Customer Reviews
insipid and uninspiring - By: Dr. H. Beentje, 10 Nov 2008 
I bought this because I love the movies that Rohmer makes - Claire's knee, Autumn tale, Green Ray... but this historical romance with painted backdrops doesn't do anything to me. I tried, but gave up about halfway. The acting is rather wooden, the heroine leaves me cold. The story is inferior to other tales of the same era, such as Scarlet Pimpernel or Scaramouche.
A disappointing movie - I didn't think it was possible with this director!
Despite its controversial politics, Rohmer's historical drama works - By: Andres C. Salama, 22 Aug 2008 
Rohmer returns to his historical dramas in the real story of Grace Elliot, an Englishwoman who stayed in France during the apex of the French Revolution. One always suspected that Rohmer was a conservative, but who knew he was such a reactionary. If you can put aside Rohmer's unabashed defense of the ancien regime (and that is not an easy thing to do, given that, for instance, the French lower classes are portrayed here as hideous louts), this is actuallly an elegant, intelligent & polished movie. Lacking the money for a big cinematic recreation of 18th century France, Rohmer has instead the actors play against obvious painted cardboards. It is a blatantly artificial conceit, but it somehow works. And newcomer Lucy Russell succeeds in making sympathetic a character that shouldn't be.
Lady I nearly puke - By: Bod, 17 Mar 2008 
Oh dear, only once have I come close to walking out of a film but why oh why do we hang on & give it "10 more minutes." The acting was as wooden as the set, no the set is literallly painted wood. Go see "Jack & the Beanstalk" if you want this sort of thing where you are assured of a better story.
Stunning visual qualities in muted French Revolution drama. - By: pointone, 15 Nov 2007 Eric Rohmer's historical films seem to explore aspects of the age in which they are set, the "Marquis von O" explored eighteenth century acting techniques, the "Lady & the Duke" explores aristocratic response to the French Revolution.
Exterior scenes take place in town & landscapes created from lithographs, & the interiors & costumes make wonderful use of muted colour tones. These settings could well be hung in an art galllery.
Grace Elliott (Lucy Russell) was a real life courtesan & past mistress of Le duc d'Orleans & the films is based on her autobiography "Journal of my life during the French Revolution" still available from Amazon.
Lucy Russell is superb in creating the character of Grace Elliot & the interaction between her & Dreyfus as the "duc d'Orleans" draws you into the bittersweet afterglow of the residual friendship from an earlier relationship.
However the horror of the French Revolution surrounding the characters is only portrayed by messengers & conversations as it would have been in real life, but this does leave us with a rather flat & uninvolving drama.
A must see for alll admirers of Eric Rohmer, but probably of limited general appeal.
Excellent - By: A. Weiss V. Trostprugg, 27 Apr 2003 
One the the best Movies on French Revolution. Landscapes are stunning. Dialogues excellent, better in French & ev with subtitles. If you like the fine art of Rohmer don't miss it.
