A sprawling but austere movie, easy to admire, much less so to enjoy .
Based on historical events ,during the reign of the Sun King ,it depicts the attacks of the duke of Savoie against the Dauphiné and the consequences of the revokation of the edict of Nantes which granted freedom of religion for the Protestants : many of these "Huguenots" left France for Canada, or other European countries, notably Switzerland .Among those who remained in their native land ,some became the "little prophets" preaching repentance ,and predicting disasters .
Our story begins when the marchioness of la Charce (Marie -Christine Barrault) sees her lands threatened by the invasions of the Savoyards ; an authoritarian woman, she's got her daughter ,Mademoiselle de la Charce under her thumb .When an injured young man takes refuge in their castle ,he becomes the young woman's protégé , although the catholic priest warns them against these " little prophets" who announce disasters for the kingdom of France ,as well as the end of aristocracy (it would take another century).
One day ,some Italian musicians come to the castle to entertain the marchioness and her daughter ; but one of the musicians is a woman dressed up as a man ;for the mother ,it's a sacrilege ,but for the daughter ,it could be a way to defend the marquisate against the invasions.
So ,dressed up as a man ,she urges the peasants to strike back : many plunderers will invade their land in the wake of the duke of Savoie 's war against the Sun King ; being commoners ,they are not allowed to carry a sword ,they are not even allowed to hunt (the Lord's privilege till the French Revolution)What can their scythes, their axes ,their knives against them?
Very slow-moving , and in spite of sometimes admirable pictures,well-chosen music and the presence of seasoned actress Barrault , the movie remains very cold and even the scenes between the little prophet and the heroine fail to move us ;and what's the point of using slow motion for the fight sequences ?
Lionel Baillemont (he has made three films to date)still lacks the focus to develop his ideas (or select well among them)he appears as a minor director, albeit perhaps one with major potential in a field which has rarely been exploited in the French cinema (the non-spectacular non-storylike historical cinema ,in the tradition of René Allio ("les camisards" ;"moi,Pierre Rivière.....)
