directed
by Henri Xhonneux
Belgium / France 1989
Ribald, violent, surreal and satirical, Marquis offers a unique take on the events leading up to the French revolution as seen from the perspective of the notorious Marquis de Sade. Presented in metaphorical terms, each of the actors' faces are covered by an animal mask that more or less represents their character. Their voices were dubbed in later. The tale opens while the dog-faced Marquis de Sade serves jail time. When not working on his writing, he engages in long conversations with Colin his penis, a meter long member endowed with a human face. When Colin is not whining about his need for stimulation and his particular interest in the rat-like bisexual jailer Ambert and espousing his impulsive philosophies, he is criticizing the Marquis' work, some of which is illustrated via claymation. The Marquis is in trouble for allegedly raping and impregnating the cow-faced Justine, who was really victimized by the king, something the camel-headed priest Don Pompero, and the cocky Gaetan De Preaubois, try to keep secret. Meanwhile, the revolutionaries prepare to stage a coup and depose the king.
Theatrical Release: April 26, 1989 - France
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Cin & Scen - Evénements et Communications - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Pieter Boven for the Review!
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Distribution |
Cin & Scen - Evénements et Communications Region 2 - PAL |
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Runtime | 1:19:18 (4% PAL speedup) | |
Video |
1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate |
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Audio | French, German (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) | |
Subtitles | French, English, none | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Cin & Scen - Evénements et Communications Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 11 |
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Comments |
The image quality of the DVD
is excellent. Vivid colors, good sharpness and only a few spots here and
there. The mono sound is equally well restored. Both the original French
and dubbed German sound clear with no noise and are easy to understand.
The English subtitles are well done and placed correctly. None of the extras are subtitled in English. However, the 30 minute "making of" consists of behind the scenes footage and nothing of importance is said. The biographies are informative and written with a good dose of humor and it's a pity they are not available in English. Overall, an excellent release of a unique movie. I personally feel the extras are a bit of a let down, especially for those who don't understand French. |
Recommended Reading in French Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
The Films in My Life |
French Cinema: A Student's Guide by Philip Powrie, Keith Reader |
Agnes Varda by Alison Smith | Godard on Godard : Critical Writings by Jean-Luc Godard | Notes on the Cinematographer by Robert Bresson |
Robert Bresson (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No.
2) by James Quandt |
The Art of Cinema by Jean Cocteau |
French New Wave
by Jean Douchet, Robert Bonnono, Cedric Anger, Robert Bononno |
French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present by Remi Fournier Lanzoni |
Truffaut: A Biography by Antoine do Baecque and Serge Toubiana |
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Cin & Scen - Evénements et Communications Region 2 - PAL |