DANTON (1083)

In this French/Polish production, Georges Danton (Gerard Depardieu), a hero of the French Revolution, returns to Paris in 1793 to confront Maxim Robespierre (Wojciech Psoniak), who has imposed a Reign of Terror on France, with heads rolling every day. Danton--bumptious, charismatic, undisciplined--thinks he has "the people" with him. Robespierre--steely, focused, but physically ill for all the blood he's causing to flow--is determined to hold onto power. Both cite "revolutionary principles," both violate them "in the name of the people." In the end, "the people," thoroughly sick of the revolution's excesses, fail to keep Danton from the guillotine. Robespierre cowers under his bedsheet (he lost his head only a few months later). Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Depardieu and Psoniak are brilliant in their roles. The filming is a triumph, evoking the squalor, the luxury and the anarchy of revolutionary France. Many unforgettable scenes. The costumes are stunning, bizarre and (according to scholars) totally authentic. No doubt about it: this is a great movie.