2023 is shaping up to be a spectacular year for films, with films like Creed 3, John Wick 4, 65, Air, and more taking cinematic experience to the next level. This Friday, cinemagoers had a great choice held in front of them – watch Beau is Afraid or Chevalier?
I’ve already covered Joaquin Phoenix’s wacky film, but I’m itching to talk about Kelvin Harrison Jr.’s Chevalier too! The 2023 biographical drama, directed by Stephen Williams, opens up the tale of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, to a broader audience.
The movie consisted of stunning performances by Harrison Jr., accompanied by other cast members, including Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton, Marton Csokas, Alex Fitzalan, and Minnie Driver. The April release has already acquired generally positive reviews and had a good opening day at theaters as well.
Joseph Bologne was once a celebrated musician and composer in Marie Antoinette’s court in 18th-century France. But after a falling out with the queen, the Black fencer realized his musical talents would never outdo the racist policies set to pull him and his community down.
A celebration of music and love with undertones of bigoted selectivity quickly turned into a tale of sadness, revolution against a discriminatory monarch, and a rise in the enslaved community to fight for equal standing. That’s exactly what the movie’s end denotes after Chevalier holds a fundraiser concert to unite the Black community in a show of solidarity.
In the film, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, first served in the court of Marie Antoinette and had a friendly relationship with the queen – I mean, you have to have one to visit the opera together.
But then, in a moment, his eyes opened to how different the world is for a man like him. He was denied the winner’s position at a competition due to his race. His so-called friend and queen greenlit racist policies that ensured men like him would never be able to enjoy even the base of society’s luxuries – that’s when the musician changed his tune.
He went deeper into his music and engaged more in his marginalized community, trying to find a way to mix the two and rise against the society that shunned them. His last performance in the film was the crescendo of his journey to break out from the rules of a society that aimed to trample him under the white man’s boot.
In the end, Marc Rene, Marie-Josephine’s husband who killed their love child, had to back down from killing the musician as he played the final notes of his concert. Why? Because he knew making Chevalier a martyr would only antagonize the crowd to bring about revolution earlier than expected.
The renowned Chevalier’s music barely made it out of history, no thanks to Napoleon. Still, Chevalier’s musical acts of rebellion sparked the fire in France’s hearts to rise against the queen, who was sent to the noose after the French Revolution.
I might say this often, but that doesn’t mean I don’t say it from the heart – you should definitely give this film a watch! After you do, drop your comments about the fiery revolution that Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, brought to France.
About Chevalier
Chevalier s a 2022 American biographical drama film directed by Stephen Williams and written by Stefani Robinson. It is based on the life of the titular French-Caribbean musician Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
The rise and resurgence of Chevalier de Saint-Georges, who rose to fame through his musical prodigy. But a complicated love life and the racism of the ancien régime lead to a falling out with Marie Antoinette, and Saint-Georges realizes that things must change.
The film stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton, Marton Csokas, Alex Fitzalan, and Minnie Driver.
Source: Searchlighpictures
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