L’Assassinat du duc de Guise (1908) - film review
André Calmettes, Charles Le Bargy
Drama / History

Summary
An episode in the de Guise family struggle to seize power in 1563. Henri I of Lorraine,
the Duc de Guise, rival to King Henri III of Navarre, is stabbed to death by the king’s
bodyguards in the Château de Blois, to the distress of his mistress, the Marquise
of Noirmoutiers...
Review
L’Assassinat du duc de Guise is a film of immense historic importance. One
of the first films to use the narrative form, it proved to be an immense international
success for its production company, Film d’Art, and, by dint of its popularity, helped
to propel cinema from its early pioneering endeavours into a respectable and commercially
viable industry.
The film was based on a stage play and is perhaps the earliest period drama (at least of the kind we would recognise as such today). It is certainly one of the earliest films to show character development and have an intellectually satisfying plot.
The film’s success was at least in part attributable to the quality of the script (written by the academic Henri Lavedan) and the acting. Unusually for its time, the film employed professional actors, including Charles Le Bargy and Gabrielle Robinne of the prestigious Comédie française. The photography and set design are also impressive for the period, as is the music by Camille Saint-Saëns, which was written especially for the film (reputedly the first narrative film in history to have this honour).
© James Travers 2002
Write a review for this film...
The film was based on a stage play and is perhaps the earliest period drama (at least of the kind we would recognise as such today). It is certainly one of the earliest films to show character development and have an intellectually satisfying plot.
The film’s success was at least in part attributable to the quality of the script (written by the academic Henri Lavedan) and the acting. Unusually for its time, the film employed professional actors, including Charles Le Bargy and Gabrielle Robinne of the prestigious Comédie française. The photography and set design are also impressive for the period, as is the music by Camille Saint-Saëns, which was written especially for the film (reputedly the first narrative film in history to have this honour).
© James Travers 2002
Write a review for this film...
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Related links
- Other French films of the 1900s
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Credits
- Director: André Calmettes, Charles Le Bargy
- Script: Henri Lavedan
- Music: Camille Saint-Saëns
- Cast: Charles Le Bargy (Henri III), Albert Lambert (Le duc de Guise), Gabrielle Robinne (Marquise de Noirmoutier, maîtresse du duc), Berthe Bovy (Le page), Jean Angelo, Albert Dieudonné, Huguette Duflos, Raphaël Duflos, Charles Lorrain, Rolla Norman
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Runtime: 15 min; B&W; silent
- Aka: The Assassination of the Duke de Guise
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