Chevalier

Written by Stefani Robinson and directed by Stephen Williams is this story based on the life of Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) Son of an affair between a plantation owner George Bologne (Jim High) and his Senegalese mother Nanon(Ronke Adekoluejo), at a young age he is taken to France, where his father hopes his gifts can be exploited. And they are, he is a skilled swordsman and even more talented composer which brings him to the attention of Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) granting him the title Chevalier. Joseph’s life changes when he has the opportunity to become head of the Paris opera, which leads to a relationship with Marie-Josephine (Samara Weaving) and makes an enemy of her husband. His attempts are thwarted by racism which puts him in a path towards uprising and revolution

Bologne’s story is virtually unknown, a great composer who, because of the colour of his skin and revolution, has been mainly erased from the records. But while clearly there is a fascinating story to be told, sadly this film never quite tells it.

Stuck somewhere between Amadeus and Bridgerton it’s never quite sure of what it wants to be. A story about talent buried under 18th century oppression? A period love story? Or the story of revolution. It touches on all three but never really settles on any. Which leads to a rather disjointed film.

It’s not without pluses, it looks fabulous and performances are decent enough, especially in the lead roles with Harrison, Weaving and Boynton. And there is certainly an interesting story in there that breaks out occasionally, which a powerfully played standoff at its end. But that makes you realise that was actually the story to tell rather than the one we got.

Joseph Bologne’s story is clearly an interesting one, but sadly this film doesn’t really do it justice. Stuck somewhere between Amadeus and Bridgerton it never feels like it quite captures the fascinating bits of his life. Which is a pity, because it seems it’s quite the life story to tell.