Netflix: Queen Margo, French history like never before

An extraordinary historical mural released in 1994, a lavish ballet of blood and death set in the 16th-century French kingdom torn apart by religious strife that led to the massacre of St. Bartholomew, Queen Margo landed gloriously on the Netflix platform from the start. March. French history like you have never seen and will never see again.

Here is the trailer again …

A masterpiece born of pain

It cannot be said that the work of adapting the dense work of Alexandre Dumas was the way of the cross for the deceased Patrice Shero. With the written support of Daniel Thompson, it will take five years of preparation and at least nine different versions of the script to complete his vision for this tragic period; A vision of absolute darkness that can present a film that is spectacular and very personal.

The author of the script, coming from the world of theater, advocated in addition to shooting a historical film that could have been conceived in the traditional direction of the term. “For me, historical films were largely confused, detailing what was happening on screen. I told myself that the film should tell our current story, that we can think of a time when they are very far away from us. And that they are human beings, Who live as we do today “ she said.

Influenced largely by the works of artists like Goya or Francis Bacon, Patrice Shero also elevates his history to fascinating aesthetic research, even in horror. “This is a film of very instant cruelty and savagery” she said. His work will also have a disturbing response to the news of a time when the former Yugoslavia was ravaged by war, whose cameras revealed the scale of the massacre around the world.

Take advantage of special media coverage, Queen Margo Received at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1994, at the same time as it was shown all over France. If the film left the Jury Prize and Best Actress award for Virna Lee and would later be crowned with five Cesars, including Best Actress for Isabel Ajani, some have already criticized her for her excessive length, then 2:39, her confusion, and above all, her violence Which caused more than one inconvenience.

At the same time, the film was initially regarded as an export product for the American market. Possibly in anticipation of a mixed acceptance, the then-American distributor Miramax decided to reduce the edit to 2:23 with the agreement of Patrice Chero. This version was also shown in France (actually lasted 2h18, the frame rate was not the same in France) and was a huge success, with over 2 million admissions.

If there is a longer version of the movie at 162 minutes, and even a 174 minute version designed for German-speaking viewers, the version available on Netflix is ​​consistent with the 152-minute edit that was released in 2008 when the movie was released on DVD. With us and approved by the Director.

Daniel Thompson referred to the serials Borgias, Tudors, Game of Thrones as many examples of the film’s descendants, with their aesthetic approaches, violence and realism of the world. I could not have given a better compliment than this Queen Margo, Erected by a fabulous actor, in the middle of which especially stands out the brilliant Jean-Hughes Angle in the guise of King Charles IX, who might find his best role here, and no less brilliant Pascal Gregor as Prince Henry, the future King Henry. III who is killed by a fanatical monk.