“Sublimement faux!” (sublimely false) is the phrase a critic uses to describe the voice of Baroness Marguerite Dumont, the titular character of Marguerite with a passion for singing and a desire to share her talent with the world. The issue is that she has no talent, but no one in her life has the guts to tell her. Although the Baroness can’t carry a tune for her life, this film hits all the right notes. Marguerite will at once fascinate you, disturb you, and move you.
Veteran actress Catherine Frot rightfully won a Cesar Award for her performance as Marguerite, to which she brings a complexity of character that expertly elicits the viewer’s sympathy. As absurd as her story may seem, Frot’s Marguerite is always human. The singing baroness’ loneliness can be seen in her eyes. In flashes of honesty and lucidity, it becomes clear that the baroness does to some degree know that she’s being taken advantage of by the people around her. Still, she remains generous and trusting. Marguerite is not completely delusional, but she enters deeper and deeper into her delusion and passion for music as her husband continues to disregard her.
Marguerite feels just as much like a tragedy as it does a comedy. Every laugh it earns is wrought with pity. In fact, it seems that everything and everyone in the film has a certain duality, which plays into its themes of artifice and deception. Madelbos (Dennis Mpunga), Madame Dumont’s butler, is the film’s most interesting character; he serves as an enabler of Marguerite’s fantasies, protecting her from the reality of her voice. He also caters to her vanity by taking dramatic photos of her in old opera costumes, adding another aesthetic layer to the film. The pictures are stunning, but the viewers get a glimpse of a dark obsession which follows his desire to photograph her until her death.
These photographs are only a small portion of what is the most visually striking film I’ve seen so far this year. From the decadence of Dumont’s estate in shades of white, to the gray dust and cigarette smoke of the Parisian streets, to the bright and gaudy ornamentation of the show business, director Xavier Giannoli transports viewers to a post-WWI Paris that is at once hypnotic, toxic, and beautiful. Skillful and extravagant cinematography accentuates the surrealness, artifice, and carefully manicured aesthetic of Marguerite’s life. Especially entrancing are the film’s montages and stunning shots, which are crafted with rich symbolism.
Despite the film’s lengthy two-hour runtime, I felt completely absorbed in the world of Marguerite. It is a film both visually beautiful and emotionally poignant in ways that took me by surprise; and trust me, the ending will blow your mind!
See this film and others at Bow Tie Criterion Cinemas New Haven, 86 Temple St. Call (203) 498-2500 or visit www.BowTieCinemas.com for advance tickets.