Angelique: The Road to Versailles
Short description
After her husband is burned at the stake, Angélique finds refuge among the criminals of Paris, led by her childhood friend Nicolas. When a rival gang attacks, Nicolas gives his life so she can escape. Determined to recover her position and avenge those who brought about her downfall, she rescues her children and builds a business of her own, only to see it destroyed by drunken noblemen. The scandal reaches Louis XIV at Versailles, and the king offers her compensation that allows her to rise again and marry her noble cousin Philippe de Plessis-Bellières. The second entry in the series adapted from Anne and Serge Golon's novels.
Bernard Borderie directed, as he had the 1964 Angelique, with Claude Brulé and Francis Cosne sharing the screenplay. Michèle Mercier again plays Angélique, alongside Claude Giraud, Jean Rochefort, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Giuliano Gemma and Jacques Toja as the king, among a credited cast of thirty-four. Made between Rocambole and the two later Angelique films, it was a French, Italian and German co-production.
Worldwide takings of about 10 million dollars indicate the series drew substantial audiences in its day. Ratings sit at 6.5 from 2,000 votes on IMDb and 6.6 from 131 votes on TMDB, suggesting viewers rate it favourably but without enthusiasm.
What's left behind the scenes
- Giuliano Gemma, who played Nicolas, worked as a firefighter in Rome in his youth; his military specialty was sapper.
- During the filming of this series, Michele Mercier was involved in divorce proceedings. Upon completion of filming, she felt so depleted that the director considered inviting Ursula Andress or Claudia Cardinale for subsequent work.
- A film adaptation of the second book, "The Road to Versailles," from the series of novels about Angélique, written by Anne and Serge Golon.
- The film was released in Soviet cinemas under the title "Angélique in Fury."
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