The Case of Poisons

Perhaps it would help, before seeing "L'Affaire Des Poisons" (1955), to have some knowledge of the real-life events upon which the film is based (although a quick online search reveals that there were a lot more people involved in the scandal than this movie implies); I had no such knowledge, and as such, I had no idea what was going on until well over an hour into the film, and thought about cutting it off several times. Henri Decoin, a specialist of contemporary film noirs, seems completely out of his element in this deadening, confusing period piece. The sets and costumes look good, but that's a very small compensation. 0.5 out of 4 stars.

Behind the grandeur of the reign of Louis 1Vth which gave us the operas of Lully and the plays of Racine there were evidently dark and sinister forces at work. The notorious scandal known as 'L'Affaire des Poisons' of 1677-1682 which involved murder, witchcraft and black magic, threatened to engulf even the inner circles of the Royal court, resulting in the execution of 37 and the exile/imprisonment of hundreds. Henri Decoin's film has condensed the timeframes here and focuses on one particular episode. It concerns the alleged poisoning by the King's maitresse-en-titre Madame de Montespan of the younger Madame de Fontanges who has supplanted her in the King's favours. She accomplishes this with the help of a witch named Catherine Monvoisin who takes part in black masses involving infant sacrifice. As an historical document it is full of holes. Many of the confessions which form the basis of this film were obtained under torture and cannot be relied upon. Montespan was never directly implicated although the scandal itself did mark the beginning of the end of her influence over the King. Madame de Fontanges is now thought to have died of 'natural causes'. This does not make the film any less entertaining of course. Thanks to the dark-hued cinematography of Pierre Montazel and the menacing score by Rene Cloerec the whole film is suffused with the presence of evil and its gruesome subject matter borders on 'horror'. Decoin's former wife Danielle Darrieux is suitably imperious as Montespan but also brings a touch of vulnerability to the role and Paul Meurisse is riveting as a satanic priest. The film really belongs to Viviane Romance as Monvoisin. It puts one in mind of her earlier performance as the villainous Jeanne de la Motte in L'Herbier's film about another Royal scandal, 'L'Affaire du collier de la Reine' which was made during Mlle Romance's best decade, the 1940's. Mention must also be made of Anne Vernon who is excellent as an unfortunate lady-in-waiting falsely accused of being an accomplice to murder. A weak link however is the reduction of Louis himself to nothing more than a couple of brief, non-speaking appearances by an unknown actor utterly devoid of the majesty depicted in contemporary portraits of the 'Sun King'. French film makers have traditionally excelled in period costume drama and this one, although slowly paced, holds ones attention. It certainly does not dispel the age-old belief that 'poison is the woman's weapon'!

"l'Affaire Des Poisons" was directed by Henri Decoin, who directed a few classics od French Film Noir ("La Fille Du Diable", "Non Coupable", "Entre Onze Heures Et Minuit", "Razzia Sur La Chnouf" and very less known but a true masterpiece, "Maléfices" from Boileau and Narcejac). "L'Affaire des Poisons" can be included in Decoin's Noir filmography, the story of Madame de Montespan being quite strong. Danielle Darrieux is perfect as Madame de Montespan, cultivated and playful, so are Viviane Romance and Paul Meurisse as the two sinister "baddies" selling poisons and black masses. The settings are sometimes poor but the Gothic coloured photography (very rare in french cinema at that time) show some dramatic night scenes, which make me think of Hammer fantastic movies.

Before the cast and credits ,a warning appears on the screen,insisting that the movie was made from M. De La Reynie 's archives,and another "cultural" insert comes back at the end of the movie.

History is given a rough ride though:in the movie,Mademoiselle de Fontanges is poisoned by Madame de Montespan.But now,let's see what a modern historian,Mrs Simone Bertière ,writes in her recent book"les femmes du roi soleil":the autopsy proved that the unfortunate Angélique did not need any poison to go to her grave :she had TB!Then to sweeten the screenplay,Madame de Montespan is asked to leave the court after the affair;this is untrue:although in disgrace ,she lived in Versailles for more than ten years afterward.The king could not chase her out of

his court:he would have admitted she was guilty.Opinions differ about Madame de Montespan's culpability:historian Simone Bertière does not rule out the fact that the marquise was fond of magic potions and fortune-tellers ,but she does not think she might have taken part in one of those carnivalesque black masses.

Henri Decoin 's metier was film noir.And the poisons affair was tailor made for him:it's really a film noir in costume.He gathered a perfect cast:his favorite actress,Danielle Darrieux,as Montespan,Vivianne Romance ,who played bitch parts in Duvivier's works (panique,la belle équipe),as La Voisin,Paul Meurisse (who had just made Clouzot's "les diaboliques:it was an extraordinary choice),Anne Vernon as La Desoeillets,LA Montespan's tool.He created a misty demonic atmosphere,using skillful lights.Oddly ,King Louis XIV is only a figure. Shot in color,at a time when only a few French movies were,it has a passé charm,that of yellowed photos.