Life is so tragic and painful at times. To find a way out of
those tribulations we seek to find out who we are and what we want. It leads us
to possess a dream. A dream which could be merely about amassing materials or it
could be about sharing our artistic talent with others. The dream of creating a
majestic art may bring some respite to our lives. But, what if we don’t have
the talent to create that particular form of art? We either learn the truth,
choose to move on or else we plant ourselves among group of acquaintances who
can spawn lies & illusions to relentlessly pursue the dream. One day, when
those illusions shatter life could be more painful. In this digital era, we do
come across many lackadaisical individuals, claiming to have scaled the upper echelons
of art. They have their own big or small private circles to keep them cocooned
forever in that fantasy-land. Marguerite Dumont boasts a dream to be a great
opera singer, although her terrible, off-pitch vocalizing only incites
ridiculing laughter. But, people belonging to Marguerite’s social environment
suppresses their laugh and actually tell the opposite (that she is the greatest
opera singer). Now our Marguerite doesn’t belong to the highly narcissist,
attention-seeking social media era, but the 1920’s. Nevertheless, her immense
wealth (she is a baroness) and pleasant disposition doesn’t give anyone the
nerve to speak truth.
The fictional Marguerite
Dumont in French film-maker Xavier Giannoli’s “Marguerite” (2015) was actually
inspired by real life American Socialite Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944)
who for years performed private recitals among wealthy friends (she made public
debut at Carnegie Hall in 1944, only to receive dire reviews). Giannoli changes
the 1940’s America to 1920’s France and brought pitch-perfect actress Catherine Frot to play the central delusional baroness. An official biopic of Foster
Jenkins would release later this year with Meryl Streep playing the central
role, directed by Stephen Frears. I am a little skeptical about biopics (especially
the ones having Streep in the lead role), but what I liked about director
Giannoli approach is how he offers Marguerite’s personal point of view rather
than the box-ticking, fictionalization of Jenkins. Of course, “Marguerite” isn’t
totally devoid of clichés, but by diffusing universal & easily relatable themes
in the tale, Giannoli is able to transcend the inherent flaws.
The film (divided into five chapters) opens at Marguerite’s
chateau where all the aristocrat music lovers have gathered as usual to hear
the middle-aged, tone-deaf diva. The private recital has also been used to raise charity
money for children orphaned by war (World War I). While the guests are eyeing
at the sumptuous dishes & drinks on display, Marguerite waltzes into the spacious
saloon, cloaked in lavish dress and a peacock feather adorning at the top. Those
who are hearing her ear-splitting off-key notes for the first time are
naturally shocked, whereas the usual guest hold-back the chuckles and wait for
it to end. Marguerite searches for her husband Georges (Andre Marcon) who
stands in the middle of road, damaging little parts in the vehicle in an effort
to not see Marguerite humiliate herself. The philandering Georges have no money
of his own and hate his inability to tell the truth to Marguerite. The next day
she receives plenty of flowers from friends for the ‘great’ performance and
even a glowing review in the newspaper. Georges wonders what the newspaper
critic wants to gain from her.
Loyal servant Madelbos (Denis Mpunga) gives power to
Marguerite’s drive (he creates the alleged adoration for her performances).
Madelbos reminds us of the character Max (played by Eric Von Stroheim), who
fulfilled Norma Desmond’s fantasy in “Sunset Blvd.”. But unlike Norma,
Marguerite isn’t pursuing her dream to be an opera singer just for fame; she
also yearns for love and recognition from her aloof husband Georges. Lucien and
his anarchist, Dadaist friend Kyril’s praise enlarge Marguerite’s bubble of
obliviousness. She decides to give a genuine public recital in a big opera
house. The prospects make Georges restless, wondering how to get past
Marguerite’s sweet nature to tell the hard truth (that she will be laughed
off). However, Lucien brings in flamboyant, fading opera star Pezzini (Michel
Fau), who for a desperate buck, agrees to take her as a student. Things take a
different turn (a bit disconcerting) as Marguerite happily walks into the stage
to sing in the spirit of art.
Director/writer
Giannoli could have easily taken a farcical route to turn Marguerite’s pursuit
into a comedy, but he chooses to be utmost sincere and empathetic in
approaching the material. There’s dry comic relief in the manner Madelbos tries
to preserve the illusion around Marguerite (by employing bribery, blackmail,
etc), although for the most part Giannoli explores how one person’s reasoning
gradually cease to exist when he/she is deeply bewitched by art and falsely
encouraged by their peers. Through the minor character of gifted singer Hazel, the
director showcases the pure transcendence art could bring to soul, which in
turn could be related with Marguerite’s own desire for transcendence. By
finishing some of the chapters with the shots of Hazel’s beautiful singing,
Giannoli is able to ruminate upon Marguerite inevitable fate. Since the
director takes an intimate view point of the central character, enough dramatic
tension, dreading the moment she will learn the truth. Apart from the
eccentricity, the film depicts Marguerite’s penchant for freedom &
rebellion. In fact, if we could see beyond her talent-less nature, we could
observe that this is a tale about a moneyed woman, who seeks control over her
own life. She wants to break free from her constraining circle, in the pursuit
of both dream & love.
Catherine Frot’s part delightful & part heart-breaking
performance elegantly carries us through the narrative’s rough patches &
jarring tonal shifts (the length could be heavily felt). Consider the scene she
silently listens to opera performance, enjoying or savoring the moment. Frot
takes us deeply into the aspirations of Marguerite that it’s so hard to laugh
at her failings or ignorance (we laugh with her, not at her). The narrative
would have fallen flat if not for Frot’s flawless ability to gain our empathy.
Two of my other favorite performances belong to Dennis Mpunga and Michel Fau.
Fau, playing Pezzini doesn’t reduce the character into comic caricature. We are
also able to see his profound love for music and his power to grasp Marguerite
yearning for a transcendental experience.
Trailer
“Marguerite” (129 minutes) rejects mockery to earnestly
understand the warped dreams of an inept soul. The uncomfortable aspects in
tell something unpleasant (hard truths) to someone face-to-face (or even to a mobile
screen) is a very relevant theme for our generation too.
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