This French drama was shown recently on an international cable channel. We had not seen the film, as it appears it did not get an audience in this country, disappearing quickly from theaters. This project owes a lot to its creator Vera Belmont, who obviously identified herself with the period in which the action takes place, France in the last days of King Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King. The production takes advantage of the locales in which the story is supposed to have occurred.

We are presented with an ambitious young woman, Marquise, who is made to be a prostitute by her own father! Moliere and his wandering troupe discovers the beautiful woman, who catches the eye of the actor playing the buffoon roles, Gros-Rene, who goes on to marry her. Marquise had a talent for dance and the theater, but judging by her shaky star, no one would have predicted she would become the great interpreter of texts by Racine and Moliere and along the way attracted the attention of King Louis, an admirer.

This film was obviously a vehicle for Sophie Marceau. Not being a fan of this actress, we approached "Marquise" with a degree of apprehension but we should not have been. An inspired Sophie Marceau gives life to the production in unexpected ways. She is surrounded by some French heavy hitters. Bernard Giraudeau, Thierry Lhermitte, Lambert Wilson, and his father, Georges, Anemone, and a controlled Patrick Timsit, who does not go overboard with his Gros-Rene.

Jean-Marie Dreujou catches the beauty of Versailles in all its splendor, as well as the other locales. The music of Jean-Baptiste Lully is interpreted by Jordi Savall, the Spanish genius who has a tremendous affinity for the music of that period of history and who proved himself worthy of the praise with the work of another composer, Martin Marais, with his contribution in "Tous les matins du monde". Credit must go to the magnificent costumes created for the movie. The art direction is by Gianni Quaranta.

Sophie Marceau, in her two previous outings in period costume--Chouans! and La fille de d'Artagnan--showed us how well she could play historical subjects. Marquise died young, only 35, but had enough time to vault to the top of the theatrical profession. She was the lover of both Moliere and Racine, to whom she bore a son. The film moves along at a brisk pace with so much material to cover, and Bernard Giraudeau as Moliere, and Lambert Wilson as Racine give Marceau solid support. Patrick Timsit as Gros-Rene has the most inventive death scene I can remember, it's fabulous.

The film is a very good story I like the cast, principally Bernard Giraudeau, Patrick Timsit, Thierry Lhermitte and the muse Sophie Marceau who in that time was the most beautiful actress of the cinema of all universe!! It is my opinion about her. Sophie shines in all takes, every angle and in each glance. She gets reach her apex when she is dancing... Marceau is the star of the movie but the writers are good, they were precise with the scenery, wrote interesting dialogs and could figure on a good cast. Direction well-made by Vera Belmont. I just thing about the end of the film was not so good, they would get more tension in the last scene, my impression it was made on the run...But anyway, I like very much this film!