Merveilleuse Angélique (1965) - film review

After her husband, Joffrey de Peyrac, has been executed for sorcery under the orders of Louis XIV, Angélique seeks refuge amongst the beggars of Paris.  She is determined to recover her children and her position, but she has many enemies.  Her worst enemy is the king’s disreputable brother. Fortunately, Angélique also has admirers who are prepared to risk everything for her.  Amongst these are a childhood friend, Nicholas, whom she meets amongst the poor people of Paris, and a poet, Claude Le Petit, whose writings scandalise the royal court.

The second instalment in the series of five Angélique films directed by Bernard Borderie and starring Michèle Mercier is a creditable  successor to the first.  Its blend of historic realism, eroticism and sentimentality is the stuff of trashy seaside paperbacks, but given the production values we expect of French historical drama, the result is largely an entertaining film, packed with adventure and romance.  This film was made at the same time as the first film, Angélique, marquise des anges , ensuring a satisfying continuity between the two films.

© James Travers 2001

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