Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Cebalord Very best movie i ever watch

Yazmin Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Filipe Neto This film tells the story of François Vatel, a master of ceremonies at the service of Prince Louis II of Condé, one of the most important aristocrats of the French court but that was bankrupt and away of the good graces of King Louis XIV. The approaching of a war with the Netherlands makes Condé, anxious to led the king's armies, decides to invite the king for a weekend at his Castle of Chantilly, hoping to be able to recover the royal sympathy. Then Vatel is in charge of organizing a three-day party like never seen before for king's amusement. Based on historical events, the film is directed by Roland Joffé, has argument by Jeanne Labrune (in original French version) and features Gérard Depardieu (Vatel), Uma Thurman (in the role of Anne of Montausier, one of the king's lovers) and Tim Roth (as the Marquis de Lauzun, the king's confidant).Joffé managed to make the audience relive the events. The environments, the locations for filming, the costumes, the music, everything was thought out and analyzed carefully to reproduce the atmosphere of the time, so we must congratulate this effort for historical accuracy, which even received a nomination for the Oscar for Best Art Direction. The actors met well with their roles. The script also works in interesting ways, including some situations where we glimpse the contrast (and even shock) of the two worlds of seventeenth-century France: the richness and unparalleled luxury of the court and the absolute misery of the common people. Also positive note for the soundtrack of Enio Morricone, although not one of his best-known or most interesting compositions.

J C I especially took an interest in the brief moment when the game of Billiards was being played, using a "shovel" style of paddle to move the balls around. It was quite obviously played as indoor croquet.I felt that the film conveyed the story of a downtrodden manager who attempted all for his master only to be shafted in the end. A brief fling with a courtesan, one that means much more to him than to her, contributes to his final act of frustration and despair.I'm sure that others will find historical inaccuracies, a fault of the production team, but I'm prepared to accept them as part of the process of bringing a story to film. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story telling.Altogether an interesting movie that makes a telling commentary on the excesses of the French aristocracy of the time.JC

tedg Spoilers herein.A terrific script, one which appears to be concerned with class imprisonment but is far more clever. The key notion here is self-reference.Vatel is a producer of lush entertainments, presented to us by -- a producer of lush entertainments. Though only the translation is by Stoppard, this is the most Stoppardian of notions: to amuse us with a story about people just as greedy as ourselves for luxurious entertainment -- and to please while condemning.The story goes farther into the truth: all entertainers are slaves, prostitutes. The game for an artist is one of drawing lines between that slavery and the noble joys of creation. Vatel does what he does because his obnoxious sponsors provide him the means to do what he desires. That's all, or not all because he needs the applause.Also in Stoppardian fashion, we have Roth (Guildenstern , Mitchel, Vincent) there to tell us the terrible truth about ourselves. The plot involves competing attentions to Uma's character -- essentially a sweet whore with canaries -- and Vatel, the grand coordinator of revels. He is pulled by the King and his present employer as well as sexually by the King's brother. He wins the admiration (and protection) of that brother in refusing his advances by noting their common perversion in the quest for perfection.How perfect for this film to be lacking the salt of engaging drama, that excuse we normally give for watching. How perfect that we collectively reject it because it is merely beautiful.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching

esteban1747 The story is about an intelligent and skilled man, who was working for a prince and had to prepare everything (food, parties, etc. ) to welcome and to host the king of France, who was very much impressed with the work done by this man, Vatel (Depardieu). The plot showed an efficient acting of Depardieu, and poor one from Uma Thurman and Tim Roth, probably due to the roles given by the director to them. The film went plain, i.e. emotions were scarce and suddenly the end gave us something unexpected, in fact the previous scenes for the end did not show any intensity to justify what we saw in the epilogue. I cannot understand whether Joffé wanted to make a joke or was really his intention to show a coherent film with well elaborated plot.