The Princess of Montpensier
IFC Films | Release Date: April 15, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
78
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranApr 16, 2011
Epic and intimate, historical and contemporary, moving and thought-provoking, the impressive The Princess of Montpensier has something for all and sundry but especially for those who like to believe that films can be as boldly intelligent as they are entertaining. Read full review
90
Village VoiceNick PinkertonApr 12, 2011
The finest Western you'll see this year is set in aristocratic 16th-century France, in the heat of Counter-Reformation. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyMay 19, 2011
There is a great and perhaps unique French cinematic tradition of braiding together love and manners and the past. Think of "Children of Paradise," "Casque d'Or," "The Earrings of Madame de . . .," "Elena and Her Men." Now one can think of The Princess of Montpensier, too. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertMay 4, 2011
He is one of the most prolific and generous of directors, and there is no word that summarizes a "Tavernier film," except, usually, masterful. Read full review
88
Washington PostMark JenkinsApr 28, 2011
At times, "Princess" resembles a widescreen Hollywood western, with exhilarating Steadicam shots of horsemen galloping across broad plains and corpse-strewn fields. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayApr 14, 2011
Tavernier turns a tale of courtly duty and manners into a tense, twisty drama. Read full review
80
VarietyLeslie FelperinApr 16, 2011
There's no subtextual allusion really to contempo France or civil wars elsewhere in the world today, just the feeling that this is an interesting story in its own right, fascinating precisely because it's so at odds with modern sensibilities. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanApr 15, 2011
The cast and crew render every detail so exquisitely that there's almost too much to take in at once. Repeat viewings will be required. Read full review
80
Boxoffice MagazineRichard MoweApr 12, 2011
The script does not provide that much illumination, yet the power of the acting and the quality of the visual imagery carry us along. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttApr 12, 2011
One of the finest costume dramas in a long while. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie PunterJun 2, 2011
Swords cross, blood spurts and bosoms heave in The Princess of Montpensier, French director Bertrand Tavernier's thoroughly ravishing drama. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonMay 6, 2011
Superbly acted, and a return to form for Tavernier, who guided jazz legend Dexter Gordon to an Oscar nomination for "'Round Midnight" (1986). Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleApr 29, 2011
It is all thoroughly entertaining and even, at times, gripping. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaApr 21, 2011
Tavernier pulls all this off with elegance and style; his battle scenes are tough and bloody, his châteaus grand. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerApr 16, 2011
Courtly intrigue should be intriguing, and in that sense, The Princess of Montpensier – although it's somewhat wan and too cerebral for its own good – does a fairly keen job. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. MusettoApr 15, 2011
Viewers unfamiliar with the politics of the era might feel lost as the plot unfolds, and the 139-minute running time might be a bit much. But why quibble? Read full review
75
NPRJeannette CatsoulisApr 15, 2011
Using de Chabannes as the film's conscience and moral fulcrum, Tavernier - just as he did in his 1996 film "Captain Conan" - exposes the shame of a meaningless war and the psychological damage borne by those fighting it. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisApr 14, 2011
The French director Bertrand Tavernier deploys some smart ideas in this film, a period story about wars on the battlefield and those closer to home, but there's something a bit goatish in his attention to some female charms. Read full review
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