Marquis

A live-action fable of the Marquis de Sade (and his talking penis)'s time in the Bastille, in which every character has the head of an animal.

A true one-off, this extraordinary film is as deliriously obsessed with sex as its subject, hilariously explicit in every way and yet never (in my opinion) actually pornographic. The rubber animal faces, though remarkably expressive, cleverly make it impossible to forget what you are watching is only a fairy tale, a procession of symbols clashing in a marching philosophical fiesta.

It makes me wish more films had been made in this unique style, but it was the director, Henri Xhonneux's, last, and I don't think there's been anything even remotely like it ever since. Or before, for that matter.

Until I saw 'Quills' I thought I had repressed the memory of this weird animated take on the Marquis de Sade. A man is imprisoned and spends his time talking to his equally animated penis who has opinions of his own.

It's been awhile since I even thought about this film but I don't remember hating it, though nobody I knew would go with me to see it. Every character is represented by an talking human/animal. The marquis slides his member through a crack in between the loose rocks in his cell and hurts himself pretty badly. He cuts himself open to use his own blood to write his stories. A cow/woman gets raped and produces milk/blood out of her udders which is grotesque.

I guess the story is riveting if you're in the theatre with nowhere else to go. Otherwise, you may find yourself returning to the place where you rented this, complaining to the management. Sorry I couldn't be of more help in this review, but it was over ten years ago.

Whatever one thinks of the recent rise of Sade as a darling of the intelligentsia and pseudo-intelligentsia, it must be admitted that some not-bad films have been made about him. This film, unfortunately, is evidence more of the trendiness than the historical interest, as its whimsical and overly-bizarre production attests. Only if there is a future sub-genre in which giant rats are sodomized by lobster tails is it likely to remain more than a curiosity. Yes, I know it had a talking penis in it. Tee hee. I still found it empty.

I think the film is both an interesting and enjoyable film, showing you what the Marquis De Sade had in mind when he was writing his novels, and it also accompanies you with very surreal scenes with its fable version, and it also delves into the philosophy of the Marquis De Sade. The Marquis is a character you should get to know, and the film introduces you to one of his aspects. It brings a different tone to the spread of his novels and shows the inner city factions of France, and you enter the French theme of those years. I also saw it as a work that tries to do this with black humor.

There's plenty of films about the Marquis de Sade (their purpose and effectiveness being rather varied); but this one stands out from them all due to it's style and execution...both of which are extremely weird to say the least. The film grabs you right from the start with the bizarre character costumes; but unfortunately doesn't manage to keep the interest throughout, despite a number of very good and amusing ideas. I really do admire what director Henri Xhonneux was trying to do; but unfortunately, the otherworldly style of the film and general artiness leaves it feeling cold and distant long before the end. The film focuses on the Marquis de Sade during his imprisonment in the Bastille. His only desire is to write erotic novels; but there's debauchery going on all around him. A corrupt priest arranges for a woman who was impregnated by the king to be raped by the Marquis de Sade so as to excuse the king, while also stealing the Marquis' literary works to sell for his own profit.

The costumes used in the film are interesting to say the least and are all a cross between humans and some sort of animal. This gives the film a style all of its own, which is very much to its credit. This does, however, leave the story and characters as co-stars; as while the audience is likely to be fascinated by the costumes, the plot is not nearly as interesting; which is unfortunate. I've also got to say that the style didn't really work for me - it's interesting, but inherently ugly; me being a viewer who enjoys visually pleasing aesthetics. The most interesting and original idea in the film has to be the one that sees the lead character talking to his penis; which happens to have it's own face and personality. It works rather well and helps to increase the overall strangeness of the film. There's no shortage of debauchery in the film; although its impact is quelled somewhat by the style, which at times verges on being childish. Overall, this film will certainly be of interest to those that enjoy original films. I'm glad I saw it but wouldn't call it a favourite!