A Little Chaos (2014)
In this historical drama, co-written, directed, and starring Alan Rickman, the gardens of Versailles are designed and constructed to please King Louis XIV. Even though he isn’t technically the lead, Alan’s much more commanding presence makes you think he is, since the real male lead isn’t very memorable. Matthias Schoenaerts is the head architect, and despite his misgivings about hiring a lady landscaper who doesn’t have as much regard for order as he does, he hires Kate Winslet to build a rock fountain formation.
The parts of the film that show the designs and work on the gardens are incredibly interesting. If the entire movie was really about working on the gardens, like the synopsis hints at, it would have been much better. However, a romance is thrown in between Kate and Matthias. He’s married to Helen McCrory, but her philandering ways have made for a strained and open marriage. She’s still very possessive, and if you think she might try to sabotage Kate’s work, you might be right. Stanley Tucci plays Alan’s brother, and while it’s fun to see him throw out some funny one-liners, it’s more fun just to know he’s still cranking out the movies.
My favorite scene was the scene most audience members probably anticipated the highest as well: a reunion between Marianne and Colonel Brandon. Twenty years after Sense and Sensibility, it’s a bit of a disappointment that they’re not paired up as love interests together, but they do share a couple of scenes in A Little Chaos. In the first, he’s resting in a garden, and she doesn’t recognize him. She mistakes him for a gardener and they talk as equals, until she finally figures it out and bows. It’s a cute scene, and I wish they had more shared screen time.
You can check this movie out if you want to see some exquisite costumes and realistic grimy working conditions. It’s a far cry from a documentary on the gardens of Versailles, and neither the romance nor Kate’s dramatic backstory is very interesting, but there are some good points.
More Alan Rickman movies here!
More Kate Winslet movies here!
The parts of the film that show the designs and work on the gardens are incredibly interesting. If the entire movie was really about working on the gardens, like the synopsis hints at, it would have been much better. However, a romance is thrown in between Kate and Matthias. He’s married to Helen McCrory, but her philandering ways have made for a strained and open marriage. She’s still very possessive, and if you think she might try to sabotage Kate’s work, you might be right. Stanley Tucci plays Alan’s brother, and while it’s fun to see him throw out some funny one-liners, it’s more fun just to know he’s still cranking out the movies.
My favorite scene was the scene most audience members probably anticipated the highest as well: a reunion between Marianne and Colonel Brandon. Twenty years after Sense and Sensibility, it’s a bit of a disappointment that they’re not paired up as love interests together, but they do share a couple of scenes in A Little Chaos. In the first, he’s resting in a garden, and she doesn’t recognize him. She mistakes him for a gardener and they talk as equals, until she finally figures it out and bows. It’s a cute scene, and I wish they had more shared screen time.
You can check this movie out if you want to see some exquisite costumes and realistic grimy working conditions. It’s a far cry from a documentary on the gardens of Versailles, and neither the romance nor Kate’s dramatic backstory is very interesting, but there are some good points.
More Alan Rickman movies here!
More Kate Winslet movies here!