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starring: Charles Berling, Jean Rochefort, Fanny Ardant, Judith Godrèche, Bernard Giraudeaudirected by: Patrice Leconte
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780788808333
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, HiFi Sound, Subtitled, NTSC
ISBN: 0788808338
Label: Walt Disney Video
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Walt Disney Video
Release Date: August 25, 1998
Running Time: 102 minutes
Sales Rank: 19454
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Theatrical Release Date: November 22, 1996
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Editorial Review:
Description:
Nominated for an Academy Award(R) (Best Foreign Language Film, 1996) and honored by critics as one of the year's 10 best motion pictures, RIDICULE is an exceptionally entertaining tale of passion and deceit! In a desperate quest to save his hometown, a young man quickly learns that a sharp wit is the key to open any door in the Versailles court of Louis XVI! But his mission is complicated when he finds himself locked in a dangerous triangle with two very seductive ladies: a sophisticated older woman who can help him ... and an innocent young beauty with nothing to offer but her love! Wickedly funny humor and outstanding performances highlight this must-see triumph!
Amazon.com:
In Patrice Leconte's cool, precise moral comedy Ridicule, the corrupt, sycophantic court of King Louis XVI is invaded by a provincial nobleman, Ponceludon de Malavoy (Charles Berling), who with the help of his own sharp tongue, the coaching of the retired courtier Marquis de Bellegarde (Jean Rochefort), and the love of the Marquis's beautiful, nature-loving daughter (Judith Godrèche) hopes to win funds for his project to drain the fever-infested swamps of his homeland. But first he has to get by the cunning, sexually manipulative Madame de Blayac (Fanny Ardant, imperious and superb) and her waspish, priestly ally, the Abbot de Vilecourt (Bernard Giraudeau).
As shaped by screenwriter Rémi Waterhouse, Ridicule is a kind of dashing verbal swashbuckler in which duels aren't fought with swords, but with the equally fatal weapon of words--rapier wit in its most literal sense. Laconte directs with an appealing elegance and a scathing sobriety as he unfolds a fable that could just as easily take place in a Wall Street boardroom, a Park Avenue executive suite, or a Hollywood commissary. --Dave Kehr
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - An Addendum to "Off With Their Heads"
H.M. Pyles's review "Off With Their Heads" is probably a more cogent plot synopsis than I would make time to write here, so I will forego the synopsis and refer the reader to his review for that. But I wanted to add a few comments about this film, which is a true favorite of mine... While not averse to foreign language films, I don't watch too many of them, probably for the reasons most movie-goers in America forego them: I want to watch rather than read when an actor is performing, and I know I'm ... Read More
Rating: - He Who Laughs Last
I just got done watching a delightful movie by the name of "Ridicule". By categorization, this would come under the category of a "costume drama/comedy" and it's pre-revolution setting was a key element to the movie's impact. However, the fancy sets and costumes were not just an excuse to make a movie; the counts and countess's served to display a world of benign ignorance of the world around them (as only the 16th Century French nobility could).
The movie follows a well-meaning lesser ... Read More
Rating:  - "Wit opens any door."
Sometimes with movie distribution, as with humour, timing is everything. Patrice Leconte's Ridicule is a long way from the best work from almost anyone involved, yet still proved a major arthouse success outside France, picking up Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Film, winning a BAFTA as well as a nomination for the Palme D'Or at Cannes and winning four Cesars, including Best Film and Best Director, as well as another eight nominations in France itself. All of which leaves you with the ... Read More
Rating:  - Excellent
I've watched quite a few french foreign films, and I have to say that this is one of the best quality I've seen. It's a bit stark at times, but hey, that's the french for you. The characters are well developed. The costumes are very realistic. It's not the greatest movie ever, but it will make you laugh, and keep you interested.
Rating: - Hollywood doesn't make them like this!
This movie excels! Production values, writing, razor sharp wit and period authenticity. Too bad Hollywood can't make them like this without dumbing everything down. If you love foreign movies or even just good movies, you wil love this one.
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