Ridicule
Ridicule is a 1996 French period drama film directed by Patrice Leconte and starring Charles Berling, Jean Rochefort, Fanny Ardant and Judith Godrèche. Set in the 18th century at the decadent court of Versailles, where social status can rise and fall based on one's ability to mete out witty insults and avoid ridicule oneself, the film's plot examines the social injustices of late 18th-century France, in showing the corruption and callousness of the aristocrats.
Plot
In the Dombes, a swampy region north of Lyon, Baron Grégoire Ponceludon de Malavoy is a minor aristocrat and engineer. He is one of the few aristocrats who care about the plight of the peasants. Horrified by the sickness and death caused by the mosquitoes that infest the swamps, he hopes to drain them; he goes to Versailles in the hope of obtaining the backing of King Louis XVI. Just before reaching Versailles, Ponceludon is robbed and beaten. He is found by the Marquis de Bellegarde, a minor noble and physician. As Ponceludon recuperates at the marquis' house, Bellegarde takes him under his wing, teaching him about wit (l'esprit), the primary way to make one's way at court. At first, Ponceludon's provincial background makes him a target at parties and gatherings, even though he proves himself a formidable adversary in verbal sparring.
Cast
- Albert Delpy
- Antonin Lebas-Joly
- Bernard Dhéran
- Bernard Giraudeau
- Carlo Brandt
- Charles Berling
- Fabrice Eberhard
- Fanny Ardant
- Jacques Mathou
- Jacques Roman
- Jean Rochefort
- Judith Godrèche
- Laurent Valo
- Lucien Pascal
- Marie Pillet
- Maurice Chevit
- Mirabelle Kirkland
- Philippe du Janerand
- Philippe Magnan
- Urbain Cancelier
More details
| author | Rémi Waterhouse |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | France |
| director | Patrice Leconte |
| genre | drama historical social |
| keywords | abbé de l\'épée after show antipode break cheat cry dinner party diving suit dombes drink engagement contract engineer french revolution gather horrify how to kill king louis xvi louis xvi make up meet poor man sign language teach the king voltaire |
| musicBy | Antoine Duhamel |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film |
| producer | Frédéric Brillion Gilles Legrand Philippe Carcassonne Ranvijay Patwardhan |
| publisher | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment UniFrance |
| theme | dance |