Film: 'A Little Chaos'

I felt a little more favourably disposed to this costume drama (France, late XVIIth century) than some of the tepid reviews I've seen. True, it may be no great shakes in the annals of film-making but it's quite an interesting, though totally fabricated, story of widowed female landscape gardener (Kate Winslet) and her efforts to create a water/amphitheatre feature in the wild-growing site of the proposed gardens of Versailles for 'Sun King' Louis XIV (Alan Rickman, also the film's director). There's a gradually developing romantic element involving her and the garden's architect, Matthias Schoenaerts (seen recently in 'Suite Francaise').
It's been said by some that the direction leans towards being leaden, though I felt that its leisurely pace, at least for the most part, agreeably suited the ambience of the shenanigans of the Royal Court of the period it depicted.
Among the supporting cast is Stanley Tucci. More's the pity, then, that he's given so little screen time in total, seeing as he's one of those actors who has the ability to raise the quality of any film in which he appears. Not that this is devoid of its own merits, but it would have been to its advantage to have had a lighter touch in places, which Tucci could so readily have supplied.

Winslet is as fine as we've come to expect though Rickman as the royal persona took a little swallowing, while Schoenaerts proves himself capable enough of providing the male love interest. Photography and camerawork do full justice to the subject matter. All in all, not bad, I'd say.......................6.

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