In France in 1719, the regent Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe Noiret governs as a refined, gentle, and libertine figure who longs to keep his subjects cultured and content, mostly to prevent uprisings among the peasants, even as he recognizes that his real royal authority is limited. To steer affairs, he relies on the shrewd, atheistic priest Guillaume Dubois—an amoral figure who cares for himself above all else—who is embodied on screen by the venerable Jean Rochefort as Abbot Dubois. The film grounds its drama in a richly drawn court life while hinting at the fragility of power beneath the opulence.
The narrative opens with a grisly autopsy: Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, Duchess of Berry and the Regent’s elder daughter, dies on 21 July 1719 after a life lived in excess and secrecy. The remains reveal that she was again pregnant, a finding that shocks and unsettles the Regent, who is already grappling with the fragility of his world. The Duchess, famously rumored to have entangled herself in scandalous affairs, is presented in stark medical detail, and her death becomes a personal blow to Philippe II, shaking his confidence in the moral order he tries to maintain.
Into this tense atmosphere, a Breton squire named Pontcallec raises a rebellion, challenging the established hierarchy and forcing the Regent to confront the limits of his authority and the anger of a disenfranchised populace. Pontcallec and his band of revolutionaries are ultimately crushed, and Philippe II’s decision to execute them reveals the brutal costs of maintaining control in a fractured society. The political crisis exposes the Chancellor-like maneuvering of Dubois, who seeks to advance his own power by using the unrest and the ensuing famine to press a bid to become archbishop—a bid that underscores how opportunistic ambition can ride the tides of social upheaval.
As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that genuine happiness for the realm will remain elusive until the peasants are freed from aristocratic domination. The film traces how the court’s rituals, indulgences, and politics shape the fortunes of both rulers and those who live under their rule, painting a nuanced portrait of a society on the edge of change. In the background, the production draws on the music of the real Philippe d’Orléans, enriching the texture of a world where art and power intersect.
The film casts a large tapestry of figures who populate this historical moment, with notable portrayals that anchor the narrative in its era: the rebellious Pontcallec Jean-Pierre Marielle leads the uprising, the Burghers and courtiers move through salons and kitchens in equal measure, and the tragedy and intrigue swirl around the Regent and his closest confidants. The result is a vivid, immersive portrait of early 18th-century life at court—a world of elegance and danger, where every appointment, every decision, and every death reverberates through the marble halls as well as the peasants’ fields.
