Let Joy Reign Supreme (Que la Fete Commence)

I have to confess it took a long time for me to be sure that I had seen this film before. I was vetting it for an “Ancient Regimes” film series I’m proposing to tie in with the Clark’s Fall exhibition on Fragonard. In that regard, it’s probably too early in period as well as too risque, though I wouldn’t rule it out. Bertrand Tavernier’s second film may be characterized as a tragi-farce about the Regent of France in 1719, reigning between Louises XIV and XV. It’s certainly staged as a comic pageant, set more in bordellos than at court, though it ends with royal rot and revolutionary flame, and comes across as politically and historically engaged. Philippe Noiret is superb as Philippe of Orleans, especially in banter and byplay with Jean Rochefort as the Abbe Dubois, the Regent’s oldest friend and closest advisor. Though stagey, the historical feel is real. Though funny, the film’s pain has impact. (1975, dvd, r.) *7-*