''Que la fête commence...'' (English title ''Let Joy Reign Supreme'') is a 1975 French film directed by

Bertrand Tavernier Bertrand Tavernier (25 April 1941 – 25 March 2021) was a French director, screenwriter, actor and producer. Life and career Tavernier was born in Lyon, France, the son of Geneviève (née Dumond) and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, s ...

and starring

Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career Noiret was born in Lille, France, the son of Lucy (Heirman) and Pierre Noiret, a clothing company representative. He was an indifferent student and ...

. It is a historical drama set during the 18th century French

Régence The ''Régence'' (, ''Regency'') was the period in French history between 1715 and 1723 when King Louis XV was considered a minor and the country was instead governed by Philippe d'Orléans (a nephew of Louis XIV of France) as prince regen ...

centring on the Breton Pontcallec Conspiracy. It won the

French Syndicate of Cinema Critics The French Syndicate of Cinema Critics (french: Syndicat français de la critique de cinéma et des films de télévision) has, each year since 1946, awarded a prize (" Prix de la critique", English: "Critics Prize"), the Prix Méliès, to the be ...

Prix Méliès, and the

César Award for Best Director This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Director (French: ''César du meilleur réalisateur''). History Superlatives Winners and nominees 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins and nomination ...

, Best Supporting Actor, Best Writing and Best Production Design, and was nominated for Best Film, Best Supporting Actress and Best Music.

Plot

In France in 1719,

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to in French as ''le Régent''. ...

is the regent for the young

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

. He is sophisticated, gentle, a liberal and a libertine. He endeavours to keep his subjects cultured and happy—mainly to stop the peasants from rising up—but he knows he has no real royal authority. To assist him, Philippe enlists the aid of an atheistic and venal priest named

Guillaume Dubois Guillaume Dubois (6 September 1656 – 10 August 1723) was a French cardinal and statesman. Life and government Early years Dubois, the third of the four great Cardinal-Ministers ( Richelieu, Mazarin, Dubois, and Fleury), was born in Brive-l ...

, another libertine who does not care for anyone except himself. The film begins with the gruesome autopsy of Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, Duchess of Berry, elder daughter of the Regent who died on 21 July 1719, her health fatally ruined by her debauched life and a series of clandestine pregnancies. Notoriously promiscuous, Joufflotte ("chubby")—as she was nicknamed because of her generous proportions—was rumoured to have committed incest with her father. The autopsy reveals that the Rubenesque princess was again pregnant. Philippe is very much affected by her death. Meanwhile, a rebellion led by a Breton squire named Pontcallec occurs. Philippe's natural idealism is further shaken when he is forced to execute Pontcallec's band of revolutionaries. Dubois, however, tries to take advantage of the revolt and subsequent famine to become archbishop. It becomes apparent that true joy will only be found when the peasants successfully overthrow the aristocrats who have held them down for so long. The film provides a description of 18th century life at court, and features the music of the real Philippe d'Orléans.

Cast

- Philippe d'Orléans * Jean Rochefort - L'abbé Dubois *

Jean-Pierre Marielle Jean-Pierre Marielle (12 April 1932 – 24 April 2019) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen (''Les Galettes de Pont-Aven''), to a World War II hero (''Les Milles ...

- Le marquis de Pontcallec *

Christine Pascal Christine Pascal (29 November 1953 – 30 August 1996) was a French actress, writer and director. Biography Born in Lyon, Rhône, Pascal made her film debut at 21 in Michel Mitrani's '' Les Guichets du Louvre'' (1974), and began an association w ...

- Emilie * Alfred Adam - Villeroi *

Jean-Roger Caussimon Jean-Roger Caussimon (24 July 1918 – 19 October 1985) was a French singer-songwriter and film actor. He appeared in 90 films between 1945 and 1985 but is better known for having worked with poet-singer Léo Ferré. Discography Studio albu ...

- Le cardinal * Gérard Desarthe - Duke of Bourbon *

Michel Beaune Michel Beaune (1933–1990) was a French actor. Filmography *1960: '' Trapped by Fear'' - Un ami de Paul (uncredited) *1961: ''Les godelureaux'' *1964: '' Backfire'' - Daniel *1970: '' The Confession'' - L'avocat *1970: '' The Time to Die'' ...

- Le capitaine La Griollais * Monique Chaumette - La gouvernante de Pontcallec *

François Dyrek François Dyrek (16 August 1933 – 17 December 1999) was a French actor. He appeared in more than 140 films and television shows between 1964 and 1999. Partial filmography * ''L'assassin viendra ce soir'' (1964) - Un membre du gang des po ...

- Montlouis * Jean-Paul Farré - Le père Burdo * Nicole Garcia - La Fillon *

Raymond Girard Raymond Girard (1901–1989) was a French film and stage actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as ...

- Chirac *

Jacques Hilling Jacques Hilling (26 May 1922 – 16 February 1975) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1949 and 1975. Selected filmography * ''Return to Life'' (1949) - Un soldat (segment 4 : "Le retour de René") (uncredite ...

- L'abbé Gratellard * Bernard La Jarrige - Amaury de Lambilly *

Hélène Vincent Hélène Vincent (born 9 September 1943) is a French actress and stage director. Career She received a César Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1989 for her role as Madame Marielle Le Quesnoy in ''Life Is a Long Quiet River'' and a nominatio ...

- Madame de Saint-Simon * Michel Blanc - Le valet de chambre de Louis XV *

Christian Clavier Christian Jean-Marie Clavier (; born 6 May 1952) is a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He became widely popular after starring in two hit comedy series: Patrice Leconte's ''Les Bronzés'' and ''Les Visiteurs'' directed by J ...

- Le valet de l'auberge / Pickpocket *

Thierry Lhermitte Thierry Lhermitte (; born 24 November 1952) is a French actor, director, writer and producer, best known for his comedic roles. He was a founder of the comedy troupe '' Le Splendid'' in the 1970s, along with, among others, Christian Clavier, Gé ...

- Count of Horn

Awards and nominations

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

(France) **Won: Best Actor – Supporting Role (Jean Rochefort) **Won: Best Director (Bertrand Tavernier) **Won: Best Production Design (Pierre Guffroy) **Won: Best Writing (Jean Aurenche and Bertrand Tavernier) **Nominated: Best Actress – Supporting Role (Christine Pascal) **Nominated: Best Film **Nominated: Best Music (Philippe d'Orléans and Antoine Duhamel) *

(France) **Won: Best Film (Bertrand Tavernier)

References

External links

* * {{Bertrand Tavernier 1975 films 1970s historical films French historical films Films whose director won the Best Director César Award Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor César Award-winning performance Films directed by Bertrand Tavernier Films set in the 1710s Films with screenplays by Jean Aurenche 1970s French-language films 1970s French films