Angélique et le roy (1966)
Directed by Bernard Borderie

Film Review

Angélique et le roy is the third in a series of five films that were adapted from the hugely popular stories of Anne and Serge Golon. In this installment, the divine Angélique finds herself torn between her duty to the King of France (whom she must serve to safeguard the future of her children - being a single mum was no fun in the 1600s) and her first husband, whom she instinctively knows is still alive, in spite of reports that he was executed. Strong performances make up for the surfeit of sentimentality that appears to have been laid on not so much with a trowel as with a defective concrete mixer. Once again, Michèle Mercier is stunning as the titular Angélique, the role that brought her enduring fame around the world, and the presence of Sami Frey (impressive as the Persian Ambassador) adds greatly to the film's lustre.

French cinema has always excelled with its period productions and Angélique et le roy is no exception. The sumptuous sets and ornate costumes fill the screen and make this appear as lavish as any comparable Hollywood blockbuster of this era. There are also some well-staged action scenes, such as you would expect in a French swashbuckler of the 1960s. The series' unique blend of court intrigue, gruesome double dealings and mild eroticism was a winning formula at the time but now it seems like a curious mix and you wonder who exactly the film was aimed at - adolescents struggling with a severe hormonal imbalance or dedicated disciples of the Marquis de Sade.

Film Synopsis

The war in Flanders claims the life of Philippe de Plessis-Bellières.  When Angélique learns of her husband's death she immediately makes the decision to retire from court life and devote herself to her children.  She is too valuable to Louis XIV for her retirement to be permanent, however.  She is still mourning the loss of her second husband when the king summons her to Versailles for a vital errand.  Only she has what it takes to persuade the Persian ambassador to sign a treaty with France instead of Russia.  Her reward for accepting this delicate mission will be to have restored to her the estates of her first husband Joffrey de Peyrac, who was executed for sorcery.  Reluctantly, Angélique agrees to go along with what will be her most dangerous mission yet...