KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

kaaber-2 Scola's Nuit de Varennes is a wonderfully composed and compact ... well, drama might be a misleading description, unless it's drama of ideologies. The concept itself is nothing short of brilliant: in 1791, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette attempt to flee France and the revolution. They get to the the small town of Varennes, just a few miles shy of the border, where they are arrested and led back to Paris, later to be guillotined. However, we are not in the royal getaway coach, but in the periphery of the historical drama; in the coach following the doomed royals is a strange melange of ideologies, a motley and cosmopolitan crew of aspects of the world that is about to disappear and that which is soon to come. The new ideology is represented by Thomas Paine (Harvey Keitel) and writer Restif (Jean-Louis Barrault), the ancien regime by Countess de la Borde (Hanna Schygulla), carrying with her Louis XVI's royal parade robe. Marcello Mastroianni portrays an eclipsed and impotent Casanova and Daniel Gelin is De Wende, an unscrupulous entrepreneur who is sure to survive both the revolution and the ensuing Napoleonic wars with his fortune intact.The very idea of letting the soul of a historical period be represented by characters that, put together, cover all aspects of the matter, is reminiscent of Blixen's (or Isak Dinesen's) tales, such as "The Deluge of Norderney", "The Dreamers" or "The Heroine". It's expertly done in this beautifully executed film. The scenery, the dialogue and the acting are all masterly. The story loyally refuses to play favorites. The revolution is justified by the sufferings of the people of France, but the children of the revolution - partly represented by a young, hateful and self-righteous student who insults Casanova - have no sense of the noblesse and chivalry they destroy. We clearly sense how the revolution will readily lapse into the mindless brutality of the reign of terror that was shortly to follow. The sympathy that arises across the revolutionary gulf between the royalist Baroness and the modern Thomas Paine is among the most touching things in the film which culminates in Varennes after the collapse of royal power with Schygulla's Baroness kneeling before the royal robes on a dress maker's dummy.

wordbug A wonderful, literate film for adults which plays with history, and the idea of power and its trappings. It imagines what would happen if contemporary celebrities at the time of The French Revolution found themselves together in a coach following the fugitive king. In fact, it's a road movie, but unlike any other one you've seen. Witty dialogue, great performances and top-notch production values make this a classic--one of those movies that you can't see could be improved, because everything is so right. If you enjoyed 'Ridicule', you'll enjoy this. I can't recommend it highly enough, and I only wish I could find a copy on DVD.

rab-int We really enjoyed this. Barrault and Mastroianni are terrific actors--did an outstanding job. The philosophical questions raised are still worth considering today, as the movie implies, and yet they are raised in an interesting and indirect way, so the viewer doesn't feel bludgeoned or lectured at.I was interested to discover that the flight to Varennes was in fact historical, though I could not discover whether Restif de Bretonnes (Barrault's character) was actually at the event and commented on first-hand knowledge. He did write extensively about life and events of the time. The interchange of ideas seemed natural, despite the apparent absurdity of finding all of them in the same coach at the same time. Sort of like those "if you could invite 5 historical figures to dinner at the same time" ideas.Very much worth seeing.

monica_a_n Few people have probably heard of this French film. Yet, it is a masterpiece. Some great actors brought this story of classical art cinema alive. The historical moment depicted is the period just after the French Revolution. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are making a final attempt to escape - they flee from Paris. Historical characters (Casanova, Restif de la Bretonne) and imagined characters are all joined by a trip in a stagecoach. This is an opportunity for us to discover different mentalities of the 18th century. Each character sees the French Revolution differently, but the viewer can sense its uselessness, the suffering it brought by tearing a whole world apart.