The Pearls of the Crown

Audience Reviews

View All (3) audience reviews

ashley h Pearls of the Crown is an incredible film. It is about three narrators who tell the story of seven matched pearls, four of them now in the British Crown. Sacha Guitry and Jacqueline Delubac give fantastic performances. The screenplay is well written. Sacha Guitry also did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the drama. Pearls of the Crown is a must see. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review walter m "Pearls of the Crown" starts with Jean Martin(Sacha Guitry, who also co-wrote and directed) in the process of telling his wife Francoise(Jacqueline Delubac) about seven pearls and their history. At the same time, the story is being told in Rome and London. The action opens in 1518 with the almost simultaneous births of the French Dauphin and Catherine de Medici, the latter of whom is almost immediately orphaned after her birth, leaving her in the care of her uncle, Pope Clement VII(Ermete Zacconi), who not wanting to have anything to do with a baby, sends her to the care of a monastery. Eight years later, the Dauphin's father, King Francis I of France(Sacha Guitry) thinks it is about time he should get married and arranges a marriage for him with Catherine de Medici. As time goes on, Clement notices her handlers taking an interest in her, so he promotes one to Cardinal(I'll behave myself for once and not say anything) while sending the other on a quest for perfect pearls... ...and that's not the half of it as the second part of the movie consists of a mystery after Martin's story has been concluded. Overall, the effect of watching "Pearls of the Crown" is sort of like having 400 years of European history directly downloaded into your brain, albeit in a totally delightful fashion.(Oh where have you been films of Sacha Guitry all my filmgoing life?) All of which feels fresh, even with Tudor England having been done to death recently. But then I do not really think it is history that Guitry is after but romance and how it has played out over the centuries from the ruling class(including Abyssynia) to the poor. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Let’s look at the numbers here: three narrators, across three different languages, tell the tale of how the crown of England came to be adorned with seven pearls, with three going missing over time. Pretty slick set up and with the back half focusing on tracking down those three pearls, this is a whirlwind tour through literal centuries of European history (including an odd sort of detour through Ethiopia at one point) and the then present day. More figures: director Sacha Guitry writes, directs and acts in four different parts for the film, employing a cast of nearly 200 and shooting in more than 80 unique scenes. Clocking in at under two hours and you have a film that really couldn’t fit the proverbial kitchen sink in if it wanted to. You also have an underrated flick that makes you wonder why this Guitry chap had yet to make much of an impact here in the States until Criterion released a set of his works. Granted, if you cited this movie in a history paper as factual evidence, you’re probably going to be met with a failing grade and a slap across the face from anyone who decided copying off of you was a brilliant idea, but take it for the lighthearted jab at history and goose chases and what’s not to love? There’s no dull moments, the thing is staged really well and competently, the writing is sharp and there is a whole scene where one character may only talk in adverbs (it makes sense when you see it… sort of). It can be a lot to take in and may even be overwhelming but when it comes to movies showcasing the hunt for jewelry and the lengths mankind will go to for historical artifacts, you could do much worse. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Pearls of the Crown

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW