Be warned: the characters and storyline in this film have no bearing on historical accuracy. For instance her husband, the Duc d'Orleans, is portrayed as being an incorrigible skirt-chaser,whereas his actual proclivities were notoriously otherwise! The costume designer seemed unsure whether the story was set in the seventeenth century or the eighteenth (it is supposed to be the early 1670s), while the hair and make up are firmly of the 1960's. Having said that it must be remembered that this film is in the genre of historical drama/comedies favoured at one time in Europe (which has its roots in pre-WW1 operetta). The good points for me were the light-hearted tone; the gorgeous (sometimes frightening!) Eastman colour; the spectacular settings; and the acting of the main protagonists. (Although physically Louis XIV reminded me of the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz!) A good all round family film but very much of its time.
Review of Liselotte von der Pfalz
