

We can regret that this female character ends up taking a minor place, confined to observing with a shudder a last 100% virile fight. In a society where men loudly assert that “honor is an organ” and “the woman has none”, Marie-Rose Astié has her work cut out for her.

Luxury casting

If the dialogues are sometimes a little literary, a little flat, Vincent Perez’s fourth feature film benefits from an exceptional casting. First and foremost, organic Roschdy Zem as a master of arms tormented by war and death, just like his antagonistic character, Louis Berchère, a former soldier broken by the war of 70, animal, played by Vincent Perez himself, or even the sparkling Doria Tillier as a provocative and sassy feminist, in love with life.

The secondary characters are not neglected: Guillaume Gallienne, from the Comédie-Française, plays the meticulous owner of the Cercle d’escrime (Adolphe Tavernier, a fencer who really existed), discreet friend of Lacaze, and Damien Bonnard plays the role of Ferdinand Massat, the crude and misogynistic editor-in-chief of Little Journal.

With sober and beautiful sets and costumes, naturalistic lighting and classic but effective staging – the duels filmed like choreographies or moving paintings – Vincent Perez manages to offer us a real show by immersing us in the atmosphere weapons rooms, in the tension of duels (the music, well measured, plays its role to the fullest), and in the excitement of a changing society. A good film to see during the end-of-year holidays.

The sheet

Gender : Drama, Historical
Director: Vincent Perez
Actors: Roschdy Zem, Vincent Perez, Doria Tillier, Guillaume Gallienne, Damien Bonnard
Country : France
Duration : 1h40 min
Exit : December 27, 2023
Distributer : Gaumont Distribution

Synopsis : Paris 1887. At that time, only the duel was used to defend one’s honor. Clément Lacaze, a charismatic fencing master, finds himself caught in a spiral of destructive violence. He meets Marie-Rose Astié, a feminist ahead of her time, and decides to teach her the complex art of dueling. They will face provocations and join forces to defend their respective honor.