CHEVALIER (2023)

An Unnecessarily Long Analysis on Chevalier: The Trailer

joseph bologne, otherwise known as the chevalier de saint-george/s, was, to put it in simple terms, a badass. i have done months worth of research on this man, including out-of-town trips throughout my state to obtain archived materials and the only (and outrageously expensive) book written about him (the chevalier de saint-georges: virtuoso of the sword and the bow by gabriel banat). ive been beyond excited for chevalier, a movie coming out on april 21st, which explores his life. but, the more and more i watch this trailer and think about it, the more inaccurate it's seeming to be. now, to preface, im not a critic, i havent seen the movie early, im just a person who knows an unnecessary amount about him so now im going to share (also i am going off memory alone, though i am pretty damn confident in my ability to remember everything chronologically)

to give a very short rundown, joseph, born in guadeloupe in 1745, was born to a wealthy plantation owner, his father, and his enslaved mother. after a few years, (and his fathers murder conviction, which he fled from before he could be beheaded,) his father's wife brought him and his mother to france where his father had fled to. his father enrolled him in the best schools, particularly a fencing academy where he was taught by nicolas texier de la boëssière. throughout his time there, and presumably before, he also studied and played the violin. his talent was utterly clear to anyone who watched him, whether it be fencing or playing, and he even came to surpass his fencing teachers

fencing was what originally got him in with the likes of france's higher-up society members, both fencing for and with them. this didn't turn out to be his primary passion, though. fencing, composing, and anything of the sort was what he focused most of his time on. by the age of 24 he took over gossec's concert des amateurs, and had plenty of a presence in the musical scene. despite being mixed, he was able to establish himself within many communities, including with royalty (he taught and worked with marie antoinette for a considerable amount of time). he was actually met with very little resistance because of his talent, but when it came to more sophisticated positions and opportunities, there were setbacks. most notably, he applied to lead the paris opera, to which many members said they would quit because they wouldn't work for a man "like him," to which he withdrew his application

this is not where he stops, of course. he continues on to write operas, concertos, and any other compositional piece he put his mind to (as well as fencing on the side)

with his royal connections, he also became good acquaintances with prince philippe, duke of orléans. eventually (and after a shit ton of events that i dont have time to get into), through this connection, he gets involved in the french revolution (bc of course he would). due to racist laws of the time, he was put with an an all-black legion that he lead as colonel, which is later renamed to la legion saint-georges because of his astounding leadership and skill (he was still doing concerts and shit on the side btw)

his revolution career came to an end when he was falsely accused of misappropriating funds and jailed for a period of time because of it. after that, he eventually went back to making music until he died in 1799

okay, i know that was a lot, but trust me thats just scratching the surface of his life. now, to get into the actual reason im here:

this trailer, for the movie about his life, is, from what i can see, at least partial bullshit

their biggest point, and the opening scene according to the reviews that have been published so far, is of him interrupting a mozart concert. throughout the sources that are available about him, researches are adamant that he never interacted or was in direct competition with mozart. from what i can tell, hes about 19-23 in this, meaning he hasnt taken over the concert des amateurs yet. this also means that mozart can be no older than 12 years old. yes he was a prodigy, but even in the trailer they look the same age. like how tf are you going to base your MAIN EVENT. YOUR SELLING POINT. THE FIRST THING ON SCREEN. on something completely fictional. also, if mozart is an adult by then, joseph was well established and already assisted in creating a whole new genre, one which mozart eventually took inspiration from

also, from everything else ive seen, theres a significant focus on the singular relationship we know about in his life. yes okay it was a part of his life, and yes theyre trying to make it sell, but it had nothing to do with his success

now you might be asking, so? its a movie? who gives a shit? and i see you. i understand it. no matter how much i tear it apart im still excited about it bc theyre acknowledging him at all. im literally going to see it the week it comes out. but. but, theyre claiming to be telling an untold, true story, when they're clearly dramatizing a large majority of it. listen, im not entirely stupid, i know this is how movies work, but my god is it driving my crazy that this is going to be his "reintroduction" to the modern world

listen, they didnt do everything wrong. i dont have context for a majority of it, but from what i can tell the rest of the events are more or less plausible. im also beyond happy that he is being represented in the masses for the first time since his death, and being recognized at all. im hoping this sparks more research about him, especially more attainable research (seriously the only book about him is available for no less than $300 and for what????)

also, i also understand that this is only 2 minutes of the entire movie. yes you should also know i have watched it over 30 times since it came out (hyperfixation at its finest <3), but i understand this is just barely a glimpse at it. im going to of course do a full update when the movie comes out, but for now this is what i have to say. please, if you go see (for the love of god if this has taught you anything go see it), know that the movie is probably not going to be a great representation of his true story (and hopefully look into some more research about him)

An absolute crime that more people aren't going to see Chevalier before it leaves theatres. We're in a cost of living crisis and people aren't going to support a film about a mixed race man who helped start the French revolution?? What a missed opportunity. This is exactly the sort of movie that needs crowd support. It was so good. Only issue is it could have been twice the length and I'd have still been engrossed

More of Cher at the Chevalier premiere in LA last night❤️

I watched Chevalier a few weeks ago and I still can't get over my overwhelming disappointment with it.

It wasn't fun-bad like Jeanne du Barry and I'm not sure how to review it except to say that it seemed to make a pointed effort to avoid almost every single fascinating and poignant and relevant thing about its subject in favour of the blandest love story I've ever had the displeasure of seeing on screen.

:/

A huge barrier to the enjoyment of the story is its assumption that we already have context of these historical figures and events.

Chevalier is a 2022 American biographical drama film directed by Stephen Williams and written by Stefani Robinson. The film also stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., with Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton, Marton Csokas, Alex Fitzalan, and Minnie Driver.

Hey! I would love it if you would check out the podcast my friend and I started. We discuss the true stories behind some of favorite (and not so favorite) movies. We have covered movies like Jennifer’s Body, Spotlight, Wolf of Wallstreet, and Chevalier!!

guys. chevalier is a freaking good movie. more thoughts abt it later.

Chevalier out on Hulu now and other stuff on the podcast

CHEVALIER (2023) → Costume Design by Oliver Garcia

brainrots still going strong dw

sinfonie liberté part 1 & 2 by michael abels

anyway here's my absolute fav scene from the entire movie (chevalier). i am not a goodbumps from a movie type of person but the entire scene got me so,,

I didn't even know there was a Chevalier movie. Did they even bother to promote this movie?

I had seen a couple of trailers for it as adverts on youtube so there was definitely a little promotion - it's more than I've seen for the Disney elementals movie for instance. But also that might just be because I was the targeted audience or whatever. It's a shame because it's such an important film and the people behind it were so passionate about it!!

Cher at the Chevalier premiere tonight? in LA ❤️❤️❤️

So today I watched Chevalier, the biographical film about the 18th century Black composer Chevalier Saint Georges. He was not only a talented composer and violinist but also a skilled fencer. He was the illegitimate son of a white Frenchman and a Haitian slave woman, but briefly gained status & fame with his talents until the French Revolution began. It's a great film and if you need any convincing to watch it, check out the opening scene where he has a violin duel with Mozart

His immense talent was paired with charming character traits designed to attract attention. In fact, he befriended Marie Antoinette, who gave him a knighthood while he was just a teenager. No surprise, amid his white French peers, he became a target both for admiration and near-lethal envy.