There are few lesser-known historical figures in need of becoming the subject of a sprawling screen biographical epic than Joseph Bologne. However, “Chevalier” is neither sprawling nor is it an epic and is, in effect, the cinematic equivalent of a half-complete CliffsNotes study guide.
Born in 1745 to a white plantation owner and his wife’s black servant in the French colony of Guadeloupe, Bologne was relocated by his father at age 7 to France where he was enrolled in a Jesuit boarding school in Angoulême. Within a decade, Bologne (Kelvin Harrison, Jr. in a career-defining performance) became one of the most respected swordsman in France and after defeating the acknowledged champion fencer of the day (Alexandre Picard), he was knighted “Chevalier de Saint-Georges” by French Queen Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton).
All of the above information is presented in the first 15 minutes of “Chevalier” by screenwriter Stefani Robinson (best known for the TV series “Atlanta”) and Stephen Williams (directing his fourth feature, the first in nearly a quarter century), and it is admittedly “grabbing.” The filmmakers make it abundantly clear that Bologne grew up surrounded by racism but was able (for a while at least) to thrive and operate within the highest circles of society and the arts.
Hi, I’m Wolfgang
What isn’t likely is Mozart having to introduce himself by name at the end of a concert—he was the most famous composer in the world at the time. It’s also hard to believe he would ask the audience to request something for him to play and conduct for an encore. Did Bologne shout out “Concerto 5” and then follow it with a request to join Mozart on stage to perform it? Did Mozart drop the film’s sole PG-13 allowable “F-bomb” in real life? Probably not. It’s exaggeration where none was needed.
Excellent Midsection
Surprisingly, the second act (generally the weakest in most films) of “Chevalier” is the most impactful and hardest hitting. Here Bologne blossoms as a composer, becomes the darling of Antoinette, rejects the romantic advancements of opera singer Marie-Madeleine Guimard (Minnie Driver), and makes the dangerous decision of becoming the lover of another diva (Samara Weaving as Marie-Josephine de Montalembert), who is also the wife of Marc Rene, marquis de Montalembert (Marton Csokas), a military leader with lots of sway practicing barely cloaked intimidation tactics.Only scratching the surface of Bologne’s voluminous contributions to classical music, the filmmakers all but ignore his fate after he fell out of favor with Antoinette, the two singers, and Rene. The film ends with Bologne, led by his mother, to a musical gathering where he is reintroduced to his Caribbean roots.
Teasing With No Payoff
What part did Bologne play in the French Revolution? Not to spoil anything, but it was huge. What happened to Antoinette? It is something most people already know about but would like to have seen played out here. The epilogue also teases what happened when Napoleon Bonaparte assumed rule over France at the turn of 19th century, again with no narrative payoff.I’ve mentioned it in reviews before and I’ll likely do so again, but Bologne’s story is something that requires a limited-series type of treatment lasting six to 10 hours. A Swiss cheese, 107-minute recap just won’t do.
