Angelique

France in the seventeenth century. Angélique, the daughter of an impoverished noble family, is married to their wealthy neighbour Jeoffrey de Peyrac. The man has a scar on his face, walks with a limp, and is said in the district to be a sorcerer. She does not want the marriage, comes to know him over time and falls in love. Then Peyrac is arrested. The circle around the King does not want him and a case is brought. Angélique goes to Paris to save her husband. Bernard Borderie directs. Michèle Mercier plays Angélique and Robert Hossein plays Peyrac, with Jean Rochefort and Giuliano Gemma in the cast. The source is the series of novels by Anne and Serge Golon. Four more films followed and the series was a large commercial success in Europe. The genre is costume adventure; swordplay, court intrigue, the inquisition and romance run together. Michèle Mercier became identified with the part and never got out from under it. By the conventions of the period the woman at the centre is active: Angélique makes her own decisions and drives the events. Its limit is its manner; the narrative moves fast while the characters stay thin and the historical background is only scenery. Who it is for: viewers who like sixties European costume films and classic adventure. Who it is not for: the script is simple, the period is not realistically drawn, and the film ends dependent on its own sequels.