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Diane

1955, Movie, NR, 110 mins

Diane: Review

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Pomp and pageantry vie with cleavage and costumes in this 16th-century historical saga about Diane de Poitiers, the French whore who became Henri II's mistress and almost pushed his queen, Catherine de Medicis, out of the picture. As the film commences Turner is pleading for the life of her husband, Thatcher, at the court of Armendariz, playing Francis I of France. Thatcher has been accused of plotting against the king and Turner makes an impassioned speech on his behalf that touches Armendariz. Thatcher escapes with his life but believes Turner secured his safety by dallying with Armendariz, so he dumps her. Turner is asked by Armendariz if she will teach his son, Moore, all the necessary courtly graces prior to the young man's marriage to Catherine (Pavan). Armendariz likes Turner and, despite her being tossed aside by Thatcher, he keeps her at court. Turner teaches Moore lots more than he'd reckoned for and they fall in love. He must marry Pavan, but that doesn't deter him from his liaison with Turner. Armendariz dies in battle and Moore becomes king, but that reign is short-lived, since he is quickly dispatched in a jousting tournament as a result of the duplicity of the de Medici family. Pavan orders the Italian cabal executed and is going to use the occasion of Moore's death to rid the world of her rival, Turner. But she has a change of heart and allows Turner to live out her life in interior exile at her country estate. Isherwood took substantial license with history in the script, but no one really knew the difference except for a few fuming historians. The future king was actually only 14 years old when he married Pavan's Catherine de Medicis, and he was 20 years younger than his mistress, Diane. He died when he was 40 and Diane was 60. This story was originally acquired for Garbo in the 1930s but languished in the MGM story department until someone unearthed it for Turner. It was released at the end of the costume drama cycle and did meager business despite the expense lavished on it. But 1955 was the year when reality-based films had taken the lead; MARTY; THE ROSE TATTOO; EAST OF EDEN; MR. ROBERTS; and PICNIC were all released that year, and DIANE sank in their propwash. leave a comment
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