I interviewed Kelvin Harrison Jr. a few years back and told him he was my favorite young actor. So I was thrilled he was cast to play composer Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a loyal subject in the court of Queen Marie Antionette (Lucy Boynton). It’s incredible to realize that there is this musical genius that nobody knows anything about; although when I Googled, I found that three very powerful scenes in the movie were completely fictionalized. That includes the interesting opening scene where Bologne heckles Mozart on stage, jumps up and plays his symphony better than he does in a dueling banjos type of scene that we just saw a few years ago with Peter Dinklage in Cyrano (which also starred Harrison). Another thing made up for the movie was a composing rival who is vying for a spot to run the Paris Opera, was actually the person that trained Bologne for years and in real life, it seems they were on friendly terms. I won’t spoil the third thing, as it’s rather powerful when it does happen in the film (even if fictionalized for effect).
The movie was only an hour and 45 minutes and at times it felt like it was in a hurry to get through it all.
It’s interesting to watch Bologne go from being the child of his rich, French plantation owner father and enslaved mother (Ronke Adekoluejo) to a ritzy school in France. He becomes accomplished with his fencing skills, defeating the top man. He’s also been a child prodigy when it came to music (it’s what got him into the school, despite the racist headmaster).
I’m guessing in real life, Bologna wasn’t as tight with the Queen as portrayed here, but it worked, as we watch them talk about how the Paris Opera has grown a bit stagnant in its artistry and how he can change that. When Bologne sees Marie-Josephine (Samara Weaving) singing at an event, he’s found his muse. Her husband is the older Marquis de Montalemberg (Martin Csokas). He thinks if women sing in the opera, they’re merely whores. We can also tell that he’s rather violent. Do we think that will keep Bologne from falling for his wife? Sure, this has the usual biopic and period piece tropes, but it’s still an enjoyable watch.
The sets and costumes are fine, as were the wigs (that’s a phrase I’ve never used in a review before). Some purists might be bothered by the fact that they’re speaking English, or that some have British accents; or that they wouldn’t be speaking in the modern style they were.
Overall though, it’s an interesting introduction to someone that was forgotten because of racism and other things. It’s a shame that so much of his work was lost (you can read why at the end of the movie).
Composer Kris Bowers, whose work was so brilliant in Green Book, provided a lovely score for this film as well.
3 stars out of 5.