Wonderful fencing scenes! François Truffaut's protégé Philippe de Broca directed this 1997 swashbuckling saga, based on Paul Ferval's novel Le Bossu (The Hunchback). It begins with the Duke of Nevers (Vincent Perez) and his nemesis the Count of Gonzague (Fabrice Luchini), who stands to inherit the duke's estates. On the day the duke marries the mother of his infant daughter, the count protects his claim by murdering the duke and his wife. The child is spirited away by Lagardière (Daniel Auteuil), the duke's best friend and a brilliant swordsman, who raises the child in hiding. By the time the count learns of her existence she has become a young woman, so to continue protecting her, Lagardière makes himself into a hunchback and gains the count's confidence as his bookkeeper. The film is in French with English subtitles. "Arguably the best picture ever from the new wave pioneer ... boasting a stellar cast and wonderful period atmosphere."—LATimes |