Chevalier

I am so disappointed. 1. I love the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. 2. His life story is fascinating 3. It's a shame we don't learn about him like we do his friend and contemporary Motzart, who was slightly less famous in their lifetime (this erasure of his history was systematic by Napoleon, who wanted to re-engage France in the slave trade). 4. Stephanie Robinson, the writer, kills on 'Atlanta' and 'What we do in the Shadows.' So I was excited about this! And it failed.

Just historically inaccurate, which made it less exciting and interesting. His relationships with every historical character in the movie, including his parents, were totally false. His relationship with the French Revolution was inaccurate.

I don't understand why you'd lie to make a story worse. His actual life story is so captivating. Skip the movie, put on the Chevalier de Saint-Georges' Spotify, and read his Wikipedia page instead.

Imagine a prime time soap opera with 18th Century French period piece trappings, and you've pretty much got the gist of this fact-based (and loosely so, I understand), underwhelming offering from filmmaker Stephen Williams, a director best known for his acclaimed cable TV series work (which is probably why this release feels so much more like a television piece than a movie). The picture presents the biography of Joseph Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, an acclaimed multiracial violinist and composer who rose through the social ranks to attain a celebrated place in the court of Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) in pre-revolutionary France. But, rather than focusing on Bologne's accomplishments (many of which have been lost over time but are allegedly traceable), the film instead tells the scandalous (for the time) tale of a failed interracial romance and its fallout, a story that deeply affected him personally and changed the artist into an advocate for society's downtrodden (noble ambitions that, regrettably, receive short shrift in the film). While all of this should provide the makings of a captivating watch, much of it falls dreadfully flat - a collection of pretty images populated with arrogant, elegant aristocrats casting knowing glances and wry smiles but not providing significant fodder for viewer engagement. Such blandness even spills over into the performances, like that of protagonist Harrison, an actor whose work I generally admire but who comes across here to be about as interesting as a bowl of lukewarm porridge. To me, it seems like so much more could have been done with this story, but what comes from it here is stunningly uninteresting and uninvolving, a disappointment given that Bologne deserves better than this.

When I first saw the commercial, I was intrigued to watch this movie. One of my friend won a preview today at 7:30p, which was pretty packed with folks. The movie is quite good, made me teary and there were moments which really made one admire how it must have been for a talented young man who lived during such difficult times. Though I am glad I managed a sneak preview, I would definitely suggest buying a ticket, sitting back and listening to the lovely music played. While I do enjoy some classical music, learning of Joseph's life and his musical talent needs to have more focus on it and hopefully this movie can help bring that to light.

A fantastic life story, and great piece of history, that is relevant today, presented with impressive music, in nice sets (except CGI) and pleasant costumes. Should be great.

Yet a childish story and similarly childish storytelling, and the overwhelming abundance of barnstorming scenes removes this film from the realm of cinematic art. Uneven acting does not help and the anachronistic dialog (and make up) adds to the feeling of a B movie or propaganda piece, especially that what was meant to be character development is decisively cartoonish.

I am not sure what else to say to hit six hundred. I was not bored and neither I resent that we watched this movie but am not thinking back to it with appreciation.

I was really looking forward to this, and after it starts with some compelling duelling violins between the eponymous "Joseph" (Kelvin Harrison Jnr.) and none other than the great Mozart himself (Joseph Prowen) that features some magical musical improvisations, I thought I was in for a treat. Sadly, though, t'was not to be. Essentially this is a rather plodding melodrama that could quite easily have been at the more musical end of an episode of "Versailles". Born, illegitimately, to the owner of a plantation and one of his indentured slaves, "Joseph" shows a considerable talent that his father is keen to see developed. He relocates the boy from Guadeloupe to Paris where he must learn - on his own - to thrive. To be excellent. He does, he even befriends Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) and is to be considered for the job of musical director at the Opera de Paris. He has a competitor, though, and the Queen decides that a tournament is the order of the day. "Joseph" recruits the mellifluously talented marquise "Marie-Josephine" (the really quite sterile Samara Weaving) to sing in his new opera but her menacing marquis husband (Martin Csokas) is having none of that and pretty soon young "Joseph" is facing disgrace, humiliation and with losing his popularity at court. Gradually, now, he is drawn into the revolutionary world of his friend "Philippe" (Alex Fitzalan) with quite a denouement looming! The film looks great and when there is music, that is also rousing and distinguished. It's just the story and, for the most part, the acting. It's all just a bit weak. There's way too much dialogue and romantic shenanigans that we know are dangerous, reckless even, but they only manage to clog up the potency of this story of lust, bigotry, politics and power. I enjoyed it, but I suppose I expected - certainly wanted - something a little more like "Amadeus" (1984).