A Little Chaos

A Little Chaos
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alan Rickman
Produced by	Gail Egan Andrea Calderwood Bertrand Faivre
Screenplay by	Allison Deegan Alan Rickman Jeremy Brock
Story by	Allison Deegan
Starring	Kate Winslet Matthias Schoenaerts Alan Rickman Stanley Tucci
Music by	Peter Gregson[1]
Cinematography	Ellen Kuras
Edited by	Nicolas Gaster
Production companies	Artemis Films BBC Films Lipsync Productions Potboiler Productions
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release dates	13 September 2014 (2014-09-13) (TIFF) 17 April 2015 (2015-04-17)
Running time	117 minutes[2]
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$10,084,623[3][4]

A Little Chaos is a 2014 British period drama film directed by Alan Rickman.^[5][6][7] The story was conceived by Allison Deegan and she co-wrote the screenplay along with Rickman and Jeremy Brock.^[8] The film stars Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Helen McCrory, Steven Waddington, Jennifer Ehle and Rupert Penry-Jones. The film is financed by the Lionsgate UK and produced by BBC Films.^[9]

It is the second film directed by Rickman, after his 1997 directorial debut The Winter Guest. It is the second collaboration of Rickman and Winslet after their 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. Production took place in London in mid 2013.

The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as the closing night film on 13 September 2014.^[10][11]

Plot

After having been appointed by King Louis XIV of France on a project for the gardens of Versailles, landscaper Monsieur André Le Nôtre interviews various contractors for embarking on this project, one of whom is a woman with an unconventional sense of gardening, Sabine de Barra. When noticing her move a plant pot in his garden prior to her interview, André confirms Sabine is not a conformist in gardening, which she explains during the interview as wanting to give something uniquely French and not simply abide by the past.

Bosquet de la Salle-de-Bal at Gardens of Versailles, designed by Sabine de Barra in the film but originally laid out by André Le Nôtre between 1680 and 1683.

On the night of her interview, Sabine is surprisingly visited by André at her home; she was sure she would not be accepted for his project, but this visit proves otherwise. Sabine is appointed to the task of building a fountain surrounding a small outdoor ballroom amidst a patch of thick woods, which was later called Bosquet de la Salle-de-Bal. She makes little progress at first because the workers she is given are not keen to work for a woman. Monsieur Thierry Duras, a man she met at André's house during the interview, intervenes and offers his and his crew's help. Sabine adjusts André's plans by creating a water pump to take the water from a nearby river, use it for the fountain, and take it back to its initial place.

As time goes by, Sabine is noticed by the higher elite, befriending above all the King's brother Duc Philippe d'Orleans and his wife Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine. During this time, the memory of a girl persists in haunting Sabine. Every now and then, she hears the girl's voice calling or sees sudden apparitions of a girl clad in white running past and disappearing. This also keeps her from showing her love to André, who himself is facing loneliness in his marriage to the proud and haughty Madame Françoise Le Nôtre who had insisted on her sexual freedom outside their marriage. When she challenges his at first innocent interest in Sabine, he quotes her own speech of freedom back at her and leaves, intending to pursue the relationship with Sabine.

Queen Maria Theresa dies suddenly, causing the royal family great sorrow, especially in the way her autopsy was said to have been carried out. André notifies his wife about this, which shocks her as she knows that the death of the Queen will cause her to fall out of favour in court. Sabine accidentally encounters the king at a famous garden, befriending the king after mistaking him for the gardener, something the king finds amusing but plays along, even after Sabine finds out his true identity. She finds great favour in the king's eyes, and he invites her to travel with him and his court to Fontainebleau.

On a stormy day, Françoise visits Sabine on the working site, falsely warning her that André's passionate intentions are only a whim, and when Sabine leaves, two men instructed by Françoise's lover open the sluice gates from the river and flooded the whole project, mostly destroying the plants brought to decorate and some of the earthwork tiers.

After the flooding of Sabine's worksite, André finds a glove belonging to his wife Françoise. He returns the glove to Françoise, using this as proof of her guilt and the chance to leave her for good.

After the flooding incident, Sabine goes to King's court and meets Duc de Lauzun, and is introduced to the female courtiers by the Marquise de Montespan, official lover of the King. There she meets women of the court who welcome her warmly. It is during this time that Sabine reveals her inner pain of having lost her husband and daughter. The women comfort her however, as many have also lost husbands and children, though they warn that they are only permitted to speak of death within the group, for the King abhors discussing death in his court. When the King and his male entourage arrives, the Marquise presents Sabine to him. Sabine offers him a four-seasons flower, which inspires a conversation between the King and Sabine on the metaphorical nature of the rose and its life cycle, a metaphor intended to warm him toward his mistress.

André waits for Sabine outside her room that night, having now fallen completely in love with her. Sabine lets go of her remorse for her husband's loss years ago, and they finally make love. In the morning, André finds himself alone in bed. The scene jumps to Sabine at her home as she relives in her mind the death of her adulterous husband and innocent daughter. Monsieur de Barra had admitted his adultery and left to visit his mistress with his daughter. Sabine heard the carriage start its journey, but when she saw one of the wheels was faulty, she ran to stop it. She had rushed in front of the carriage, the coachman pulled the reins, the horses fled, the wheel broke and the carriage toppled down a small hill, killing both father and daughter. André finds Sabine in the grip of this memory, and convinces her to stop blaming herself for their deaths.

Finally, the fountain-arena project is complete. The court comes to see the long-anticipated site. To the music of a hidden orchestra, the King, Sabine, and André along with the court enter the garden, admire the marble floor surrounded by fountains and tiers of water, and dance around the happy and satisfied King.

Cast

Production

Production began in March 2013. Producer Zygi Kamasa of Lionsgate said that "we are delighted to be working with the best of British actors and directors like Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman as we move forward in doubling our investment in British films in 2014."^[14] Talking about the film, Rickman said:"The film is not just frills at the wrists and collars. It’s about people getting their hands dirty and building something in order to entertain the other world they serve. It’s about how one world maintains the other, often at the cost of women."^[15]

Casting

Landscape scenes were shot at Blenheim Palace.

On 17 January 2013, it was announced that Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts had been cast as the leads in the film.^[16] Rickman had Winslet in his mind for the lead role of Sabine de Barra and continued with her when two weeks into shooting, Winslet announced that she was pregnant.^[17] Apart from directing the film, Rickman also portrayed King Louis XIV in the film, about which he said "the only way I could do it was because in a way, he’s like a director, Louis, so you kind of keep the same expression on your face. As a director, you see everything somehow. It’s like a huge all-encompassing eye that sees everything, and it’s able to cherry pick; “Move that,” “Don’t do that,” “Do it this way,” “Change this colour”. And I don’t know where that comes from, but it does, once you’re given the job, and I have a feeling Louis probably would’ve been a great film director".^[18]

Filming

Principal photography commenced on 27 March 2013 and continued over eight weeks in Black Park, Cliveden House, Pinewood Studios, Blenheim Palace, Waddesdon Manor, Hampton Court Palace, Ham House, Ashridge and Chenies Manor.^{[19][20][21][22]} Filming ended on 8 June 2013 in Richmond, London.^[23][24][25] Despite being set in France, complete filming took place in England.^[22]

According to Rickman, filming "wasn't easy, though; throwing Kate into freezing water at 1am, the carriage crash, scenes with 80 extras, tight schedules in venues like Blenheim Palace. It’s a constant tap dance between control and freedom and of course the budget guides everything."^[15]

Music

The soundtrack and score was composed by Peter Gregson. It is the first feature film for Gregson, who previously composed music for a 2014 short film Every Quiet Moment.^[1] Veigar Margeirsson's 2008 composition "Rise above" was used in the trailer of the film but was not part of soundtrack album.^[27] It was released by Milan Records on 16 April 2015.^[26]

Soundtracks listing

Distribution

Promotion

BBC Films revealed the footage from the film as part of their BBC Films Sizzle Showreel 2013 on 25 November 2013.^[28] First still of Kate Winslet from the film were released on 22 July 2014 with the announcement of film's premiere at TIFF.^[29] Three images from the film featuring Winslet, Alan Rickman and Jennifer Ehle were released on 27 August 2014.^[30] A scene from the film featuring Winslet and Rickman was revealed on 9 September 2014.^[18] The full-length official trailer was revealed on 19 December 2014.^[31][32] First poster along with another trailer of the film was released on 20 January 2015.^[33] On 11 June 2015, another scene from the film featuring Stanley Tucci was released.^[34]

Release

After its premiere at 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, the film shown in gala screenings as Love Gala at the 2014 BFI London Film Festival on 17 October 2014.^[35][36] Rickman presented the film at Camerimage film festival in November 2014.^[37] The United States premiere was held at the Sonoma International Film Festival on 25 March 2015.^[38] It had a theatrical release in Australia on 26 March 2015^[39] and later in UK on 17 April 2015.^[40]

It was initially set for a theatrical release on 27 March 2015 in the United States^[41] but it was later pulled out.^[42] Focus Features finally gave the film a theatrical and VOD release, simultaneously in United States on 26 June 2015.^[43]

Reception

Box office

As of July 2015, the film has been opened in fourteen territories including Australia and UK and combined with its domestic box office, it has grossed $10,084,623 worldwide.^[3][4]

Critical response

Winslet and Rickman at the screening of film at 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

The film generated mixed reviews from critics, with the performances from the cast being highly praised. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 40% rating based on reviews from 75 critics, with an average score of 5.3/10. The site's consensus states that "Stylish and well-acted without ever living up to its dramatic potential, A Little Chaos is shouldered by the impressive efforts of a talented cast."^[44] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film holds an average score of 51, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".^[45]

Catherine Shoard of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars and praising the performances said that "Winslet manages emotional honesty within anachronistic confines, and Schoenaerts escapes with dignity."^[46] Mark Adams in his review for Screen International said, "the film is a gracefully made delight, replete with lush costumes, fruity performances, love amongst the flowerbeds and even a little mild peril. Yes it lacks real dramatic edge and may be seen as a typical British period costume film, but it is also a classily made pleasure that will delight its target audience."^[47] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter felt that "This decently acted film is agreeable entertainment, even if it works better on a scene by scene basis than in terms of overall flow."^[48] Tim Robey in The Telegraph said in his review: "If you see only one film about 17th-century French landscape gardening this year, it probably ought to be A Little Chaos, a heaving bouquet of a picture."^[49]

However, David Sexton of the London Evening Standard gave the film a negative review, saying that "Kate Winslet charms as a gardener at the Court of Louis XIV, but it's not enough to keep this inauthentic piece from wilting."^[50] Dennis Harvey of Variety also criticized the film by saying that "A Little Chaos" is all too tidy as it imposes a predictable, pat modern sensibility on a most unconvincing depiction of late 17th-century French aristocratic life."^[51] Kaleem Aftab of The Independent gave the film two out of five stars, noting that while the performances were exceptional, the talents of Winslet and the ensemble players were wasted, and added that "it all starts off so promisingly," praising the camera work and language, but it quickly fails as "a melancholic look at grief" where "at least four different genres [clash] against each other, occasionally in the same scene" and "the romance seems to take place off-screen." She concluded: "There was a 17 year gap between Rickman's first and second film and on this evidence it's easy to see why. While he can get performances out of the actors, he lacks command of pacing and plot."^[52]

Historical accuracy

Some of the characters that appeared in the film are fictional, including Kate Winslet's Sabine de Barra. The film is set in 1682, but André Le Nôtre, played by Matthias Schoenaerts, began work at Versailles in 1661. Le Notre was nearly 70 in 1682, perhaps twice the age he appears to be as portrayed by Schoenaerts in the film.^[53]

References

External links

• A Little Chaos at BBC
• A Little Chaos at the Internet Movie Database
• A Little Chaos at Rotten Tomatoes
• A Little Chaos at Box Office Mojo
• A Little Chaos at Metacritic