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Robespierre
n. The Incorruptible: Father of the French Revolution/Architect of the Terror/Dictator/Tyrant/ Saviour of France ~ delete as personal/historical bias |
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and it is a perfect Baroness Orczy type of portrayal: soft spoken, even effeminate, cruel, arrogant yet fearful of opposition, ...a splendidly rounded portrayal" The Guardian May 5 1999 - Rob Gowland Overview - a role of a lifetime Cast: Richard E Grant The Pimpernel/Blakeney, Elizabeth McGovern Lady Blakeney Margueritte Saint-Just, Martin Shaw Chauvelin, Ronan Vibert Robespierre, Christopher Fairborn Fumier, Gerard Murphy Planchet, Ron Donachie Mazarini, John McKennery Sir William Wetherby (2) Dirs:
Patrick
Lau (1:1, 2), Edward Bennett (1:3)
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many ways, this is a role of a lifetime for Vibert, and
he nails it beautifully. By turns, he is sexless yet slightly effeminate,
frantic yet controlled, stressed yet firm and authoritative, politely threatening,
abrupt, lyrical, and always on edge -- constantly radiating
huge inner tension. He is almost unrecognisable in this part, yet it is not just because of the make-up. |
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| Related
Links:
Superb Richard E Grant site Official A&E website with interviews from the three principle Series One actors 3) http://www.incorruptible. co.uk Robespierre site por moi Excellently-written review discussing the reality of the revolution & Robespierre vs the Pimpernel Recommended:
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| Vibert's
actual portrayal -- though the character is naturally in
keeping with Orczy's treatment of Robespierre as villian -- is incredibly
detailed and completely based in historical reality. By the end of
the second series, they'd beefed up his role, and there was a lot
more tension , darkness, and excitement as a result.
It is to his credit that he incorporates The Incorruptible's many noted habits (e.g. the slight facial tic, nail-biting, and fist-clenching when stressed; blinking when unnerved, but maintaining an unbroken stare when talking to people; supreme and constant striving for control, but perfect manners and decorum) without ever becoming merely a caricature. These mannerisms are used subtly and with a great sense of timing: a good example of this can be found in the third (and best) episodes of Series One, where he briefly loses control in front of the Committee members, and and Series Two, where he collapses with physical and emotional fatigue in the courtroom. Vibert
has always been a strong vocal actor, and he captures Robespierre's high-register,
stressed, somewhat mechanical and strangely-emphasised speech pattern.
While his eye-colour must be an uncanny match for the historical Robespierre,
his face is not naturally broad enough, and for the Series 1, weight was
gained to accentuate the Chat-Tigre features of The Incorruptible.
The production of the Pimpernel
is superb: Series 1 cost approx. £5.4million, the script is witty
and action-packed, and a real effort has been made to balance Orczy
with little touches of historical accuracy. I've reviewed and detailed
each episode separately (links on left sidebar), but I'll leave an intro
quote for Martin Shaw (Chauvelin):
This was the part that floored
me, driving me to a new obsession with the Revolution in general and Robespierre
in particular.
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| My
personal Robespierrist whinge:
The only real downside to this series is that the personification of Robespierre revolves around the mistaken Victorian propagandist's view of the French Revolution that had influenced Orczy . Regardless of Ronan's quest to bring a fully-rounded, lifelike, more historically-accurate personification of Robespierre to the screen, Orczy continually presents the reader with the negative stereotype of a cowardly, vindictive, soul-less monster. Availability:
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