"LOUISIANA" (1984) Review

"LOUISIANA" (1984) Review

Thirty-four years ago, HBO had aired a three-part miniseries about the life and travails of a nineteenth century Southern belle named Virginia Tregan. The miniseries was called "LOUISIANA" and it starred Margot Kidder and Ian Charleson. 

Directed by the late Philippe de Broca, "LOUISIANA" was based upon the "Fausse-Riviere" Trilogy, written by Maurice Denuzière, one of the screenwriters. It told the story of Virginia's ruthless devotion to her first husband's Louisiana cotton plantation called Bagatelle . . . and her love for the plantation's overseer, an Englishman named Clarence Dandridge. The story begins in 1836 in which she returns to her home in Louisiana after spending several years at school in Paris. Unfortunately, Virginia discovers that the Tregan family plantation and most of its holdings have been sold to pay off her father’s debts. Only the manor house remains. Determined to recoup her personal fortune, Virginia manipulates the breakup of the affair between her wealthy godfather, Adrien Damvillier and his mistress, Anne McGregor in order to marry him and become mistress of Bagatelle. Virginia also becomes frustrated in her relationship with Clarence Dandridge, who refuses to embark upon a sexual relationship with her.

During their ten-year marriage, Virginia and Adrien conceive three children – Adrien II, Pierre and Julie. Not long after Julie’s birth, Adrien dies during a yellow fever epidemic. Virginia hints to Clarence that she would like to engage in a serious relationship with him. But when he informs her that they would be unable to consummate their relationship due to an injury he had sustained during a duel, Virginia travels to Paris for a year-long separation. There, she meets her second husband, a French aristocrat named Charles de Vigors. They return to Louisiana and Virginia gives birth to her fourth and final child – Fabian de Vigors. Virginia and Charles eventually divorce due to his jealousy of his wife’s feelings for Clarence and his affairs. Fabian, who feels left out of the Damvillier family circle, accompanies his father back to France. During the next ten to fifteen years, Virginia experiences the death of her three children by Adrien, the Civil War and Reconstruction. The story ended in either the late 1860s or early 1870s with Virginia using a trick up her sleeves to save Bagatelle from a Yankee mercenary, whom she had first encountered on a riverboat over twenty years ago.

If I must be frank, "LOUISIANA" is not exactly "GONE WITH THE WIND" or the "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy. But the 1984 production does bear some resemblance to both the 1939 movie and the 1985-1994 miniseries trilogy. I noticed that the character of Virginia Tregan Damvillier de Vigors strongly reminded me of Margaret Mitchell's famous leading lady from "GONE WITH THE WIND", Scarlett O’Hara. Both characters are strong-willed, ruthless, charming, manipulative, passionate and Southern-born. Both had married at least two or three times. Well, Scarlett had acquired three husbands by the end of Mitchell’s tale. In "LOUISIANA", Virginia married twice and became engaged once to some mercenary who wanted Bagatelle after the war. Both women had fallen in love with a man who was forbidden to them. Unlike Scarlett, Virginia eventually ended up with the man she loved, despite losing three of her children. Apparently, the saga’s original author felt that Virginia had to pay a high price for manipulating her way into her first marriage to Adrien Damvillier.

"LOUISIANA" also shared a few aspects with another famous Civil War-era saga - namely John Jakes' "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy. Both sagas were based upon a trilogy of novels that spanned the middle decades of the 19th century - covering the antebellum period, the Civil War and Reconstruction. Mind you, "LOUISIANA" lacked the epic-style storytelling of the television adaptation of Jakes’ trilogy. Not even Virginia’s journey to France and her experiences during the outbreak of the Revolution of 1848, along with another journey to France during the first year of the Civil War could really give "LOUISIANA" the epic sprawl that made the "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy so memorable. However, the miniseries, like "NORTH AND SOUTH", did depicted the darker side of the Old South’s plantation system. It did so through the eyes of four characters – Clarence Dandridge; one Bagatell slave named Brent; another Bagatelle slave named Ivy, and Virginia's French-born servant/companion, Mignette. 

Like both "NORTH AND SOUTH" and "GONE WITH THE WIND", "LOUISIANA" suffered from some historical inaccuracies. I found it interesting that Bagatelle did not suffer the consequences from the Panic and Depression of 1837, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Especially since it was a cotton plantation. This particular economic crisis had not only led to a major recession throughout the United States, it also dealt a severe blow to the nation’s Cotton Belt, thanks to a decline in cotton prices. Unlike the 1980 miniseries, "BEULAH LAND", "LOUISIANA" never dealt with this issue, considering that the story began in 1836. I also found the miniseries’ handling of the Revolution of 1848 in France and the California Gold Rush rather questionable, as well. Gold was first discovered by James Marshall in California, in January 1848. But news of the discovery did not reach the East Coast until August-September 1848, via an article in the New York Herald; and France became the first country to fully experience the Revolution of 1848 on February 23, 1848. Yet, according to the screenplay for "LOUISIANA", Charles de Vigors first learned about the California gold discovery in a newspaper article in mid-June 1848 . . . sometime before France experienced the first wave of the Revolutions of 1848. Which is impossible . . . historically.

If there is one aspect of "LOUISIANA" that reigned supreme over both "NORTH AND SOUTH" and "GONE WITH THE WIND" are the costumes designed by John Jay. The costumes lacked the theatrical styles of the John Jakes miniseries trilogy and the 1939 Oscar winner. But they did project a more realistic image of the clothes worn during the period between 1830s and 1860s. And fans of "NORTH AND SOUTH" would immediately recognize the plantation and house that served as Bagatelle in "LOUISIANA". In real life, it is Greenwood Plantation, located in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Aside from serving as Bagatelle, it also stood in as Resolute, the home of the venal Justin LaMotte in the first two miniseries of the "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy.

The story for "LOUISIANA" seemed pretty solid. It seemed like a Louisiana version of "GONE WITH THE WIND", but with an attempt to match the epic sprawl of "NORTH AND SOUTH". But only in length . . . not in style. Margot Kidder, Ian Charleson, Andréa Ferréol, Len Cariou, Lloyd Bochner, Victor Lanoux, and Hilly Hicks all gave pretty good performances. Kidder and Charleson, surprisingly managed to create a strong screen chemistry. The miniseries indulged in some of the romance of the Old South. But as I had earlier pointed out, the miniseries also exposed its darker aspects - especially slavery. When the story first began with Virginia’s arrival in Louisiana with her maid, Mignette; the entire production seemed like a reflection of the "moonlight and magnolias" myth of the Old South, until the story shifted to the cotton harvest fête held at Bagatelle. In this scene, slavery finally reared its ugly head when the plantation’s housekeeper becomes suddenly ill, while serving a guest. Slavery and racism continued to be explored not only when Virginia’s conservative beliefs over slavery clash with Clarence’s more liberal ideals; but also with scenes featuring encounters between Bagatelle slave Brent and a racist neighbor named Percy Templeton, Mignette’s Underground Railroad activities, and a doomed romance between one of Virginia’s sons and a slave named Ivy. Yet, despite Virginia’s conservative views regarding slavery, the miniseries allowed audiences to sympathize with her through her romantic travails, the tragic deaths of her children and her post-war efforts to save Bagatelle from a slimy con artist-turned-carpetbagger named Oswald. 

If you are expecting another "GONE WITH THE WIND" or "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy, you will be disappointed. But thanks to Maurice Denuzière’s novels and the screenplay written by Dominique Fabre, Charles E. Israel and Etienne Périer; "LOUISIANA" ended up as an entertaining saga about a woman’s connections with a Louisiana plantation during the early and mid 19th century. For anyone interested in watching "LOUISIANA", you might find it extremely difficult in finding the entire miniseries (six hours) either on VHS or DVD. And it might be slightly difficult in finding an edited version as well. The last time I had seen "LOUISIANA", it aired on CINEMAX in the mid-1990s and had been edited to at least three hours. If you find a copy of the entire miniseries or the edited version, you have my congratulations.




R.I.P. Margot Kidder (1948-2018)

"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" (1940) Review

"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" (1940) Review

Whenever one conjured the image of Warner Brothers Studio during the 1930s and 40s, hard-hitting crime dramas or social commentaries come to mind. I would certainly not view melodramas - costumed or otherwise - as part of the studio's usual repertoire. Then in 1933, Hal Wallis became the studio's new production chief and eventually allowed the studio to release more films with a wider variety. And when Bette Davis became "Queen of the Lot" in the mid-to-late 1930s, the release of melodramas by Warner Brothers became more common. 

One of the melodramas associated with Davis was "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO", the 1940 movie adaptation of Rachel Fields' 1938 novel. Set in France and northeastern United States during the mid-to-late 1840s, the movie told the story of a newly hired French schoolteacher at an American school, who finds herself reliving her past experiences with a French aristocratic family to her new students gossiping over the scandal that had followed her across the Atlantic. The movie begins in 1848 United States. Mademoiselle Henriette Deluzy-Desportes has been hired as the new French instructor at a girls' school. To her dismay, she discovers that her new students are aware of the scandal that drove her out of France. Instead of resigning from the school, she decides to tell her students about her experiences with the family of the Duc de Praslin and Duchesse de Praslin. 

The movie jumps back to 1846, during the last years of the Orleans monarchy, when Henriette arrives in France, following a five-year stint as a governess for an English family. After an interview with the Duc and Duchesse, Henriette is hired to act as governess for their three daughters and son. Although Henriette endears herself to the Duc and his four children, the Duchesse seemed to resent her presence. Due to an erratic temperament and an all compassing love for her husband, the Duchesse begins to suspect that Henriette is not only stealing the love of her children, but more importantly her husband. Despite her happy relationship with the de Praslin children, Henriette is forced to deal with the Duchesse' increasingly hostile behavior, a growing awareness of the Duc's feelings for her . . . and her own feelings for him. The tensions within the family culminates in the Duchesse's brutal death, which leads to a great deal of legal problems for Henriette.

"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" proved to be a successful film, but not quite a major box office hit. I read somewhere that some at the Warner Brothers Studios blamed the movie's elaborate production designs for overwhelming the other aspects of the movie. I do not know if I could agree with this assessment. Granted, I found some of Carl Jules Weyl's art designs of 1840s France a bit grandiose - especially in scenes featuring the de Praslin household. But considering the high level of melodrama and characterization, I find this opinion a bit hard to accept. I also find it difficult to agree with this slightly negative opinion of the movie's visual style. Personally, I rather enjoyed it. I thought Weyl and his staff did an excellent job in re-creating the movie's period - 1846 to 1848 via production designs, set designs, Warren Low's editing and especially Ernest Haller's Oscar nominated cinematography. I also have to compliment Orry-Kelly's costume designs. The Australian-born designer had also created the costumes for some of Bette Davis' movie, including 1938's "JEZEBEL" and 1939's "JUAREZ". The designer could have easily been sloppy and re-used the costumes from those particular movies. Instead, Orry-Kelly created costumes that more or less accurately reflected the fashions of the mid-to-late 1840s.

While reading another review of "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO", the writer complained that he/she found it difficult to believe that a forbidden romance between a French aristocrat and his governess led to the outbreak of the Revolution of 1848 and the fall of the July Monarchy in France. Apparently, the reviewer had failed to do any research or read Rachel Field's novel. AFter all, the novel was based upon history, including Field's family background. Henriette Deluzy-Desportes (or what was her real name) was one of Field's ancestors. And from what I have read, the real scandal that surrounded the governess and the duke had a major impact on the 1848 revolution that broke out in France. But was the movie's historical background completely accurate? I honestly do not know. I would have to read more on the 1848 Revolution in France and the life of the Duc de Praslin. If I have one complaint about the movie's handling of this historical background, I do wish that Casey Robinson's screenplay could have provided more hints about the upcoming political upheaval.

Overall, I really enjoyed "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO". It is rare to come across a first-rate costume melodrama that can keep me enthralled during its entire running time. And this movie managed to achieve this, thanks to not only Robinson's screenplay, but also Anatole Litvak's steady direction. This was especially apparent in the first two-thirds of the movie that chronicled Henriette's troubles with her American students, her arrival in France and her working and personal relationships with the de Praslin family. The movie's best segment centered around the months she spent in the de Praslin family's employment. Once, Henriette is dismissed by the Duchesse de Praslin for imagined slights, the movie struggled to maintain its momentum. This last third of the film centered on Henriette's attempts to retrieve a reference from the Duchesse, the latter's violent death, the legal wranglings that surrounded the murder and the finale in the United States. And yet . . . this last third of the film dragged so much - especially the period in which Henriette was in prison - that it threatened to overshadow my enjoyment of the film. 

Aside from one particular performance, I have no problems with the movie's cast. Bette Davis gave an engrossing and subtle performance as the movie's lead character, Henriette Deluzy-Desportes. I will admit there were times I found the character a bit ideal for my liking - especially in the scenes featuring the governess and her charges. But the scenes featuring the growing love between Henriette and the Duc de Praslin and her conflicts with the Duchesse allowed Davis to superbly portray the governess more as a human being and less as a figure of feminine ideal. Charles Boyer was superb as the Duc de Praslin, a practical and loving man who found himself trapped in a marriage with a woman he no longer love. I feel it is to his credit that he could make the audience feel sympathetic toward a man who not only harbored adulterous feelings for another woman, but also murdered his wife. 

The movie also featured fine performances from a supporting cast that included Jeffrey Lynn as Henriette's future husband, the Reverend Henry Field; Harry Davenport as the de Praslin groundskeeper Pierre; Montagu Love as the Duc de Praslin's father-in-law, Marshal Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de la Porta; and Henry Daniell as Monsieur Broussais, the man charged with investigating the Duchesse's murder. "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" also benefited from excellent performances from the child actors who portrayed Henriette's charges. I was especially impressed by June Lockhart and Virginia Weidler, who portrayed the Duc and Duchesse's two older offsprings. The only performance I had trouble with Barbara O'Neil's portrayal of Frances, the Duchesse du Praslin. I realize the latter was supposed to be an emotional and possessive woman, whose selfishness left her family out in the cold. O'Neil was fine in those scenes in which she conveyed the Duchesse's coldness and attempts at indifference toward Henriette. Otherwise, her shrill rants and emotional outbursts struck me as hammy. I am surprised that O'Neil was the only cast member to earn an Academy Award nomination for acting.

I cannot say that I agree with the old criticism of the production designs for "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO". I believe the movie does suffer from some flaws that include occasional hammy acting from Barbara O'Neil and the slow pacing that nearly bogged down the third act. But Anatole Litvak's direction, along with a first-rate screenplay by Casey Robinson, excellent production designs, and superb performances from a cast led by Bette Davis and Charles Boyer have led me to regard "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" as an excellent example of a Hollywood costume melodrama at its best.

"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" (1940) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO", the 1940 adaptation of Rachel Field's 1938 novel. Directed by Anatole Litvak, the movie starred Bette Davis and Charles Boyer: 


"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" (1940) Photo Gallery

Top Ten Favorite Movies Set in the 1840s

Below is my current list of favorite movies set in the 1840s:


TOP TEN FAVORITE MOVIES SET IN THE 1840s



1. "The Heiress" (1949) - William Wyler directed this superb adaptation of Ruth and Augustus Goetz's 1947 play, which was an adaptation of Henry James' 1980 novel, "Washington Square". The movie starred Oscar winner Olivia De Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson and Miriam Hopkins.





2. "All This and Heaven Too" (1940) - Anatole Litvak co-produced and directed this excellent adaptation of Rachel Fields' 1938 novel. The movie starred Bette Davis and Charles Boyer.





3. "Half-Slave, Half-Free: The Solomon Northup Odyssey" (1984) - Avery Brooks starred in this emotional television adaptation of Solomon Northups' 1853 memoirs, "12 Years a Slave". Directed by Gordon Parks, the movie co-starred Rhetta Greene, John Saxon, Lee Bryant, Art Evans and Mason Adams.





4. "The Mark of Zorro" (1940) - Rouben Mamoulian directed this superb adaptation of Johnston McCulley's 1919 story called "The Curse of Capistrano". The movie starred Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell and Basil Rathbone.





5. "The Liberators" (1987) - Robert Carradine and Larry B. Scott starred in this Disney adventure film about Underground Railroad conductor John Fairfield and his fugitive slave friend, Bill; who escort Kentucky slaves north of the Mason-Dixon Line to freedom. Kenneth Johnson starred.





6. "The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin" (1967) - Roddy McDowall and Suzanne Pleshette starred in this Disney adaptation of Sid Fleischman's 1963 children's novel called "By the Great Horn Spoon!". James Neilson directed.





7. "Camille" (1936) - George Cukor directed this lavish adaptation of Alexandre Dumas fils' 1848 novel and 1852 play called "La Dame aux Camélias". The movie starred Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor.





8. "Cousin Bette" (1998) - Jessica Lange starred in this loose adaptation of Honoré de Balzac's 1846 novel. Although unpopular with critics and moviegoers, it is a favorite of mine. Directed by Des McAnuff, the movie co-starred Hugh Laurie, Elisabeth Shue and Kelly MacDonald.





9. "Jane Eyre" (2011) - Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender starred in the 2011 movie adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel. The movie was directed by Cary Fukunaga.





10. "12 Years a Slave" (2013) - British director Steve McQueen helmed this Oscar winning second adaptation of Solomon Northup's 1853 memoirs about the latter's experiences as a slave in the Deep South. The movie starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o and Michael Fassbender.

Top Ten Favorite Novels Set During the Antebellum Era

Below is a list of my favorite novels set during the Antebellum Era - namely the decades between the War of 1812 and the Civil War: 


TOP TEN FAVORITE NOVELS SET DURING THE ANTEBELLUM ERA



1. "North and South" (1982) by John Jakes - The first in John Jakes' trilogy about the lives of two families - the Hazards of Pennsylvania and the Mains of South Carolina - in the mid 19th century. This novel is set during the last two decades before the outbreak of the Civil War.





2. "Flashman and the Redskins" (1982) by George MacDonald Fraser - This seventh entry in George MacDonald Fraser'sFlashman Papers is about the experiences of British Army officer Harry Flashman in the American Old West, during the California Gold Rush and the mid-1870s.





3. "The Furies" (1976) by John Jakes - The third novel in John Jakes' Kent Family Chronicles is about former Boston heiress and single mother Amanda Kent, who experiences the Battle of the Alamo and the California Gold Rush, before getting caught up in the abolitionist movement in 1852 New York City.





4. "Beulah Land" (1973) by Lonnie Coleman - This first novel about the Kendrick family and their southeastern Georgia plantation, is set during the first half of the 19th century.





5. "A Woman Called Moses" (1970s) by March Heidish - This historical novel is based upon the life of former slave and Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, during the years before the Civil War.





6. "Flash For Freedom!" (1971) by George MacDonald Fraser - This third entry in George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman Paper is about Harry Flashman's experiences with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the Underground Railroad Movement during the late 1840s. Set right before "Flashman and the Redskins".





7. "Before the Darkness Falls" (1988) by Eugenia Price - This third entry of Eugenia Price's Savannah Quartet tells the story of the Browning-Latimer family and their friends during the tumultuous 1840s.





8. "Jubilee" (1966) by Margaret Walker - This novel is about the personal experiences of a bi-racial slave and her struggles to survive before, during and after the Civil War.





9. "Flashman and the Angel of the Lord" (1994) - This tenth entry in George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman Papers about the circumstances that led British Army officer Harry Flashman to become involved with abolitionist John Brown and the Harper's Ferry Raid in 1859.





10. "Swan's Chance" by Celeste De Blasis - This is the second of Celeste De Blasis' Wild Swan Trilogy about an English immigrant named Alexandra Thaine and her family's experiences during the Antebellum Era and the Civil War, in Maryland.

Favorite Films Set in Paris

Below is a list of my favorite films either set or partially set in Paris, France:


FAVORITE FILMS SET IN PARIS




1. "The Day of the Jackal" (1973) - Fred Zinnemann directed this superb adaptation of Fredrick Forsyth's novel about an assassin known only as "the Jackal", who was hired by French right-wing extremists to assassinate President Charles de Gaulle. Edward Fox portrayed the mysterious assassin.






2. "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988) - Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfieffer starred in what I believe to be the best cinematic version of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 18th century novel, "Les Liaisons dangereuses". Stephen Frears directed.






3. "Gigi" (1958) - Considered the last of MGM's musical classics, this movie adaptation of Colette's novella about a young girl trained to become a courtesan in turn-of-the-century Paris starred Leslie Caron, Louis Jordan, Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier. Vincente Minelli directed this sumptious nine-times Academy Awards winner.






4. "The Bourne Identity" (2002) - Doug Liman directed and Matt Damon starred in this second adaptation of Robert Ludlum's novel about an amnesiac attempting to discover his true identity amidst a clandestine conspiracy within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to track him down for inexplicably failing to carry out an officially unsanctioned assassination.






5. "The Three Musketeers" (1973) - Richard Lester directed this seventh or eighth (and my favorite) version of Alexander Dumas' classic adventure novel. It starred Michael York, Oliver Reed, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welsh, Richard Chamberlain, Frank Finlay, Christopher Lee, Geraldine Chaplin and Charlton Heston.






6. "French Kiss" (1995) - Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline are magic in this funny romantic comedy about a woman who flies to France to confront her straying fiancé, but gets into trouble when the charming crook seated next to her uses her for smuggling. Lawrence Kasdan directed.






7. "Ronin" (1998) - John Frankenheimer directed this exciting thriller about former special forces and intelligence agents who team up to steal a mysterious, heavily guarded suitcase, while navigating a maze of shifting loyalties and alliances. Robert DeNiro and Jean Reno starred.






8. "All This, and Heaven Too" - Bette Davis and Charles Boyer starred in this top-notch adaptation of Rachel Fields' novel about a French governess' impact upon an aristocrat and his family in the 1840s. Directed by Anatole Litvak.





9. "A Shot in the Dark" (1964) - Peter Sellers portrayed Inspector Jacques Clouseau for the second time in this hilarious adaptation of Harry Kurnitz's play about the murder of a wealthy plutocrat's chauffeur. Blake Edwards directed.






10. "The Night of the Generals" (1967) - Anatole Litvak also directed this interesting, yet flawed adaptation of Hans Hellmut Kirst's novel about a German intelligence officer's investigation of three generals who might be a serial killer of prostitutes in Nazi-occupied Warsaw and Paris.