On Guard
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Movie Reviews of On Guard
Movie Review: If you like musketeer movies this a great one!
Summary: 5 Stars
For those, musketeer movies, you will enjoy this one, drama, action at the end, just almost unexpected end.Movie Review: A rollicking Swashbuckler
Summary: 5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie so much, that I immediadtely bought duplicates for friends and family.Movie Review: Not as much swordplay as you would think, but still quite enjoyable
Summary: 4 Stars
Like many viewers who checked out this 1997 French film because of the trailer, I found that "On Guard" did not have as much sword play as I was led to believe. This is also a function of the title given the film in the United States, because you would not expect a lot of swordplay from a film entitled "Le Bossu" ("The Hunchback"). If that was the title then you would be pleasantly surprised at how much swordplay is involved for a film about a hunchback, but when you call it "On Guard," the trailer is filled with swordplay and you live in a world of cinematic excess you have different expectations.
"On Guard" is a swashbuckling romance apparently shot by Philippe de Broca ("King of Hearts") by candlelight as often as possible since almost every sceene is efused with a yellowish glow. It is based on a popular novel from 1857 by Paul Féval and set in the 18th century as the Duke of Nevers (Vincent Perez) accepts the services of Lagardere (Daniel Autueil), a talented swordsman of humble birth. When the Duke is betrayed by his counsin, Count Gonzague (Fabrice Luchini), he tells Lagardere to raise his baby daughter, Aurore, who has been born to the Duke's noble girlfriend Blanche de Caylus (Claire Nebout). Lagardere escapes with the infant and spends sixteen years hiding out with a traveling troupe of actors and acrobats while Aurore grows up into Marie Gillain. When Aurore, who has been taught how to fence by her "father," visits Paris for some fun and ends up in trouble, Lagardere decides it is time to restore the girl he has raised as his daughter to her mother, her title and her fortune. So he disguises himself as a hunchback in order to be employed by Gonzague, who wants to cause a run on the bank so that he can purchase the Louisiana Territory and set the stage for justice to be realized in the end.
For the most part this is a fairly predictable film, the main question being how Lagardere will bring down Gonzague before he runs him through with a sword (and in this film that means driving the point of your sword through a particular part of the anatomy). But I was surprised that when Aurore learns that Lagardere is not here father and she is of noble birth that her main reaction is that now she can marry the man she has been calling father all these years. At least Lagardere tries to acts like this is a bad idea and I have to admit that it does allow for the fencing instructions that come into play throughout the film to be used in a slightly different context at the end. There are several good old fashion swordplay sequences, although Aurore does strike me as being a lot more awkward than you would expect. The end result is a bit long, but certainly enjoyable enough as a reminder of those thrilling days of yesteryear when movies were filled with great swording.
Movie Review: Swashbuckling!
Summary: 4 Stars
Alexandre Dumas made a reputation for himself writing stories chiefly about the uncommon man who had to rise to the occasion in extraordinary circumstances. Arguably, THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO stand as some of the best literature of the ages, and the film adaptations have created some of the most incredibly swordplay put to the silver screen.The little heard of and rarely seen ON GUARD ("Le Bossu," 1997, from the French novel by Paul Feval of the same name), by far, features some of the most exciting swordplay with a story that compares to Dumas' best work in many ways.
Daniel Auteuil stars as Lagardere, a budding swordsman who can't back down from a fight. One evening, upon trying to best the Duke of Nevers, he inadvertantly falls into the duke's good graces and joins him -- as a sidekick -- on a journey to rescue the man's infant daughter, Aurore. However, as the duke is soon murdered by his villainous cousin Count Gonzague (played with ample creepiness by Fabrice Luchini), Lagardere escapes with the infant and, along with the help of a traveling circus, raises her as his own child for sixteen years ... until Aurore takes up the sword and performs a move only her real father could've known, alerting the now-in-power Gonzague to the fact the the daughter has survived. Now, Legardere is faced with the ultimate challenge of devising a masterful plot to put the woman back on the throne and into her position of prominence!
Much of the film is pure plotting and humor, some of which can only be the product of the French ("Ever try sodomy, my friend?"), and I'm quite certain several of the jokes might be lost on an American audience. Still, Auteuil as Lagardere is the film's masterful stroke; he proves himself capable of a Musketeer-like defender, a loving father, and a pining lost soulmate to the lovely Aurore, all the while maintaining his sense of duty coupled with a great sense of humor.
The film is presented widescreen, filmed on beautiful locations, and the sound is very crisp and vibrant. ON GUARD is a wonderful adaptation that deserves to be discovered by a much larger audience.
Movie Review: A very pleasant surprise
Summary: 4 Stars
Amazon's one-click feature, combined with Amazon prime, is an excllent tool (for them!) in that, at least in my case, it drives a lot of impulse buying. I find myself browsing through my recommended items lists one-clicking my way towards a smaller bank account and a huge pile of books and DVDs I'll never find the time to make it through.
On Guard was one of those items that, when it arrived, I thought to myself "what the hell was I thinking when I bought this?". It had been recommended to me because I had recently purchased another French film, the 6+ hour French version of The Count of Monte Cristo (which I've also reviewed and gave 4 stars).
Now, I've never read "Le Bossu" or anything else by Paul Feval for that matter, but I am a big fan of Alexander Dumas and it was the comparisons to his work in the helpful Amazon.com reviews that drove me to one-click a copy of On Guard.
My curiousity being piqued, the very evening the DVD arrived I settled down with a bottle of fine Bordeaux (ok it was an $8 California Cabernet) and watched it - and was pleasantly surprised.
I found the film to be very good - as I said before I haven't read anything by Feval (but may order something of his after watching On Guard) but the Dumas references were spot on, with Auteil's character himself having some very d'Artagnan-esque qualities, in my opinion.
I thought the film had plenty of swashbuckling action - certainly enough to keep it interesting and fast paced, but not so much as to turn it into a cheesy hollywood-style action movie with no plot.
I'm not going to go into the story because a) others have done so and b) I don't like spoiling anything in my reviews, but suffice it to say if you're a fan of swashbucklers, or of Dumas (and presumably of this Feval character), or if you just want to try something new and different from the typical crap hollywood churns out, I highly recommend On Guard.