The Lady and the Duke (subtitles)

This just goes to show that not all foreign films are good just because theyre foreign and they managed to immigrate here. Its amazing to me that someone gave the film three stars. I found the acting mediocre, the plot boring and the sets phony. After that, there wasnt much left to like. I spent most of my time trying to figure out what motivated these characters and hoping for some dramatic tension. No luck.

The story is based on a journal written by Grace Elliot during the French revolution and spans the years 1790-94. This was after the revolution began in 1789 and during Robespierres Reign of Terror up until his death on the guillotine. The two main protagonists are Grace, a Scottish aristocrat and the ex-mistress of the Duke, and the Duke of Orleans. The Duke drops into a scene now and then and Grace seems fond of him. He worries a lot about the revolution and she tries to ignore it, which gets her in trouble. They both whined about not being in England. .

Jean-Claude Dreyfus plays the Duke. He has more than 90 TV and film roles in his 30-year career. Lucy Russell plays Grace. She doesnt have much experience and was probably chosen for her looks. Eric Rohmer directed the film. He was age 82 during the shooting and should have retired earlier.

After I wasted my time watching this I found a review summary on-line that read, Wake me up when its over.

Reviewed October 10, 2003