Paris, Kingdom of France, August 18, 1572. To avoid the outbreak of a religious war, the Catholic princess Marguerite de Valois, sister of the feeble King Charles IX, marries the Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre.
Acting
Isabelle Adjani's eyes contain multitudes of rage.
Costume
Blood on white silk never looked this deliberate.
Direction
Chéreau turns history into sweaty, claustrophobic nightmare.
Director
Patrice Chéreau
Isabelle Adjani
Margot
Daniel Auteuil
Henri de Navarre
Jean-Hugues Anglade
Charles IX
Vincent Perez
La Môle
Virna Lisi
Catherine de Médicis
Dominique Blanc
Henriette de Nevers
Pascal Greggory
Anjou
Claudio Amendola
Coconnas
Miguel Bosé
Guise
Asia Argento
Charlotte de Sauve
Julien Rassam
Alençon
Thomas Kretschmann
Nançay
Jean-Claude Brialy
Coligny
Jean-Philippe Écoffey
Condé
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Isabelle Adjani was 38 playing 19; she reportedly clashed with Chéreau so intensely they stopped speaking between takes.
Released during France's 1990s reckoning with far-right nationalism, the Catholic-Protestant slaughter read as alarmingly contemporary.
FR
