Do you know Mozart? Do you know Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges? This is the starting point for the audience to examine our own Eurocentric idea of musical prodigies and where the film Chevalier begins, telling the story of the French-Caribbean violist, fencer, and composer whose musical inputs were suppressed in French high society and ultimately forgotten in society.
Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr) is one of high society’s best musicians and the multi-talented favourite of Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton), despite his darker skin colour. He is self-driven and despite his lack of wealth and status, is able to rise to prominence in society. But its his doomed affair with Marie-Josephine de Montalembert (Samara Weaving) that leads to his troubles, particularly as he writes a new opera for her in an attempt to lead the Paris Opera.
Director Stephen Williams does a strong job of bringing Paris to life and infusing the film with scenes of music and drama in equal measures. Scenes that feature the camera moving in and out of spaces really involve us in the society in which the story is set. Unfortunately, writer Stefani Robinson leans into some of the less interesting parts of his life and follows Joseph almost as if by Wikipedia article. As his story gets more exciting, the film concludes and we are left to do more research ourselves.
Chevalier is able to bring to the conversation real-life characters and themes around Blackness in these privileged social circles, even if it loses this insight as it progresses. And Harrison Jr is a huge part of this success in exploring these concepts, bringing humanity and levity to the role in equal measures. Under anyone else’s work, Chevalier would not succeed.
The best part of Chevalier is how it introduces us to this brilliant individual whose work has been overlooked and forgotten due to racism since his death. His life is so interesting and laying witness to these moments in his story that leads to his revolutionary end honours his life and reminds us of how our histories are skewed and not always favouring the true masters of our past.
Eden Caceda 