Vatel (2000)

Vatel (2000)

Vatel and the Prince of Conde.

Prince of Conde: My dear Master Steward, Monsieur Vatel.  Good news and bad news.  His Majesty arrives on Thursday.  I can´t emphasize enough the importance of his visit.  A dropped wine glass or an uncomfortable cushion would spell disaster to our entire province.  The good news is that we may go to war with Holland.

Vatel is about a steward, Francois Vatel (Gerard Depardieu), who is arranging festivities for the visit of King Louis XIV of France and his entourage (family, multiple mistresses, servants, advisers).  The King is staying at the home of Vatel's employer, the Prince of Conde.


Vatel is amazing at what he does.  His entertainments are beautiful, creative, and thrilling to the guests.  He solves problems with creativity (for example, when lanterns don't arrive he makes lanterns out of melons and tells the guests it is "a custom from India").  He is good to his workers, truly caring about what happens to all of them:

Anne de Montausier

Vatel: One of my people was killed today.
Anne: Who was it?
Vatel: His name was Jean-Marie Benoud.  28 years old, from the village of St. Crose.  His father is a miller there.  His mother died of asweating sickness two years ago.  He had two brothers.  One a priest.  He came here as a stable boy.  He was senior groom for three years.  Three years.
Anne: You knew him well.
Vatel: No.  Not particularly.  He was one of my people.
Anne: He was fortunate in that.


During the several days that they host the royal family, the house is filled with drama and politics.  The King is taking a new mistress: his wife's lady in waiting, Anne de Montausier (Uma Thurman), who cannot say no to the king, but finds herself attracted to Vatel's kindness.  One of the King's advisers is out to get Vatel, and the King's brother is also set on causing mischief.  In addition, France is on the brink of war with William of Orange, and the future of the Prince of Conde (and therefore all in his household) rests on the success of the festivities planned by Vatel.

King Louis XIV.

Portrait of the real King Louis XIV.

It's an intriguing premise, but has a not so cheerful ending and some odd moments mixed in, including: the Queen peeing into a pot held by a maid, the King pooing while talking to a group of people and then having his butt wiped by a servant (I so wish I were joking), and the King's brother hitting on Vatel after first showing an interest in one of the young servant boys (Vatel: "Tell him I don't get my boys from his boudoir, and he won't get his from my kitchen.").

The festivities lead to Vatel, a man with a great deal of wasted and exploited talent, pondering his purpose in life amidst a sea of greed and lunacy.  The movie is inspired by a true story, with a lot of liberties taken (particularly with the ending).

Sketch of the real Francois Vatel.