Marquise (film)

Marquise is a 1997 French dramatic film directed by Véra Belmont, and starring Sophie Marceau, Bernard Giraudeau, and Lambert Wilson. Written by Jean-François Josselin, Véra Belmont, Marcel Beaulieu and Gérard Mordillat, the film is about a dancer and actress, based on the historical actress Marquise-Thérèse de Gorla, who rises from obscurity to win the hearts of some of France's most prominent citizens, including Moliere, Racine, and King Louis XIV. She is helped in her career by a rotund comic, who falls in love with her, marries her, and brings her to Paris to launch her career. Despite her intimate involvement with other men, she keeps a special place in her heart reserved only for her unlikely spouse. Set in seventeenth century France, the film was shot on location in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, Italy, from September through December 1996.

Marquise was released on 20 August 1997 in France, and on 12 September 1997 in the United States. The film received generally positive reviews, with Variety magazine's Lisa Nesselson calling it "entertaining without being taxing", and Paul Fischer on the Urban Cinefile website calling it "masterful entertainment on a grand scale, an intelligent and fascinating insight into 17th century French society". Marquise was nominated for the AFI Fest Grand Jury Prize, the British Independent Film Award for Best Foreign Independent Film, and the César Award for Best Music.