''Vatel'' is a 2000

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Roland Joffé Roland Joffé (; born 17 November 1945) is an English film and television film director, director, Film producer, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing the critically-acclaimed films ''The Killing Fields (film), The Killing Field ...

, written by

Jeanne Labrune Jeanne Labrune (born 21 June 1950) is a French screenwriter and film director. She has directed 13 films since 1978. Her film '' Sand and Blood'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Fes ...

and translated by

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

, and starring Gérard Depardieu,

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...

, Tim Roth, Timothy Spall,

Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English actor with many stage, television, and film roles. Classically trained, he is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Gl ...

and Julian Sands. The film, based on the life of 17th-century French chef

François Vatel François Vatel (; 1631 – 24 April 1671) was the majordomo (in French, ) of Nicolas Fouquet and prince Louis, Grand Condé. Biography Vatel was born either in Switzerland or in Paris in 1625, 1631, or 1635. He is widely, but incorrectly, cr ...

, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction. The film opened the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot summary

The story takes place in 1671. In the context of the

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

, a financially struggling

prince of Condé A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The f ...

is visited by King

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

for three days of festivities at the

Château de Chantilly The Château de Chantilly () is a historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Paris. The site comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château, built around 1560 for Anne de Montmore ...

. The prince wants a commission as an army General, and spares no expense in order to impress the king. In charge of organizing the event is

, Master of Festivities and Pleasures in the prince's household. Vatel is a man of great honor and talent, but of low birth. As the prince is prepared to do anything in his quest for stature, the tasks assigned to Vatel are often menial and dishonourable. While Vatel tries to maintain his dignity amidst the extravaganza he is meant to orchestrate, he finds himself in love with Anne de Montausier, the king's latest lover, who returns his affections. However, due to their incompatible social standing and the rigid hierarchy of the court, continuing the liaison is clearly impossible. In the last day of the king's visit, Vatel realizes that he is nothing more than a puppet in the hands of his superiors, bought and sold like a piece of property, after learning that the Prince of Condé has "lost" him in a card game with the king. Though Condé considers Vatel a friend and was reluctant to let go of him, he found himself pressured by the king's Entourage and the king's eagerness to have Vatel working for him (as well as his desire to be an army commander once again) and now has to carry his promise; he communicates Vatel through a servant that he will have to go with the king to

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

as part of the Royal Court. Disheartened with the news, Vatel refuses to leave his people (the servants of the Château) and go to work for the king. Soon after Vatel commits suicide by throwing himself on his sword. Nevertheless, the king is told by his own court members that Vatel killed himself because the roast was not sufficient to feed several unexpected guests, the clouds dulled the fireworks display and he lacked confidence that there would be enough fish for the morning meal. This explanation pleases the king very much. Anne de Montausier is grief-stricken upon hearing the news, but knows she must not speak of it. She leaves the court quietly, and no one ever hears about her and Vatel again.

Cast

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, a

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

, reports that 31% of 32 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 4.6/10. The site's consensus reads: "Visually sumptuous, but unengaging."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

rated it 44/100 based on 13 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". David Stratton of '' Variety'' wrote, "''Vatel'', a no-expense-spared costumer, is further proof that all the money and technical expertise in the world are no substitutes for a good screenplay and creative direction." Elvis Mitchell of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the film "a costume drama with far more costumes than drama". Kevin Thomas of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' called it "a timeless tale of love and sacrifice in a world as opulent as it is cruel."

References

External links

* * * {{Roland Joffé 2000 films 2000 romantic drama films British romantic drama films British biographical drama films French biographical drama films Romantic period films Cooking films Films about Louis XIV Films set in the 1670s Fictional chefs Films directed by Roland Joffé Films set in France Films scored by Ennio Morricone Films set in country houses English-language French films Films about chefs Cultural depictions of cooks Cultural depictions of Jean-Baptiste Colbert 2000s English-language films 2000s British films 2000s French films English-language biographical drama films English-language romantic drama films Gaumont (company) films Franco-Dutch War