In France, a group of free thinkers, led by the philosopher and writer Denis Diderot have been working to produce the first ever encyclopedia and bring enlightenment and knowledge to their fellow Frenchmen. With the authorities placing an order to stop the spread of this evil work, Diderot is forced to hide the printing presses underground at his mansion as he tries to finish his work. It is a wonder though, that he can write at all, as his freedom brings him a spread of women wanting 'liberation'. He is fine with promoting this way of thinking until his own daughter starts to explore her sexuality with feelings towards an older man. A visit by the Cardinal causes some delay but Baroness d'Holbach tries to keep him busy throughout his visit while the work continues to get the book out.
Without any knowledge of this film I sat to watch it and immediately realized that this was a typically bawdry French comedy that does what that description suggests by being colourful, full of raucous dialogue, sexual innuendo and nudity. Unfortunately this takes what could have been an interesting historical film with a comic tone and makes it a sort of unfunny Carry On film full of gratuitous nudity, unfunny comedy and drama/characters that totally fail to keep the audience involved in these comic japes that really lack heart. The story is so spoilt by crude excess that it is never interesting or involving and gradually turns into a very boring series of sexual japes. There is a serious side in there somewhere but it is badly treated and badly handled and it just doesn't work when placed in the middle of so much crude innuendo. If it were funny then it would be at least a bit better but it isn't funny and it doesn't have the 'Gallic sexual energy' that it clearly wants to have.
The cast all gallop around with the necessary amount of bawdry behaviour and 'huh-huh-huh' French energy but none of them can do more than just mess around in the same manner as Sid James and Barbara Windsor were doing decades ago. Perez is nice to look at but without a character he does just play the sort of lead character in Carry On movies attempts to deal with issues around his daughter are poor since the film is more interested in getting her naked in a bath than anything else. Of course there will be those who find the sight of Audrey Tautou and Vahina Giocante naked in a bath of milk to be a pleasing one, but a bit more actual acting would have been nice too. Balasko is the worst example of Carry On hamming and her whole performance was poor. Ardant was interesting as she was more serious but her nice touches are lost in the material. Overall the whole cast is poor, although I don't blame them so much as the misjudged tone of crude humour running throughout the whole film.
Overall this is a poor film that will only appeal to those who like their French films to just be a load of sexual innuendo and cliché bawdry behaviour in period clothes. Historical interests and conflicts within the characters are all there but lost below a load of nudity and Carry On style japes. Sid James must be looking down from smut heaven with pleasure but for me I would have liked a bit more structure, drama or laughs (even one of the three would have done. But maybe I'm just missing the point of this film.
Without any knowledge of this film I sat to watch it and immediately realized that this was a typically bawdry French comedy that does what that description suggests by being colourful, full of raucous dialogue, sexual innuendo and nudity. Unfortunately this takes what could have been an interesting historical film with a comic tone and makes it a sort of unfunny Carry On film full of gratuitous nudity, unfunny comedy and drama/characters that totally fail to keep the audience involved in these comic japes that really lack heart. The story is so spoilt by crude excess that it is never interesting or involving and gradually turns into a very boring series of sexual japes. There is a serious side in there somewhere but it is badly treated and badly handled and it just doesn't work when placed in the middle of so much crude innuendo. If it were funny then it would be at least a bit better but it isn't funny and it doesn't have the 'Gallic sexual energy' that it clearly wants to have.
The cast all gallop around with the necessary amount of bawdry behaviour and 'huh-huh-huh' French energy but none of them can do more than just mess around in the same manner as Sid James and Barbara Windsor were doing decades ago. Perez is nice to look at but without a character he does just play the sort of lead character in Carry On movies attempts to deal with issues around his daughter are poor since the film is more interested in getting her naked in a bath than anything else. Of course there will be those who find the sight of Audrey Tautou and Vahina Giocante naked in a bath of milk to be a pleasing one, but a bit more actual acting would have been nice too. Balasko is the worst example of Carry On hamming and her whole performance was poor. Ardant was interesting as she was more serious but her nice touches are lost in the material. Overall the whole cast is poor, although I don't blame them so much as the misjudged tone of crude humour running throughout the whole film.
Overall this is a poor film that will only appeal to those who like their French films to just be a load of sexual innuendo and cliché bawdry behaviour in period clothes. Historical interests and conflicts within the characters are all there but lost below a load of nudity and Carry On style japes. Sid James must be looking down from smut heaven with pleasure but for me I would have liked a bit more structure, drama or laughs (even one of the three would have done. But maybe I'm just missing the point of this film.