Impressive And Eye-Opening! Review Of Biographical Drama—Chevalier (2023)

In a flashback, we see a young, dark-skinned boy brought by his white father to a renowned music academy in Paris. It is revealed that Joseph Bologne is the illegitimate child of a plantation slave owner in Guadeloupe and his slave, Nanon. As soon as the school principal accepts Joseph, his father leaves in a horse-drawn carriage telling his son to "be excellent".

Joseph Bologne (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr) grows up to be a champion fencer, virtuoso violinist, and accomplished composer and conductor. He's anointed by Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (played by Lucy Boynton), as Chevalier de Saint-Georges, an elevated position in the queen's court. He is sought after by everyone, especially the ladies and his popularity grew. Things change when he decides to compete with Christopher Gluck, an Italian composer, for the position of director of the Paris Opera. Will he succeed against the popular Italian or will the Queen of France side with him?

Review

I give kudos to Stephen Williams, the director for an impressive job. This biographical film, the first on the life of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, is well done though some parts deviate from true events. For example, the opening scene where Joseph Bologne engages in a musical duel with Mozart is pure fiction. It never happened but most of the script is a good capture of the French elite.

I enjoyed the storytelling, cinematography, the settings, and costumes. These elements bring out the beauty in a historical or period drama and Stephen Williams did justice to them. He gives his viewers romance and passion, tragedy and heartbreaks, fights for justice and equality and of course, an amazing array of classical music.

The cast's performance is simply enthralling and excellent. The actors displayed the lifestyle and prejudices common in France at that time.
Kelvin Harrison Jr does an impressive job of bringing the Chevalier to life. He splendidly embodies the role of a black man who excels in music and art, rises to the upper echelon of the French society despite the prevalent racial and political troubles of that time. It's like he's born for the role. His chemistry with his fellow actors is smooth. Lucy Boynton is convincing as Marie Antoinette.

Some moving scenes touched me such as when Joseph learns that his love interest, Marie-Josephine de Montalembert (played by Samara Weaving) gives birth to a dark-skinned baby and her husband kills the baby. I'm reminded of the injustice and heartlessness that existed then because of the difference in skin colour.

One thing I noticed though is that the display of racism is a bit soft. I've seen films where a black man is lynched simply for looking at a white woman in a lustful manner. According to history, there was bloody violence whenever racism is involved but this film depicts such a situation lightly.

A part of the costume I find amusing is the use of wigs. Do they never get tired of wearing them? I think it's laudable that Stephen Williams presents the wig as a symbol or a form of transformation for Joseph Bologne. It's a symbol of aristocracy but when the queen turns her back on Joseph, he leaves the wig behind and proudly displays his cornrows as he joins the revolution.

Overall, this film is worth watching if only to understand pre-revolutionary France and know more about Joseph Bologne. I'll give it 4.4 stars out of 5. Note that this film is rated PG-13 for sex scenes, strong language and violence.

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^{Other images are screenshots from the movie}