Chevalier – The Most Underrated Film of 2023
***MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD***
Chevalier has been out for more than a year now, and I am yet to hear much about this amazing film.
Chevalier follows the rise of an illegitimate son of an African slave and plantation owner in French society, complete with a love affair and a falling out with Marie Antoinette.
Joseph Bologne was named the Chevalier De Saint-Georges at 17 years old, and his compositions and symphonies were admired by the likes of Mozart, who is likely to have copied the Chevalier’s work. So, why hadn’t I heard of him. Well, I am not an avid listener of classical music, or all that interested in classical musicians. However, I have heard of and am familiar with Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin and Debussy to name a mere few. So the question still stands, why had I not heard of Joseph Bologne. Simple, he was black and the son of a slave. His impressive nature and almost mythical status was erased. Napoleon had reinstated the French colonies in 1802 and in turn, went to great lengths in order to erase the Chevalier De Saint-Georges from history.
The film itself could be labelled a biopic, a lot of what we see in the film is true, the man was real. Yet, due to a lack of information about him specifically at the time, a lot of this film has pieced together what we know, and what we think may have happened. The screenwriter Stefani Robinson and director Stephen Williams seemed to want to give Joseph Bologne the rock star status that he deserves. And I think that’s what I love about this film. Finally able to shed the moniker “The Black Mozart” Joseph Bologne gets his due.
Kelvin Harrison Jr who plays our virtuoso violinist, composer and fencer, had limited prior knowledge of his character before going into this film. But his performance is enchanting. I feel that we first learn of the legend that is the Chevalier, before we get to know the man who is Joseph Bologne.
The film opens with Joseph Bologne challenging Mozart to a violin duel. Though this may not have happened, the scene itself is an incredible opener. We automatically open with drama, and we see Mozart and the audience underestimate Bologne. He challenges Mozart and not only does he hold his own, but he outplays Mozart. Kelvin Harrison Jr plays Bologne well, with only a few lines in this opener, he shows us the Chevalier’s talent, his confidence and competitiveness. He seems the underdog, having first introduced Mozart in this scene, and he becomes someone that you’re rooting for.
Set in the late 1700’s, talks of revolution spur within the film. We get tastes of how people lived, the poverty and the uproar. We also see the internal battle that Joseph Bologne struggles with. While he believes himself “an excellent Frenchman”, he is always reminded of his race, if not outright told. He attempts to not stir the pot of revolution despite some of the ‘radicals’ ideals aligning with his own. Kelvin Harrison Jr is captivating at every turn.
Samara Weaving plays Marie-Josephine beautifully. Her and Joseph engage in an affair that ends up becoming an entirely tense ordeal, one that strikes up many emotions when watching. But the relationship which I believe drives the story is the one between Joseph and his mother, played by Ronkę Adékoluęjo, it’s motional and transcendent. Watching the two struggle with each other was interesting and quite hard as well. But ultimately grips you.
The heart of this film has to be the score. Featuring music from the Chevalier himself the already emotionally charged movie becomes something of a tear jerker, each scene’s tone is personified with the track, and every feeling is enhanced.
The costume and set design was immaculate. I’m no historian but the film felt authentic to late 18th century France. Some sets being quite beautiful, while all of the dresses and wigs felt lavish.
The only downside to this film is the runtime. For me I feel like we could have sat with some things. There were montages that could’ve been scenes. And overall the story was so good that it makes you want to stick with him for much longer than you do.
Overall, a mesmerising film. An unforgettable watch “Spectacular. Bold.” The performances from Kelvin Harrison Jr, Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton and Ronkę Adékoluęjo were passionate and powerful. Truly an untold story, that deserves to be shouted about. As does Joseph Bologne.
4.8/5
