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7.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Die Marquise von Pompadour remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you are deep into the weeds of early 30s European cinema. If you need a fast-paced flick, stay away. This one moves at the speed of a royal carriage stuck in mud.
The whole thing is basically people in fancy clothes talking about love and power. It feels very stagey, like they forgot to take the cameras out of the theater. Anny Ahlers is trying her best, but the script is just so heavy on the melodrama.
It lacks the genuine, messy energy you see in something like The Love Storm. Everything here is so polite and rehearsed. It’s like watching a wax museum exhibit that someone tried to animate with a stiff breeze.
I found myself looking at the background extras more than the main actors. One guy in the back row was clearly trying not to laugh during the big confession scene. I don't blame him.
It reminds me a little bit of the pacing issues in Glorious Betsy, but without the same level of charm. It just sort of sits there on the screen. It is not necessarily bad, just very, very tired.
The dialogue is all "Oh, my dear Madame" and "The crown demands it." You get the point within five minutes, but they keep saying it for another hour. 🙄
If you like your history books dry and your romances predictable, you will be fine. Everyone else? Maybe just watch a documentary or something with actual stakes. It feels like a project that was made because it had to be made, not because anyone was dying to tell this specific story.