Ridicule.1996.FRENCH.DVDRiP.XViD-WRD

Patrice Leconte in Ridicule

IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117477/

Storyline: 

The movie tells the story of a provincial baron with a scientific cast of mind. The people of his district are dying because of the pestilent waters, which breed mosquitoes and disease. He has a scheme for draining the marshes and making the land tillable. He needs the help of the king, and so he journeys to Versailles to press his case. But the king values verbal wit above all, and lives mostly to be entertained. If the baron cannot develop a savage tongue, he has no chance.

The baron, named Ponceludon de Malavoy (Charles Berling), is, like all provincials, inclined to give his rulers credit for being better than they are. In Versailles he witnesses shocking displays of public humiliation, which are all part of the game. He seems to have no chance at all, but then he is taken under the wing of the wise old Marquis de Bellegarde, played by Jean Rochefort, that tall, long-faced master of sly intrigue. ``Be witty, sharp, and malicious,'' the marquis tells him, ``and never laugh at your own jokes.'' The baron somehow stumbles into success; his honesty plays like rudeness, and he doesn't laugh because he doesn't know he has told jokes. He gains admission to court circles, where he finds that in romance, as well as politics, wordmanship is more crucial than swordsmanship.

NFO

Director: Patrice Leconte
Writers: Rémi Waterhouse (scenario), Michel Fessler (collaboration)
Genres: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Release Date: 3 April 1997
User Rating: 7.3/10 7.3/10 (3,814 votes) Language: French
Subtitles: English (Hard-subbed)

Country: France
Runtime: 102 min