Summary
In 18th century France, the great philosopher and libertine Denis Diderot toils on his
Encyclopaedia in a country house belonging to Baron Holbach. Diderot’s radical ideas
have made him the enemy of the establishment – particularly the Church – who will stop
at nothing to destroy the man and his lifelong work to enlighten mankind. Whilst
struggling for a definition of the word “morality”, the philosopher allows an attractive
woman artist, Madame Therbouche, to paint his portrait – in the nude. Meanwhile,
the Holbachs receive an unwelcome visit from their cousin, a fire-breathing cardinal who
is quite unprepared for the spectacle of debauchery and licentiousness he is about to
witness…
Review
Le Libertin is a daring attempt to combine the lavish historical drama (for which
French cinema is particularly renowned) with bawdy farce – a film which would almost certainly
have ended up with the title “Carry On Diderot” if it had been made in England.
Whilst the film is, overall, entertaining and includes some hilarious set pieces (the
‘pig organ’ being perhaps the best and sickest example), not all of the jokes work and
there is a sense that too much is being crammed into too small a space – rather like Baroness
Holbach’s endless, anachronistic binging on chocolate, caviar and popcorn.
The film was directed by Gabriel Aghion, who
won both fame and notoriety with Pédale douce, a comedy which, as in his
subsequent films, made light of matters sexual. For Le Libertin, Aghion’s
most extravagant film to date, the director was inspired by a stage play by Eric-Emmanuel
Schmitt, who agreed to adapt his play for the film. With big names such as
Vincent Pérez, Fanny Ardant and Josiane Balasko heading a star-studded cast, the
film should have been a run-away success. Unfortunately – despite some great comic
performances (Balasko is deliriously funny in her role), the film did not impress the
critics greatly and it failed to be the huge commercial success its producers were probably
expecting.
© James Travers 2004
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