The French Revolution

In 1789 France is in debt and the king summons the Estates General, not convened for a hundred and seventy-five years, to deal with it. The assembly does not produce the expected result and the process quickly passes out of the king's control. The film has two parts: the first from that summons to 10 August 1792, the day the king lost all authority and was imprisoned; the second from there to the end of the Terror in 1794. Two directors shared the production: Robert Enrico made the first part and Richard T. Heffron the second. The film was prepared for the bicentenary of the Revolution and made on a budget very high for its time. The narrative follows events chronologically and through a great many historical figures. Klaus Maria Brandauer plays Danton, Jean-François Balmer plays Louis XVI, and Jane Seymour plays Marie Antoinette. Who it's for: Viewers who like historical epics, anyone interested in the French Revolution, and period productions. Who it's not for: The total running time is over five and a half hours and there are far too many names. The narrative also proceeds like a textbook and barely enters the characters' inner lives.