Malformed original story with absolutly tragic acting performances. C-grade soup opera. Cant compare with original movie in any way.

Was 2013 a bad year to launch the new re-imagined version of Book 1? I am superstitious and I'm not a fan of the number 13 but can it really have impacted so negatively? Seemingly the film was only a success in Germany - it might have succeeded in the UK but it was never shown here; not even to a limited audience, or if it was, then it was a very limited audience indeed!Despite the fact that the storyline has been re-imagined, I found that there was an awful lot to like about this film and very little to dislike and most of that, only cosmetic as I'm a bit picky about visual stimuli. As a purist in terms of reading the books I should be jumping up and down and stomping my foot at the deviations from the original - but, for a film which has to traverse through a storyline in around 120 minutes, the deviations complimented the storyline.No doubt much of this was due to the 'guardian' of the scripting - Anne Golon's daughter Nadine who was credited as a co-script editor. Anne herself pronounced that she was happy with the cast and the film, so if she is happy, why isn't the rest of the world? The rest of the world that is in a position to see the film that is. And, even if you are able to see the film (the DVD is available) you will need to know French to follow the storyline - once again a version has been released (like the 1960s films) in French only and in this case with sub-titles, but only in French for the hard of hearing. Where is their marketing department? The world is waiting for the new Angélique, but apparently she is not waiting for the world. Here is a resumé of the review I posted on Facebook:"I'm delighted to tell you, that I have just had a fabulous finish to my birthday week! It started with the canonisation of two Popes and ended with watching the new Angélique film. Anything I write from here on in are my own thoughts and observations influenced by no-one. First of all I found that there was an awful lot to like about this film and very little to dislike. Being a purist, I found some of the deviations from the book not to my taste, however I will say that as I have not read the entire series in French, it is possible that the English and Polish translations have a slightly different slant and that the films deviations are appropriate to the original. On the other hand, some of the innovations were very cleverly thought out to keep the film running smoothly. The use, at first, of misty b&w for flashbacks helps to keep the action moving forward quickly. The twist right at the start is very clever, but it took me a while to appreciate it! The dialogue and body language of Angélique and Joffrey as equals from the start helped me never to notice the real age difference between Nora and Gerard it worked so well! The scenes at Joffrey's mines are truly innovative and worth the investment of time the action takes place there even though this is an area where liberties really have been taken with the storyline! So, as I've made a critical observations, there are four things I take issue with - Phillipe as a hero, two exterior shots looking as if they were straight out of a computer game, the lack of attention to Joffrey's coiffured head of which Anne Golon gives such a detailed description at all times and Angélique's wedding attire. Back to the good bits, the music is fabulous, the introduction and minimal use of the original theme in one section only is welcome and appropriate, the costumes and interior locations are perfect and it is apparent much research was employed to achieve this. This really is an homage to Anne Golon. Credits acknowledge and attribute the basis of the film to Anne and Serge and Nadia is credited as co-writer of the screenplay. Bonus features include the interview with Anne Golon and a real bonus at the completion of the film states that this is the 'end of part one.' Roll on part 2! What I like about the conclusion of this film is that it has the exact tone of the end of Victoire d'Angélique where the focus is purely on Angélique herself. This film and tone of the film, the death of Joffrey is particularly dark and evisceral, is nothing like the films made in 60s and that in itself was the biggest and most welcome surprise of all."

As a very big fan of the great historical novels by Anne and Serge Golon,I was expecting much from a remake .Anne Golon herself told that it was the movie she had been waiting for since the sixties.One thing for sure ,the sixties movies did not do the novels justice .But they had a decent screenplay ,two excellent actors (Robert Hossein and Jean Rochefort ) a gorgeous actress ,a superb score by Michel Magne -which is used for the king's arrival in Zeitoun's film .The critics did not speak highly of Borderie's works,but the mainstream audience loved it and today it is screened at least once a year on TV (or satellite TV).What can a Golon buff say when confronted with artistic disaster?Issue a warning and try to accentuate the positive? Yes ,they reveal (like in the book) why Joffrey became crippled and disfigured ;yes,the love scene is hotter than in the previous version ;yes ,Joffrey 's scientist side is not passed over in silence ;yes , the dog named Sorbonne plays his game well;yes, introducing Monsieur De La Reynie alongside Desgrez is a good thing for both were historical figures notably in the poisons affair and the ending of Cour Des Miracles (area of Paris famous for its disreputable population)But ,no ,it's not the Angelique the novels' reader was waiting for,definitely not.I would go as far as to write that Borderie's rendition was better ,if no masterpiece by a long shot,and much more faithful to the books.Like in the first version,the beginning of the book is botched :for instance , we hardly know Angélique's childhood friend Nicolas :unlike Giuliano Gemma ,Matthieu Kassovitz -who could have been his character's father-has only a very short scene in the flashback and his reappearance as Calembredaine may have puzzled people not familiar with the story.Plenty of scenes were invented from start to finish by talentless writers including the director: Angélique leaving her husband's castle, the explosion,the visit in Joffrey's dungeon in La Bastille,all that concerns Philippe's father;and the king and his court visiting the quarry,it has to be seen to be believed.One of the major characters ,the fanatic monk called Becher ,is reduced to a walk on ;the king is insignificant (and it is the future Sun King),and the actor cannot hold a candle to Comedien Français Jacques Toja ;the screenplay is a muddled affair ,the plot against the king is undecipherable and most of all we forget the very reason for which Joffrey is persecuted: treated with suspicion by the Church ,convicted of sorcery ,of trying to be a law unto itself by the king who finds it hard one of his subjects should be wealthier than he -Golon was inspired by Fouquet's fate- ,and a king who covets Angelique too ,it's obvious when she comes to implore his help (a scene replaced here by a meeting with the Prince of Condé ,which is absurd,considering what Angélique is supposed to know about him.)And as the movie knows only one tempo,accelerated,I dare someone who does not know the story to catch up with the plot.The trial,which was perhaps the climax of the novel,and was relatively well directed in the first version ,is a disaster here ;like in the 1964 version,elements are borrowed from the second volume:Angelique does take refuge in the Cour Des Miracles; to be fair ,let's mention that the failed attempt to save Joffrey from the stake-itself invented by the sixties screenwriters- is ruled out and that Calembredaine's final words ring truer than the romantic ones of the sixties.One will notice that the part of Philippe Du Plessis-Bellière has been fleshed out ,not for the best;his Relationship with Angélique was ambiguous:he despised her (a peasant girl!),and never came to her rescue ,never in a month of Sundays ;his role in the first volume is minor,compared to the prominent part he plays in the second and third volumes.Besides ,Tomer Sisley has no screen presence."Fin De La Premiere Partie ",we read ,before the final cast and credits:but will there be a part 2? Given the disastrous box-office and the unanimous thumbs down it got from the critics,it is highly dubious.I have always thought that,considering the length of the Angelique saga,only miniseries could do the (I say it again) absorbing novels justice .I know a lot of people will disagree....But let them read the books first!

I have recently watched the movie "Angélique" by Ariel Zeitoun and must say that I liked it very, very much, more than I expected. Admittedly, the plot differed much from the book and for fans of Anne Golon, who expect a rendition true to the novel this might be a somewhat irritating aspect. If my opinion on this thing is concerned, I think that films are always adaptations and works of their own. But that's up to everybody's personal preferences, of course. Coming to the quality of the original script, I can't say here anything, because I have watched the film in a translated version.The main strength of this production and people, who carry it on their shoulders, are the two magnificent main actors: Nora Arnezeder as Angélique and Gerard Lanvin as her husband Joffrey de Peyrac.To me Nora Arnezeder was the ideal choice for Angélique, she not only acted very naturally in this complex role and showed the character just like she was in the books by Anne Golon, as a strong, intelligent and independent young woman, but also looked exactly like I pictured Angélique when I read the books and had her aristocratic and fresh beauty. Coming to Gerard Lanvin, I had, before watching the film, my doubts concerning his age (in the book Angélique is 17 and Joffrey 29 years old, whereas in the new movie Angélique's age remains unchanged, but Joffrey is forty years older than her), but from the moment I saw his performance my doubts completely disappeared. For he played the character with great sensitivity, charm and charisma and made Joffrey de Peyrac a true grand seigneur that this personage was in the novel.Strangely enough, the big age difference between Angélique and Joffrey wasn't palpable at all and their love story very credible. I was indeed very surprised by this, for I thought that an age difference that big would be impossible to bridge, but Nora Arnezeder and Gerard Lanvin have done the impossible.Furthermore, there are in particular two very moving scenes, among quite many of that kind, where Nora Arnezeder and Gerard Lanvin reach the height of acting skill: the scene where Joffrey is arrested and says goodbye to Angélique and the scene, in which Angélique visits Joffrey in the Bastille. These moments brought tears to my eyes and I have never experienced that before when watching a movie!Also worth mentioning is the beautiful scene where Angélique and Joffrey make love for the first time. It was very sensual, but also full of tenderness and the viewer could feel the budding love between Angélique and Joffrey. Kudos to the director of photography, Peter Zeitlinger, to whom I will come later, who filmed that scene aesthetically and in good taste.The nature of the relationship between Angélique and Joffrey progresses however differently than in the book, i.e. Angélique realizes only much later what her husband really means to her.Coming to the visual side of the film, what is especially noteworthy to me is the fantastic photography by Peter Zeitlinger, shot almost entirely with the use of natural light!The realistic sets, decorated with much dedication and attention to detail, and the costumes, in case of which the designers, Edith Vesperini and Stéphane Rollot, worked with great care in regard to every single item of clothing, like corsets, stockings and chemises, caused that I felt like transplanted into the 17th century.In my praise I would like mention the enchanting music by Nathaniel Méchaly, which added much to the atmosphere of the production and to which I could listen with great pleasure, even with no picture, only with headphones on. To sum things up, I think that "Angélique" is a beautiful, engaging and immensely romantic rendition of the "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale motive. I'm holding fingers crossed for next parts of and keep waiting for them impatiently!Update from the end of December: The movie was very well received by the critics as well as the audience in German-speaking countries and in Poland, where the DVD was such a success that within four months from its appearance in the stores it was sold out. Therefore I very much hope that funds of the producers will be sufficient to film a sequel e.g. "Angélique and the King". PS.: English-speaking viewers can buy this movie with English subtitles on Amazon.ca for CDN$ 20.00 or on Amazon.com for $28.99.