Chicot the Jester
About Chicot the Jester
At the court of Henri III, courtiers smile and wait to replace the king with his brother, the Duc d'Anjou. Chicot, the jester, is the one man who will tell Henri the truth. Ordered to arrest the Comte de Bussy, Chicot tears up the warrant and sends Bussy to the castle of Baron de Méridor, whose daughter Diane loves him. The king's men waylay Bussy inside her gates. The Comte de Monsoreau has Diane kidnapped and marries her before Chicot can stop it.
Cast & crew
More about Chicot the Jester
Émile Chautard directed the Éclair feature from Alexandre Dumas's novel La Dame de Monsoreau. The French release title is La Dame de Monsoreau. A listing gives the running time as 59 minutes and a French theatrical date of November 28, 1913.
Themes
Making
Éclair staged Dumas's court intrigue as a feature-length silent, with the jester rather than the king carrying the point of view.
Notes
- Credits list Victor Perny as Chicot, Paul Guidé as Henri III, Henri Bosc as the Comte de Bussy, and Marie-Louise Derval as Diane de Méridor.
- It is a later film version of the same novel already filmed in 1909 as The Lady of Monsoreau.
- Chicot's job in the story is the one person at court allowed to say what the others hide.
Scenes
- Chicot rips up the king's order for Bussy's arrest.
- The king's men take Bussy inside Diane's gates.
- Monsoreau marries Diane before Chicot can reach them.
Influenced by
- Alexandre Dumas's novel La Dame de Monsoreau
