Today, I am reviewing "Danton," a French film from 1983, starring Gérard Depardieu in the title role of Danton, Polish actor Wojciech Pszoniak as Maximilien Robespierre, and Patrice Chéreau as Camille Desmoulins. This was a highly regarded movie that, I feel, brings the days and some of the horrors of the excesses of the French Revolution - and particularly the days of "The Terror" to life. This movie is based on actual historical events, yet it is not stuffy or boring, as some such movies sometimes gain a reputation for being.
Georges Danton was a real historical figure, of course. He was a popular leader of the age, and kept flirting with outright retirement from politics, leaving Paris during those tumultuous – and dangerous – days of peak tensions during the Revolution. Danton returned to Paris, of course, but he had to try and figure out a delicate balance. At the time, Robespierre was pretty much in charge, and he and St. Just were advocating a sort of purification of the Revolution by terror, quite literally. According to them, the only way to truly preserve the ideals of the movement was through virtue, and virtue could only be truly gained through terror, by literally eliminating those accused of counterrevolutionary efforts, and scaring the rest. It was to serve as a warning for those who stood in the way of Robespierre’s vision.
Danton and Robespierre had been political allies earlier, but by this point, that may as well have been ancient history. Marat, who had called for 100,000 heads (quite literally) had himself been killed just months earlier, and there had been a kind of pseudo-religious movement to make him into a martyr of the movement. Robespierre and St. Just spoke loftily of their goals, although there were clearly political considerations and shrewd calculations going on behind the scenes, as well.
By this point, Danton and Camille Desmoulins themselves, both former allies of Robespierre, were not regarded as dangerous rivals worthy only of elimination. But this was more difficult than it may have seemed, because Danton was a very popular figure. He had the gift of wonderful oratory, and often was able to make fools of political enemies. Danton had looked at what was going on in Robespierre’s Revolution, with the seemingly maddening killings, often on very trumped up charges, and he decided to put his neck out. Quite literally, as it turns out, because it would literally cost him his life.
This is not a spoiler alter, because after all, these are historical events. Anyone familiar with this admittedly morbidly fascinating chapter in French history knows what happened to Danton, and in fact, what would happen to Robespierre himself. Both would wind up facing what was referred to as "le Rasoir National" {the national razor), which we know as the guillotine, within just weeks of one another. Among Danton’s last words was regret that he was going before Robespierre.
I am struck by how much of a horror feel this movie has at times. The music would not feel out of place in class horror movies, including “The Shining,” which came out only a couple of years or so before this move came out. The imagery is dark at times to accompany the music, giving the horror feel some measure of justification. This is especially true of the first minutes of the movie, in which we see the glimpse of the guillotine. Remember, this takes place during the peak days of The Terror of the French Revolution.
The horror feel of this movie may seem strange for a movie that purports to portray historical events. Again, though, these were not normal times. The historical episode is known as “The Terror” for a reason, and it was known as such even then. There were rationalizations, justifications, and so on. But one way or the other, it was about eliminating as many perceived “enemies of the state” as possible, something that had never happened before, although we certainly have seen such episodes in history since. Indeed, these were terrifying times, and so the horror music is not entirely out of place.
Also, the French Revolution was unraveling from what had been a very promising start. It was not bloodless from early on, but it clearly was growing ever more violent as it went along. The death of Danton, who had been a true revolutionary, but had been accused and ultimately convicted of conspiracy to undermine the revolution that he was so instrumental in bringing about to begin with, among other charged, marked a de facto end to Robespierre’s hopes for a successful revolution. Ultimately, this clearly is the movie’s position, uttered outright. Robespierre had boxed himself in. He felt that Danton needed to be eliminated, and so he orchestrated his arrest, and then set up a mock trial in which the outcome was predetermined. But this was a misstep. Robespierre felt that the Revolution could not continue with Danton, and so he effectively had him eliminated. Yet in so doing, he brought about his own demise, by killing a popular figure, and undermining his own credibility and legitimacy.
It is a brilliant and entertaining movie that shows a chess match of sorts between two revolutionary masters. Again, it feels quite suspenseful at times, and the horror feel fits the narrative when it is used. It also helps you to really hone in and pay attention, much like the music in a typical horror movie will clue the viewer in to pay attention, because something bad is about to happen.
In this case, the bad thing, or the murder, if you will, was of whatever positives had been achieved in the name of the Revolution. By this point, it had spiraled entirely out of control, become a blood bath. Danton himself points this out in the movie, suggesting that the tyranny seen during The Terror was worse than what had existed before the Revolution broke out in the first place.
This is a solid movie that should appeal to any history buffs, and anyone who has an interest particularly in France and in the French Revolution in particular, or in what can go wrong with revolutionary movements more generally. It is well-directed and well-acted, and will keep you entertained, while also showing one of the most explosive chapters in history.
Highly recommended!
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