How to play Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in a unique way? The task is not so simple. The king and queen of France have been interpreted many times in the cinema. Twenty-six times the first and more than forty times the second, restored Kirsten Dunst, as well as Diane Kruger through Ursula Andress.
With the flood of Gianluca Giodis presented at the Locarno festival last August, Guillaume Canet and Melanie Laurent took advantage of telling a story that few know: the imprisonment of the royal family in the tower of the cathedral before being executed by guillotine in the Place de la Place de la. Concord at intervals of several months.
This historical drama gives a rare glimpse of the last two sovereigns. Louis XVI appears more pathetic and vulnerable than ever, while Marie-Antoinette has never been more demystified than in this film.
“We didn’t even need to see anyone else’s work because the story picks up where everyone else left off.– says Melanie Laurent.Not once is the decor of VersaillesGuillaume Canet continues. There is no court, there are no people around, only them. And we alienate their loved ones and alienate ourselves.“
A A fat suit and prosthetics
Two actors are transformed on the screen. Guillaume Canet carries a A fat suit – a term for a padded suit – and several types of prostheses. “It was very disturbing at firsthe admits. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to move my face enough to express things and that I would be hidden behind this mask..”
Guillaume Canet as Louis XVI in The Flood.
Every morning, the actress had four hours of make-up to get into the skin of Louis XVI. Every evening it took an hour and a half to remove everything. Not to mention the warmth of the many layers of the suit. “We had a costume manager which was very specifically everything to wear– says Melanie Laurent. What we could not see below, we had to put up.”
Endless diapers
In total, the actress wore about ten layers – three nightgowns, a corset, a skirt, a crinoline. A petticoat, another silk skirt and two more layers. But for that Melanie LaurentThe hardest part was keeping the balance with the weight of the wig.
“Marie-Antoinette was very famous for changing many things in the fashion of the timehe explains. He did some crazy wig constructions. He was the one who changed the size of the doors in Versailles because it wouldn’t work otherwise. The wigs were so big that mice could hide in them.”
“On the set, along with the hat and wig, I didn’t forget the corset, I moved my head very quickly to the side. It was really hard, but at the same time so niceMelanie Laurent in detail before adding, with a smile: Period movies, I love them, I haven’t done enough of them.”
Comments collected by Thomas Desroches in Locarno, August 8, 2024.
The Flood, in theaters December 25
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
