love GAME OF THRONES? love QUEEN MARGOT (coming to Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

La Reine Margot (aka Queen Margot) is a film based on real life history.
It is brutal, savage, violent, erotic, and romantic.

Isabelle Adjani has never been sexier or more amazing.
La Reine Margot is a 1994 French period film directed by Patrice Chéreau, based on the 1845 historical novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas. It stars Isabelle Adjani,Daniel Auteuil, Virna Lisi and Vincent Pérez. An abridged version of the film was released as Queen Margot in North America, and in the United Kingdom under its original French title.
It won the Jury Prize and Best Actress Award at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, as well as five César Awards. It was later shown as part of the Cannes Classics section of the2013 Cannes Film Festival.[3]
The plot (without spoilers):
During the late 16th century, Catholics and Protestant Huguenots are fighting over political control of France, which is ruled by the neurotic, hypochondriac King Charles IX(Jean-Hugues Anglade), and his mother, Catherine de' Medici (Virna Lisi), a scheming power player. Catherine decides to make an overture of goodwill by offering up her daughter Margot (Isabelle Adjani) in marriage to Henri de Bourbon (Daniel Auteuil), a prominent Huguenot and King of Navarre, but things start to go wrong before they've even finished saying "I do."

There are schemes within schemes and I would not be the least bit surprised to learn that this story inspired more than a few scenes in Game of Thrones, including the red wedding.


The film recently had a 4k restoration in conjunction with a theatrical re-release and now a Blu-ray release.

See the link to the new trailer below:


While it is available as a region/zone free Blu-ray from Amazon.fr now (Mine just arrived yesterday.), it is also coming in the US from Amazon.com on August 26th. See links below:
Amazon.fr to order now
Amazon.com to pre-order for August 26th

Romance? Check.


Eroticism? Check.


Violence and mass slaughter? Check.


Royal weddings and assassinations? Check.


Scheming aristocrats vying for power and willing to kill for it? Check



Great film? YES YES YES.

I don't recommend many blind buys, but if you do like Game of Thrones for its mix of violence, sex, romance, and competition for the throne, I cannot think of a film that is more akin to it.

But, you have to be willing to listen to French with optional English subtitles.

The new Blu-ray is gorgeous (I am assuming the US and French releases will have the same transfer.), and it is now the preferred director's cut.

For more information, see the film's US distributor page:
http://cohenmedia.net/films/queen-margot

The film is indeed a masterpiece (I had seen it on its original release at the theaters) and I'm looking forward to purchasing the Bluray.

Konstantinos said:

The film is indeed a masterpiece (I had seen it on its original release at the theaters) and I'm looking forward to purchasing the Bluray.

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Indeed! I am totally psyched about this coming to Blu! The region 2 DVD is only barely adequate.

---EDIT---

Mark, are you in the USA? How much is the French version shipped? The USA price is kinda high; so I may order the French one now.

I've been holding off buying the French one, in case the US one has extras with subtitles.
But if it doesn't (no word from them yet as I see), I'll buy the French.

The cost from Amazon.fr was EUR 29,33 or, at today's exchange rate, $40.16 shipped.

I will say the packaging is nice book style, but the disc had to be wrenched out of the front.
I promptly moved it to a slim Blu-ray case.

David_B_K said:

Indeed! I am totally psyched about this coming to Blu! The region 2 DVD is only barely adequate.

---EDIT---

Mark, are you in the USA? How much is the French version shipped? The USA price is kinda high; so I may order the French one now.

Click to expand...

Just a quick price drop alert: the North American Blu-ray release of Queen Margot is currently $23.49 at Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Margot-bluray-Blu-ray-Isabelle-Adjani/dp/B00KOW49O2/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=htfbluraypricedrops-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=GO3TONTMORKL7OOT&creativeASIN=B00KOW49O2

Too bad it sucks compared to the French cut.

schan1269 said:

Too bad it sucks compared to the French cut.

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Isn't the Cohen release the same as the original French cut?

On the cover above it says 20th Anniversary Director's Cut.
So I assume it is the longer French cut as it is on the French Blu-ray.

It is.

"It is."

Good, than I just wait till we know if the extras from the French BD are on this too and it has English subtitles for them.

It doesn't.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Queen-Margot-Blu-ray/101337/#Review

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/La-Reine-Margot-Blu-ray/96881/#Review

Aha, well. But the US has a commentary, that the French seems not to have.

As this title is not that urgent, I think I let some time pass and hope for the German release.

schan1269 said:

Too bad it sucks compared to the French cut.

Click to expand...

Is the French cut the same as the theatrical release in the U.S.?

No, it was different. The Blu-ray is the French cut.

I wish I had waited to order when it was on sale. I had it on pre-order, but have not had a chance to watch it. My wife broke her ankle and now practically lives on the sofa. Queen Margot is not one of her favorite movies, so I will wait to watch it when she is out of the room (she knows it's a great movie; just can't stand the horrific Grand Guignol violence of the film).

It is definitely the longer cut.

I thought we already had this discussion...Pathe vs Cohen...Pathe is as seen on French TV.Cohen is either long shot or extreme close up in several scenes. Masking some of the gore and(albeit not much...) sex.

Where is this discussion? I've not heard anything like that.

Maybe over at B-R.COM then.Could have sworn it was mentioned in the French thread here, it isnt(has its own thread and brought up in an "over there" thread).Anyway, somewhere there are screen grabs showing the composition changes done.Like I'll reiterate, again, many US releases of movies are different camera angle than their French, Spanish and Italian counterparts. Been that way since "the code"

If there was comparisons, I'm willing to bet they are against the German DVD. The Pathe and Cohen Blu-rays feature identical transfers, running 159 minutes. The German DVD has the longer "TV cut" which features about 10 minutes extra.