17th Century France brings to mind a number of words, opulence, beauty, indulgence, but it was also when the Palace of Versailles and its gardens blossomed under the reign of Louix XIV and the design and construction of André Le Nôtre. But in this film with some slight tweaks on the truth, we meet Sabine De Barra who brings her own influences into Le Notre’s work and the gardens themselves.
André Le Nôtre (Matthias Schoenaerts) has been commissioned by King Louix XIV (Alan Rickman) to work on the Gardens at the Palace of Versailles. In order for some of these works to be completed on time, Le Nôtre recruits the assistance of Sabine De Barra (Kate Winslet) to help with one particular feature, the Rock Garden and outdoor ballroom. Initially Le Nôtre is reluctant to De Barra’s ideas due to her somewhat forward-thinking style but soon he comes to appreciate that “a little chaos” may just be what is needed to provide an innovative new look to the gardens.
Firstly you need to enter into this film accepting that the script written by Alison Deegan, Jeremy Brock and directed by Alan Rickman has taken some liberties with the truth. In that the character of Sabine De Barra is a completely fictional entity, while Le Notre and King Louix XIV are very real. However it’s through her eyes, and her struggles that we are given an entrance into this world of 17th Century France. She is portrayed as someone who is an outsider, since she isn’t of noble birth, not to mention being a female landscaper, yet she’s given an opportunity to work on the gardens and even invited to the Court to meet with the King himself. Despite De Barra being initially met with contempt by her male and female peers, the men disregarding her abilities and the women thinking that she ought to be involved in more feminine vocations; De Barra continues on. Her relationship with Le Notre begins as one of admiration but he also seems a little rigid towards her. But as the work continues he soon grows to admire De Barra’s tenacity and her passion for her job and they develop a somewhat messy romantic involvement courtesy of Le Notre’s socialite wife Madame Francoise Le Notre (Helen McRory) and De Barra’s widow status and her inability to let go of her past.
What this film lacks in truth though is made up for in visual beauty. This is nothing short of sumptuous and gorgeous. The costumes, dresses, wigs and then of course there’s the sets and locations. All of these add up to a stunningly beautiful film to watch that truly encapsulates the lavish lifestyles of the rich and elite and the court in 17th Century France. With costumes by Joan Bergin (The Tudors) and Ivana Primorac managing the hair and make-up they combined historical references from 17th Century French art and tried to add small modern contemporary nuances so as not to make it too overwhelming. Then there’s the sets and locations that were surprisingly all sourced in Britain, including Blenheim Palace, Waddesdon Manor, Hampton Court Palace and Ashridge Park. All of these shot in such a way to make them appear like the gardens and Palace of Versailles Overall this is a visually attractive piece to watch.
On the other hand the performances from our leads are mixed and slightly less appealing. Kate Winslet manages to convey that strong independent woman vibe but this is dragged down by her repeated “hauntings” that eventually reveal the death of her husband and daughter. This along with her struggles to be accepted by her female peers at court and the bitchy Madame Le Notre hating on her seem like a little overkill and just too much for one character to endure. Mattias Schoenaerts fares even worse with his brooding portrayal but it’s more the lack of chemistry between him and Winslet that causes the most awkwardness onscreen. Also the fact that we’re shown he’s stuck in a loveless marriage with a wife who dictates the rules of their open marriage makes it feel like he’s a bit spineless. Rickman is his usual stoic self but he still manages to look fabulous whilst wearing all that pompous costuming. One scene he has with Winslet in particular where they share a secluded relaxed chat where De Barra mistakes the King for a fellow gardener is probably the highlight. Then we’re treated to Stanley Tucci playing the King’s bisexual brother with his cliché flair but his time onscreen is fleeting. All in all they’re good, but not quite great in their roles.
We traverse a number of themes in A Little Chaos, including feminism, politics, relationships, infidelity and depression. Oddly though it’s the fact that the film doesn’t seem to focus on any one in particular that is probably the let-down. I would’ve enjoyed it more if they had focused on De Barra’s feminist struggles to compete in a clearly patriarchal society and less on trying to have her and Le Notre hook up. This could’ve drawn parallels along her inventive work in the gardens as being a struggle to go against Le Notre’s own symmetrical and unyielding designs. This is hardly a think piece, Winslet, the costumes, and sets, are the highlights here and if you want something that is a little light and fluffy then this will suffice.
Review Score: TWO AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Running Time: 116 minutes
A Little Chaos is screening in Australian cinemas from 26th March 2015 through Transmission Films
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