#i still refuse to make a fouche tag

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I’m terribly sorry for this cursed image of Fouché I found today in the graphic novel section. (I have a lot of questions for the artist of this comic)

He looks somehow worse than this:

[frevandrest]

Is it true about Fouché and Charlotte Robespierre?

If you mean their engagement and relationship (?), yes it's true. We don't know details though. Which sucks, because, I mean. The whole situation is super interesting.

What we do know is that Charlotte wasn't correct about the dates in her mamoirs. She implied that she agreed to marry Fouché in like 1793 (?) - she implies that Robespierre got angry with Fouché over stuff Fouché did (political crimes and those he commited as a representative I think), and that this is why the relationship ended. But this is incorrect, since Fouché married in 1792, so he had no business romancing Charlotte at that time.

A more likely scenario (which is kind of proven, I think?) is that they were engaged back in Arras, before the revolution, at the time when Robespierre and Fouché were friendly. (After all, Robespierre was the one who introduced them to each other).

As for why the relationship ended...no clear idea. Fouché left Arras at one point, but idk how this affected his engagement to Charlotte. It's also kind of assumed that he was the one who broke the engagement, but we just don't know what happened.

I am also tagging @tierseta for more details because I might be missing something.

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MALMAISON MEDIA SALON SOIRÉE 15: NEEDING NAPOLEON (2020)

1. The Introduction

Hello, Neighbors! Welcome back to Malmaison Media Salon! At last we’re here and today is a bit of a special review. Why special?

Let me explain:

1. Firstly, it’s one of those cases where I stumble upon a media piece via recommendation from another community member. This time it was @suburbanbeatnik , who interviewed the author of the book and there was a contest where the first 3 users to comment would get a free ebook copy via email.

I was the first to comment because I was given the link and because I was really excited about what sounded like a promising story, considering my soft spot for the adventure genre, time travel and alternative history. So yeah, I became one of the lucky three users.

Unfortunately, the book is only available in English and has to be purchased through websites like Amazon, so those who don’t speak English too well might be out of luck for now.

2. Secondly, it’s one of the few anglophone (British, to boot!) media pieces that DO NOT paint Napoleon as a villain! How cool is that?! For newcomers, stumbling upon a gem like that is about as likely as seeing a UFO, so you can bet your asses that I HAD to check out the book!

3. Thirdly, I already mentioned that I’m a sucker for adventure, time travel, historical fiction and alternative history so that really boosted my excitement… as well as my worries. I prayed that the book would turn out to be good. Luckily, it did! More on that later though.

Anyway, before we proceed, this review is dedicated to @suburbanbeatnik and @garethwilliamsauthor . Not only is the latter, well, the author, but he also graciously gave me permission to write said review and I’m thankful for this.

Okay, with formalities out of the way, let’s begin!

2. The Summary

The novel tells the story of one Richard Davey, an ordinary schoolteacher who admires Napoleon and lives a very boring, lonely life.

However, during a fateful holiday in Paris, he gets a chance to leave his old life behind, meet his hero and maybe even change the course of history.

To me, the idea sounds very interesting, so let’s move onto the deeper analysis and see if the execution matches the potential.

3. The Story

Although the beginning of the story did confuse me a bit because we jump straight into action, I. Fucking. Love. This. Book. I was extremely hooked when reading and felt like I was back in my childhood, reading my favorite swashbuckling stories. The excitement is REAL.

The pacing is excellent, most loose ends get tied up in the end, the ending is satisfying yet also realistic and we don’t have the protagonist getting everything he wanted, which is awesome!

I did have a problem with the flashbacks though, mainly because they kept popping up and breaking the storyline immersion, but that’s just me.

Also, there’s a good mix of gritty artlessness (in a good way because it doesn’t gloss over war), a swashbuckling adventure, romance and down time (we can’t have action ALL the time).

The romantic subplot is very well-written and realistic, even though my asexual self still didn’t care much because I don’t normally like romance. Spoiler, it’s one of the few times where the protagonist doesn’t get the love interest in the end, for a lot of reasons.

So yeah, only minor complaints here and there.

(Oh, and tiny bonus for the Frev community: Frev isn’t demonized either!!! Yay!!!)

(P. S. Also there were a lot of moments that cracked me up, like the pun with HMS Bellerophon being called Billy Ruffian.)

4. The Characters

Richard Davey is by far one of the most relatable characters ever, since I can relate to his loneliness (me during the worse days of depression) and love for History (I’m a Frev and Napoleonic nerd). He’s flawed, reacts realistically and in his own way to situations and has a great character arc, from a man just going with the motions of life to a hero who can and does make a difference in history, just not in the way he first planned.

Emile Béraud, a soldier Richard befriends in the past, is an absolute sweetheart. Loyal to a fault, friendly and just as lonely as Richard, he takes part in the adventures and is a very compelling character.

Aunt Patricia, Richard’s only living relative, might be a minor character who doesn’t personally appear, but her presence is felt throughout the story and Richard constantly imagines what she would have to say in his position and how she would judge him.

Madame Odillet, the owner of an antique shop who helps Richard get back in time, is a mysterious woman with a troubled past, who definitely knows more than she first lets on. I like the book parallels between her and witches, even though she’s just a regular human.

Napoleon starts out as an insufferable punchable prick, but later on his portrayal becomes nuanced. He loves and misses his son, has a soft spot for kids, has a temper and at times alternates between acceptance of his fate and resolve to fight back. He’s not in a good place mentally nor physically, but he’s portrayed as someone flawed yet far from being a bad person.

Jerome is an arrogant hedonistic ass. Full stop. But he’s a minor character so I can understand why he’s not as nuanced, even if I wish there was a bit more complexity.

Gourgaud is an impulsive and arrogant bastard who is loyal to his emperor yet entitled due to having saved said emperor twice.

Bertrand and Fanny are extremely sweet.

Las Cases… I found him unpleasant and arrogant.

Murat and Caroline are mentioned and, LUCKILY, not depicted as traitors.

Ney in his cameo is his usual post-Russia reckless self (he possibly had PTSD, I believe).

Overall, the cast is memorable and I did enjoy the portrayals for the most part.

5. The Setting

The descriptions really sell the setting here, in my opinion. I particularly enjoyed the scenes at Malmaison where Napoleon essentially is Richard’s tour guide.

Always nice to see that the author really did their research and has a way with language to make immersion that much easier to achieve.

6. The Writing

Once again, the descriptions. Short, sweet, to the point.

The language is mostly easily understandable, but there are French words sprinkled in that (fortunately) can be more or less understood in context. I wish there were footnotes with translations though. Oh, and some words were unfamiliar to me as a foreigner so please keep that in mind too.

7. The Conclusion

If you can, please give the book a go. Remarkable adventures, nuanced characters and believable settings that are reminiscent of swashbuckling novels are definitely worth your money, in my humble opinion.

Of course, no work is perfect but I throughly enjoyed this one despite some flaws and I look forward to reading the sequel. It’s not every day we get an anglophone pro-Naps media piece, after all.

On that note, let us conclude today’s soirée. Please stay tuned for updates on future reviews, my dearest Neighbors.

Love,

Citizen Green Pixel

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Hi, Neighbors!

So, a while back @trashpoppaea posted this:

https://trashpoppaea.tumblr.com/post/662813413781700608/wtf-i-guess-naps-and-fouche-are-now-the-palpatine

And I got naturally curious about what the fuck this book is all about. Turns out there’s an entire trilogy!

Take a look:

Sounds like I found what to review after the “Austerlitz” movie!

And sounds like Naps is really understaffed if Fuckché is a general! Where did the other generals and marshals go?! Did F**ché lock them up in a basement?!

Okay, jokes aside, I haven’t seen Napoleonic media in space and naively thought that nothing can surprise me after Temeraire. Welp, I was clearly wrong so I need to check this out. Pronto.

[frevandrest]

 🥳 Groupwatch invite: The Black Book 🥳

On May 21st*, I am organizing a group watch of the hilariously bad amazing 1949 noir film, "The Black Book" (also known as "The Reign of Terror")

*We will change the date if it doesn't work for most people

This film has everything:

Robespierre's torture room/bakery

An amazingly enjoyable Fouché

Himbo SJ too dumb to live

Nonsensical characterization

Unforgettable quotes such as: "Connoisseur of roses and blood", "Don't call me Max!" or "Tallien, another honest man"

... and much more!

If you are interested, please send me a message with your availability for May 21st or dates around it. Please give me the availability in the GMT zone. You can convert your own zone to it here:

Time Zone Converter

The film is less than 1h 30 min long, so I hope we can coordinate.

I'd really like to find a date and time that works for everyone, so if May 21st is not a good time for you, please let me know about the following days.

Let's enjoy this absolute wild ride of a movie together! 🍟😎🍟

And just so we don't end in this:

A Disclaimer: This event is in no way, shape or form an endorsement of Fouché's politics of the time 😎

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MALMAISON MEDIA SALON SOIRÉE 11: AUSTERLITZ (1960)

1. The Introduction

SURPRISE! Hi, my dear Neighbors! This is a surprise soirée where we can finally discuss the long awaited topic of “Austerlitz”, a movie directed by Abel Gance (who also wanted to make a series of movies about Napoleon).

I have already seen the 1927 silent movie called “Napoleon” by this very director and I have reviewed it under the Jacobin Fiction Convention tag, but I also quickly found out about today’s review subject so this soirée was only a matter of time. And wouldn’t you know it, the time has come! Yay!

Unfortunately, while researching where this movie can be found, I realized that the English version is only on Netflix so those with subscriptions should be able to find the entire thing there. Russian speakers like myself are a bit luckier because there is a “two voice dub” (basically the one where you can kinda hear the original voices) online and should be easily accessible.

Okay, with that out of the way, let’s begin this party! Also, this review is dedicated to @tairin , @count-lero and @kaxen .

2. The Story

You would think that a movie called “Austerlitz” would depict only, well, the titular battle, but nope. It doesn’t show only that!

In fact, about the entire first half of the movie is spent on setting the stage for the events that would result in the battle. We see Napoleon as consul (later Consul for Life ™️), then there’s his coronation (not actually shown though), his family drama, etc.

Now, initially I thought I would be annoyed by the fact that so much time is spent on something other than the Battle of Austerlitz, but nope! Surprisingly, it wasn’t boring or annoying at all because all of these events give important context and insight into Napoleon as a person, so I don’t think pacing is an issue here. It might be too slow for some people though.

Also I love the fact that we’re not shown only the French side, but actually the prospectives of the Coalition members as well, so there’s no sense of “good French vs. evil Allies”, which is honestly great! It’s good to see multiple points of view.

I will have to admit that the time skips are a bit confusing, especially if the movie is being watched by someone who doesn’t know Jack Shit about the time period, but it wasn’t a problem for me most of the time.

And also, trigger warning because there are scenes with blood, obviously.

3. The Characters

Napoleon here is… complicated.

I dislike him, much like I dislike his real counterpart. He is impulsive as fuck, ambitious, stubborn and at times acts like a total dick, but also has moments of tenderness and kindness to his so that’s nice. Plus his tactics and strategy are shown, but that’s a given considering what kind of movie this is.

His family is also a mess, but they’re minor characters so I don’t have much to say about them.

Fouché and Talleyrand are scheming bastards as always.

Murat is a minor character, but he is brave and flamboyant.

Lannes is blunt, informal with Naps and isn’t afraid to call him out on bullshit.

Napoleon’s valet, Constant, is pretty interesting and shares a few witty quips with Napoleon in the beginning of the movie.

There’s also an old soldier called Alboise who is even blunter than Lannes, witty and all around badass, so he was one of my favorite minor characters.

Honestly, there’s a lot of characters and even more cameos so I can’t name them all, but the cast ends up being almost as diverse as my playlist.

4. The Setting

Love the settings! To me they looked accurate and really well made!

5. The Acting

Everyone is great! Pierre Mondy as Napoleon is something else and I loved his performance in particular.

By the way, a nice touch is the fact that there are multiple languages used in the movie (French, English, German and Russian) so that’s a bonus point for effort!

6. The Music



For some reason I have a soft spot for music in older movies, and this one is no exception. I especially love the triumphant music in the end and the fact that we have our soundtrack in moderation so it’s not annoying.

7. The Conclusion

Honestly, I’m glad that Abel Gance returned to Napoleon again in a way, even though his original plans of a multiple part saga didn’t work out.

I found the movie well done and I liked almost everything about it, except the time skips and some of the scenes depicting soldiers with injuries (I’m a bit squeamish).

Definitely recommend it! Great movie!

But with that, let us finish our surprise soirée at the Malmaison Media Salon. Stay tuned for updates, dear Neighbors!

Love,

- Citizen Green Pixel

[frevandrest]

Not me getting hit with Fouché's name out of nowhere on the page 149 of Les Misérables. I wasn't ready for this at 2:30 am, let me tell you.

[frevandrest]

In honor of Fouché’s birthday, say something nice about him. :)

He was a good husband and father.

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MALMAISON MEDIA SALON SOIRÉE 3: NAPOLEON (2002)

1. The Introduction

Hello, Neighbors. Welcome back to our little salon. Unfortunately, this time the soirée will have to be organized without my personal presence since I have Covid and need to do the responsible thing. That said, I promised to make this review so here you go.

This series came up on my radar thanks to @tairin but I also saw @joachimnapoleon talk about it so this review will be dedicated to both of them, as promised. I love both of you, my friends!

(That said, I remember catching snippets of the episodes on TV back in Russia, but I didn’t watch the entire thing back then.)

I watched all 4 episodes in Russian so I don’t know where it can be obtained in other languages. If you have ways to watch it in English, dear Neighbors, please let me know.

Oh, and also please keep in mind that since I’m from the Frev community and the First Empire isn’t my area of interest, I won’t tackle any potential inaccuracies because I don’t feel like stepping on minefields.

Alright, with that out of the way, let’s begin our soirée before I run out of whatever energy I have. I hope you enjoy yourselves though.

Feel free to take a seat and grab some food. :)

2. The Summary

I think the title pretty much speaks for itself. The miniseries is about, well, Napoleon. Or rather, about his journey from a republican general to emperor. It also tackles his downfall so there’s a lot of stuff to work with.

Let’s take a look at how this series handles the topic.

3. The Story

Oh dear god, the pacing! I don’t think I’ll be considered a revolutionary for saying that cramming the entire fucking Napoleonic era into 4 episodes in hard as shit! And I don’t think this series does a really good job, to be very honest.

A lot of parts are skipped (like the Russian campaign) which makes things really confusing, especially because there is no narration nor clues to provide the unfamiliar spectators with the context they need to understand what the fuck is happening. The only thing we have are maps of campaign locations, but that’s just not enough for people like me,

There are just too many time skips and it makes me wish the creators either made a longer series or focused their miniseries on something in particular, like a particular campaign for example. But alas, that’s not what we see in the series.

Another issue I have is the fact that (partially due to the pacing), unfortunately, the narrative kind of idolizes Napoleon too much for my liking. My personal bias aside, a lot of his abusive actions are glossed over. But, since the framing device is that of Napoleon himself telling the story, I guess it makes sense.

Speaking of which, I actually like the framing device that the creators chose. It has Napoleon tell his story to Betsy Balcombe and I find the scenes of these two together extremely heartwarming. A genuine friendship, which is portrayed quite well. Props for that.

Other moments that I find pretty adorable are Napoleon’s interactions with Josephine in the first episode, but there’s just not enough of such moments to redeem the clunky and confusing story.

4. The Characters

Like I said in the previous section, Napoleon is idolized a bit too much for my liking. Look, I understand his contributions and whatnot but I couldn’t bring myself to like the guy even in the series. Why, you may ask?

Well, if I see the narrative idolize a character all the time, I actually end up having the exact opposite feelings I’m supposed to have and really dislike that character instead. I don’t know how to explain it, maybe I just got fed up with the characterization of Napoleon and couldn’t bring myself to care about him.

Josephine is portrayed in a pretty sympathetic way at first, but becomes more bitchy later, which is apparently a common trope in Napoleonic media,

Caroline and Murat are once again ungrateful ambitious traitors, but their portrayals lack nuance. As in, they’re portrayed as traitors simply due to ambitions and very little attention is given to other motives they may have had or their inner conflicts. That’s wasted potential right there.

Hortense is, as usual, innocent and sweet, which is apparently far from accurate. Thanks to @josefavomjaaga for posting evidence of her bitchiness.

Unfortunately, most characters here lack the complexity that real people have, at least in my opinion. Which is sad, but maybe the condensed narrative played into this. That and propaganda of course.

I love Betsy as a character here though. She is genuinely sweet and kind, but also confident. I like that and her heartwarming friendship with Napoleon.

5. The Acting

Most of the actors are pretty good at portrayed what they were told to but, again, there’s not much nuance and complexity here so the entire potential ends up being completely wasted.

The casting choices (save Josephine and maybe F**ché), however, are questionable at best. The actors look too old for the characters they’re portraying and most people don’t look like themselves at all. But that’s the fault of the casting director, not the actors.

6. The Setting

The decorations and the costumes are pretty good, but I have an issue with the camera pulling a dramatic slow motion a bit too much.

Oh, and also the series doesn’t shy away from showing blood so, if you’re squeamish, be careful.

7. The Music

I think the soundtrack is pretty good. Nothing to complain about.

8. The Conclusion

All in all, the style of the series is pretty, but the substance... The substance is turned into condensed, clunky, confusing mess with characters who are either too good or too bad to feel like real humans, heaps of propaganda that ends up becoming annoying and really questionable casting choices.

I personally wouldn’t really recommend this miniseries but I won’t stop you from watching it if you’re curious. The choice is up to you.

Anyway, with that, let’s finish our little soirée. I’m still weak but I already know what I’m going to review next so stay tuned for updates!

And also stay safe. Please. I mean it.

Love,

- Citizen Green Pixel

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JACOBIN FICTION CONVENTION MEETING 5: LA TERREUR ET LA VERTU (1964)

1. Introduction

Well, hello there, Citizens! Welcome to yet another meeting of our little convention! Seeing as today (September 6th) is my birthday, this review is a special gift to this lovely community I’m honored to be a part of.

La Terreur et La Vertu is a bit less known in our community than The Black Book or LRF but it had already been on my radar for some time when I finally decided to make a review of it.

Or rather, a good friend of mine helped me decide and graciously provided me with the links to find the entire thing. Shoutout to Citizen @saintjustitude , you’re really cool (in my humble opinion).

Anyway, back to the subject of our meeting.

This movie, which had apparently been released straight on TV, is broken up into two parts which are called “Danton” and “Robespierre”. Both form a part of an anthology of period movies in the series called La Camera Explore le Temps, which tackles historical events, including various elements of the Frev era before, during and after the entire thing.

Both “chapters”, so to speak, are available on YouTube but only in French with no subtitles, at least according to my knowledge, so I don’t know if there’re versions with English subtitles or not. Sorry about that.

So, with that out of the way, let’s find out how exactly the movie handled the complex topic of Frev and if we can learn a thing or two about portraying this time period from this piece.

2. The Summary

The Danton chapter follows the downfall of Danton, as you may have guessed. We see his trial and imprisonment, Maximilien’s hesitation to convict him and all the drama that ensues in the process.

Meanwhile, the Robespierre chapter shows us a glimpse of the buildup to Thermidor, a bit more of Max as a person, Committee shenanigans and, finally, the Thermidorian Reaction itself. It also includes actual historians discussing the people and the events portrayed both before and after the camera switches to the actual time period.

Let’s see how good a job both of these chapters did.

3. The Story

Now, the story in both parts is, for the most part, very well-paced. Events don’t feel condensed or skipped over to a ridiculous level and I really like the fact that we get a peek into Max as a person too, not just a revolutionary.

That said, I felt like in the second chapter the scene with the Committee was slightly dragged out but not by a big margin and I didn’t get tired of it because that scene ended before it could be tiring. Or maybe it was tiring because I’m still not as fluent in French as I would like to be, I can’t say for sure.

Otherwise, the emotional stuff hits when it should but we also get wholesome and heartwarming moments here and there, like interactions between Max and Eléonore or Max with SJ so I’d say there’s a good balance of wholesomeness, intensity and tragedy.

Speaking of tragedy, I really liked the narrative choice of avoiding showing the actual executions of the characters. It’s implied through the imagery of the guillotine so you know these people are doomed and this, at least for me, caused more dread than the executions in LRF. Sometimes the best things in a story aren’t those the spectators see directly but those that imply stuff while leaving room for imagination.

The story in general, meanwhile, is a refreshing change from the stereotypical “good and evil” struggle, which is always a plus. None of the events feel oversimplified and no character feels like a shallow caricature.

Speaking of the characters, let’s take a closer look at them.

4. The Characters

As Citizen @saintjustitude put it while discussing this movie with me and recommending it, this is the only pro-Robespierre movie, and this definitely shows in the way the characters are portrayed.

Robespierre is a flawed but well-intentioned sympathetic revolutionary who is trying to do what’s right for the country to which he is incredibly devoted. He doesn’t eagerly execute people here like in propaganda pieces, nor is he depicted as a dictator, which makes this portrayal pretty accurate and I genuinely sympathized with this version of Max.

Saint-Just, which is even rarer, is also an overall sympathetic character, genuinely devoted to Max to the point that their friendship can be read as something more, at least to some people. I would argue that he steals the show. He is also not a conventionally pretty boy for a change, which is accurate, but he does sport an earring. We don’t know if the real SJ wore those but it’s a nice detail and forgivable.

Danton is also incredibly flawed but we see his relationship with Max and for me it was easy to understand why Max didn’t really want Danton to die and hesitated.

Fouché is a motherfucker whom I wanted to strangle but, luckily enough, he is not in the movie for long periods of time so he is in luck...This time.

Couthon and Eléonore Duplay make appearances and play smaller roles in the story. The latter is especially good because I melted when I saw just how genuinely gentle she is with Max.

One flaw I can name is probably the fact that other Thermidorians seemed to be absent from the story but maybe it’s because the budget didn’t allow to hire a huge cast or maybe I missed something.

Either way, realistic and complex characters rock.

5. The Acting

Holy shit, this is one of the best instances of acting I’ve ever seen.

I don’t know if any of the actors were considered famous at the time but it’s clear that the cast is extremely talented and they seem to be their characters instead of just playing their characters.

Excellent job in the acting department.

6. The Setting

The fact that the budget was probably low shows - this movie doesn’t have much in terms of decorations and stuff but it’s clear that a lot of care went into everything they did end up having.

The costumes, the hairstyles, the interiors and exteriors, everything looks realistic and from the appropriate time period.

No mullets or top hats here. ;)

7. The Conclusion

All in all, an excellent pro-revolution movie. If you’re good at French or manage to find it with subtitles, definitely give it a shot. I personally recommend it.

With that, let us conclude this meeting of the Jacobin Fiction Convention. Stay tuned for updates and, as always, I’ll see you soon.

Love,

- Citizen Green Pixel

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MALMAISON MEDIA SALON SOIRÉE 1: THE PURPLE MASK (1955)

1. The Introduction

Greetings, dearest Neighbors, and welcome to the first soirée held within the walls of Malmaison Media Salon.

Now, I wish to preface this review with the fact that, as of now at least, I’m not officially a part of the Napoleonic community. Rather, I am a friendly ambassador from the neighboring French Revolution community, yet I am more than willing to learn about your era so any factual additions are more than welcomed.

Oh, and while we’re at it, please leave your opinions on the French Revolution at the door right there, with coats and umbrellas. We’re here to talk about a movie, not fight over potentially differing opinions on politics of days past. I hope we can have a civil conversation without bickering like that as pissing off your community is about the last thing I wish to do.

Anyway, with all that out of the way, allow me to commence our little soirée. “The Purple Mask”, directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and released in 1955, became a blip on my radar entirely by accident.

I have made posts explaining how, but for those who haven’t seen them, I make reviews for my own community and I was scrolling through IMDb the other day in hopes of finding more Frev movies for future reviews. But, along with Frev movies, pieces of Napoleonic media appeared on the list, which is not that surprising from the chronological and historical prospective.

What WAS surprising to me was this particular movie, as its premise reeks of awfully familiar and repetitive anglophone propaganda more than sulfur smells of rotten eggs. I didn’t even have to have profound knowledge of the Napoleonic era to spot anglophone propaganda, as my own community fights it on a daily basis.

So, as with all things that have to do with smearing campaigns against particular time periods, I got morbidly curious and decided to see for myself how bad this movie really is.

Believe me, Neighbors, it gets pretty bad so I highly recommend you strap in, enjoy tea and cookies and listen carefully so you know what media to avoid.

Let our first soirée begin!

2. The Summary

Has anyone here ever read/seen “The Scarlet Pimpernel”?

Both the original novel and its multiple adaptations are quite known and very infamous in my community for being full of bullshit English propaganda, but the premise is that there’s this hero called The Scarlet Pimpernel whose face hasn’t been seen by anyone.

He rescues nobles from the guillotine in order to transport them to England, leaves calling cards, always has a plan, is persecuted by a persistent cartoonishly evil and dumb arch nemesis, never ever loses and masquerades as a boring noble English fop called Percy Blakeney by day.

Now let’s see what the premise of “The Purple Mask” has to say.

The screenshot is of the movie’s IMDb page as I had a feeling it sums up everything we need to know better than my own words could ever hope to do.

Notice any similarities between this movie and The Scarlet Pimpernel? I’m sure that you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to spot the fact that the former is almost a carbon copy of the latter, with minor tweaks along the way.

That said, there’s nothing inherently wrong with having similar premises as long as the creators make the story theirs and are honest about taking inspiration from the predecessor if such inspiration is indeed taken during the creative process.

But does this movie show enough originality and honesty to be saved from the label of a boring copycat? Let’s have a closer look at its various elements in order to find that out.

3. The Story

Here’s a confession for everyone who doesn’t know this about me already: I LOVE me a good swashbuckling story and reading books of that genre is something I was fond of doing as a child. I’d be lying if I said that I outgrew my swashbuckling phase so I did have some hopes that this movie would at least be good on its own, as a swashbuckling adventure that one simply has to watch with their brain turned on and be aware of its historical inaccuracies.

Sadly, my hopes were doomed to end very soon.

One thing I will give to the plot is the fact that, at least in the beginning, things seemed to be heading in an interesting direction, what with a group of royalists (who used to be nobles before Frev) planning to overthrow Naps and restore monarchy in France. And their plan to throw Naps off the trail of the mysterious Purple Mask by using a decoy impersonator so that the real Purple Mask stays unharmed does have merit.

In this universe nobody knows what exactly PM looks like so a decoy doesn’t have to even resemble the real deal in appearance, which makes the job that much easier. People in real life have faked their deaths to avoid actually meeting The Grim Reaper so it did sound like a decent plan to me.

But the problem is that the movie hits too many points that Pimpernel hit beforehand which made it boring and so predictable that my interest got shot and killed on the spot.

(Spoilers ahead!)

I’m by no means a professional author, but having a rich fop moonlight as a superhero is already an extremely boring and obvious cliché. Sure, it was pioneered by the original Pimpernel, but I really doubt that it was just as original in 1955, given the popularity of the novel and the fact that even Batman is based on that same archetype. Considering that, I really wish the writers didn’t repeat the same old plot point again.

Of course the real hero pretends to be a stupid dandy and of course he will win, get the girl (Laurette in this case) and outwit everyone! Many people have seen the story before, so is it too much to ask to subvert expectations at least once?

Another issue I have is that the villains here seem to suffer from classic villain stupidity, like in a scene where PM has a sword duel with Rochet, the Minister of Police, in front of guards armed with swords and muskets of their own yet NONE of the guards just shoots him on the spot to get it done with! Come on, guys!

This kind of stupidity just...it kills suspense, pisses off me personally and makes it a bit too obvious who will win, which is one of the fastest way to make your audience bored.

But enough about the story, let’s talk about the characters and see if they can become a saving grace for this “masterpiece”.

4. The Characters

(Spoilers ahead!)

The main character, René, aka the decoy PM, aka secretly the real PM, masquerades as a classic witty fop but in reality is PM - witty, brave, smart (unlike the villains) and an ardent royalist. Also a womanizer.

So yeah, he pretty much plays the old trope to a T and, unfortunately, never gets proper character development. Aside from one throwaway line that his father’s execution during Frev is what prompted him to adopt his alter ego, we never learn much about him, which doesn’t give us that many reasons to root for him.

His father was killed. Okay, and how did it affect him aside from his decision? Does he have other motives? Is he fully devoted to the cause or does he have an agenda? Has he always been a royalist or maybe switched after his father’s execution? All these questions are left unanswered. All the potential for creating a compelling character goes to waste. Truly a shame...

Laurette, believe it or not, actually gets more character development here than most female leads at the time. She wants to save her father. This is her motivation and we’re actually shown her worry and her actions that are taken to achieve her goal so her character motivation works much better than René’s.

I still didn’t like the plot point of her loving PM but not knowing that he has been beside her the entire time until it’s spelled out to her by a different character though, as this is a bit too reminiscent of the Pimpernel’s female lead, Marguerite.

(Spoilers ahead!)

Napoleon, the First Consul, is the main antagonist and the ONLY historical character in the movie. And he pretty much plays the role of a classic Bond movie villain, sitting in his lair, barking orders and yelling at his minions for failing.

He is also incredibly stupid here, as he lets the heroes escape to England in the end, which was their plan all along so he practically enables the conspiracy to continue! 100 IQ move right there, Naps... But hey, at least he is portrayed as having some sense of honor and keeping promises, so props for not making him a complete monster.

Rochet, the main antagonist and the Minister of Police (Where the fuck is Fouché, guys?!) is pretty much a classic dumb cartoonish villain who will definitely lose in the end. Not much else to say about him, to be very honest.

Basically he is the resident knockoff Citizen Chauvelin from The Scarlet Pimpernel. Nothing new here.

5. The Acting

Not bad, actually. Especially when it comes to the leads. They did what they could with the characters they were given so credit where credit is due. At least the actors here do their best.

6. The Setting

The settings aren’t particularly elaborate (I assume the budget wasn’t too high) but actually it wasn’t bad either. The decorations, the clothes, etc seem pretty accurate to me so kudos.

7. The Conclusion

Overall, not a terrible movie by any means but its anglophone propaganda and the fact that it’s basically a Scarlet Pimpernel knockoff with almost zero originality just makes it boringly meh.

The authors clearly didn’t care enough to insert other real people like Fouché or Talleyrand (both of whom would be good villains) instead of their dumb OC villains or at least come up with a story that’s not boring, which really shows.

Please skip this movie unless you really want to waste your time.

Well, that would be all for our first soirée, my dearest Neighbors. I hope you like my first ever review of a piece of Napoleonic media and more reviews might come your way pretty soon.

Stay tuned and stay safe!

Love,

- Citizen Green Pixel

[usergreenpixel]

Frev prompts, Part 12! We’re officially reaching the number 100, Citizens! I honestly thought I’d be done with the prompts at this point but trust me, I still have ideas.

96. The protagonist is a fairly average person. A workaholic with almost no time to spare for personal life, they hate the job and the abusive boss but believe that they have no other option in life.

Or rather, they used to believe it until a chance encounter with one Monsieur Berthier, an equally overworked and miserable man who seems to have arrived from a different time period by unknown means. This encounter, Berthier’s mental state that mirrors that of the protagonist to an alarming degree and other mysterious events force the protagonist to question their life choices and consider other options for the first time in years.

Moreover, when the protagonist turns to a relative who owns a time machine and tries to return their new acquaintance home, the machine malfunctions and traps the protagonist and Monsieur Berthier in France of 1789, where the French Revolution is about to begin.

Stranded in 1789 and only able to rely on each other, the two must survive, return to their respective time periods and try not to accidentally mess up history while they’re at it. It’s not easy, but at least Monsieur Berthier seems quite versed in the history of the Revolution…

97. When the protagonist, a stereotypical adventurous investigative reporter with a budding interest in the French Revolution, is sent undercover to an asylum to investigate its conditions, they are determined to expose whatever is going on in that sketchy institution, not expecting any surprises.

Interestingly enough, the surprises do come in the form of the three people who the protagonist first meets in the asylum - an avid (yet terrible) flutist named Michel, a womanizing man with only one eye and a knack for finding treasures called André and a woman who responds to the unusual name of Theroigne.

While all of them seem to have genuine issues with their mental health, the protagonist can’t help but get the impression that there’s something off about their new allies, as if they’re not even from our time period.

Being a good intrepid reporter, the protagonist decides to continue the investigation. Who runs this strange place? Why would they lock up historical figures? Are André’s words about a secret treasure being hidden on the premises true? And could this be the undisclosed location to which the protagonist’s mother, a reclusive French Revolution enthusiast called Charlotte, had been taken a while ago?

98. In 1789, as the events of the Revolution are only beginning to unfold, a dying noble leaves his son everything, on the condition that said son marries a particular noblewoman from a powerful family.

While at first the arrangement doesn’t seem all that unusual, soon the main character notices that this noblewoman is a sympathizer of the revolutionaries and exhibits suspicious behavior from time to time.

Could she be in cahoots with the revolutionaries? Why would the nobleman’s father arrange for his son to marry a “rebel”?

Overcome by questions with no answers in sight, the main character follows his future spouse to one of her “meetings with friends”...

99. 1804, Paris. Napoleon Bonaparte has just become the Emperor of the French. Seeing as he is at the top of the country’s hierarchy, it seems like his authority won’t be challenged by anyone in their right mind.

That is until a group of Jacobins, furious that one of their own betrayed the Revolution and became a monarch (albeit with a different fancy title), steps in and plans a coup to get rid of this Corsican nuisance.

And, as it turns out, they’re not alone in their desire to get rid of the emperor, for these Jacobins find an extremely unlikely ally in one Joseph Fouché, who has just been appointed as the Minister of Police for the second time. Now this cunning cruel fox, having caught wind of what these Jacobins are planning, has just contacted them and offered them his help with the coup.

And even though the Jacobins agree to this alliance, they are far from stupid and fully aware of the crimes that Fouché covered up years ago. It doesn’t help that one of the rebels is from Lyon while the other is trying to avenge one of the executed Montagnards for a personal reason.

Cunning as the mitrailleur of Lyon might be, his decision might just contribute to dire consequences and ensure his long overdue downfall…

100. When the two protagonists first came to Paris during their travels, they didn’t quite expect to end up trapped in France and become caught up in the events of the Revolution.

Unfortunately for them, this is exactly what happens and although the protagonists try to stay out of the conflict altogether at first, they too end up roped into the situation when they help a wounded man hide from pursuers.

Said man turns out to be a revolutionary and, claiming that associating with him is putting the protagonists into hot water already, offers them to join the cause in exchange for an opportunity to leave France as soon as the Jacobins succeed.

Despite all the potential risks, the offer sounds tempting and, as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures...

[usergreenpixel]

Frev prompts, Part 4! 🎉

21. The protagonist is a high school student with a knack for drawing comics but they’re also the favorite target of the bullies at school.

One day the bullying gets so bad that the protagonist is unable to cope with reality anymore and, as a means of escapism, writes themselves into their new comic about their favorite topic - The French Revolution. With their favorite pen they had inherited from their writer grandfather, no less.

However, what was supposed to be a harmless little self-insert quickly becomes a reality when the protagonist is magically transported into their comic book and now has to navigate their own story and finish it in order to return to the real world, as well as figure out the mysterious powers of the magical pen.

22. Despite the fact that the days when the Bastille used to be packed with prisoners are gone, a handful were still trapped inside its gloomy walls by the time the infamous prison was taken.

The protagonist is one of the few prisoners who are sentenced to imprisonment inside the Bastille until they and the rest of the prisoners are set free by the revolutionaries.

For the first time in a long while, the protagonist is free but not all is sunshine and butterflies because the revolution is only beginning to escalate and the protagonist has long forgotten how to function in the society outside the prison.

With no other options, the protagonist decides to try and rebuild their life from square one, all while the events of the revolution are unfolding in the city of Paris.

23. Two friends, the protagonists, were raised together by a noble family as adopted wards and used to be close as children, but drifted apart when one of the two went abroad to get a good education.

Nevertheless, the childhood friends find themselves reunited by a pure coincidence during a meeting in the Jacobin Club, which both of them joined mere days ago.

All seems well, until it becomes apparent that the protagonists don’t exactly see eye to eye when it comes to politics in France nor the methods of solving the multiple issues plaguing the country.

This new rift between the protagonists only widens as the revolution progresses and the Jacobin Club gets split into groups on the basis of shared political beliefs.

Will the two protagonists be able to restore the friendship they used to have or will their new differences prove that maybe friendship isn’t always as almighty as people say?

24. The protagonist is acutely aware of the multiple injustices of the French society but they are not too eager to change things personally, hoping that maybe the government will find a way to fix things.

The protagonist, meanwhile, would rather focus on keeping their small family business (a bookshop) afloat and renting out an apartment in the house to make ends meet.

Soon, however, the protagonist ends up getting roped into the events of the revolution regardless when they accidentally overhear their new tenant discuss his plans in a hushed tone with a few other people.

The protagonist has all the evidence that they had unwittingly rented out an apartment to a revolutionary and now they have the evidence to turn that rebellious youth from Blérancourt in along with his buddies.

At first, the best course of action seems fairly obvious. Just report them to the authorities and be done with it.

However, perhaps these youths are more than just stupid kids playing at freedom fighting and maybe they can actually help the country.

When faced with the dilemma of either ratting the young rebels out or joining their cause, the protagonist makes a choice that ends up changing their entire life.

25. The year is 1811. Located near Saint-Petersburg, The Imperial Lyceum is a place where boys from noble families of The Russian Empire live and study. Perhaps the most famous Lyceum of all, it was home to plenty of those who would become prominent in Russian society of the time.

This is where the protagonist, one David de Boudry, teaches French to these boys.

Monsieur de Boudry knows that most of his students are blissfully unaware of a certain secret of his and likes it that way. It is best if they don’t know that he happens to be a younger brother to Jean-Paul Marat himself but changed his last name to avoid the associations.

Keeping this particular tidbit of his biography secret used to be fairly easy, until his older brother, Jean-Paul Marat, appeared in David’s life again on a snowy and frosty January day.

Marat is inexplicably alive, but he is also half-frozen and extremely disheveled when he shows up, not to mention the fact that he arrives with his wife and a very young child in tow. They all need a place to hide from the authorities, and fast.

Being a loving brother, David de Boudry hides his family and is now determined to keep them safe for not even a new name can sever family ties.

But, having made this difficult choice, will Monsieur de Boudry be able to reconcile his love for his family and the devotion to his adoptive home country? And will Marat be able to keep his loved ones and himself safe from the agents of police who lurk nearby and are quite hellbent on proving that the man they are pursuing is indeed the infamous Jacobin?

26. The protagonist is a sophomore who became a member of a Drama Club during their freshman year of high school and they are quite happy to finally have a friend group where they belong. Here nobody judges them for their stutter, their crossdressing and their fear of dogs.The protagonist is even allowed to play roles that would be normally reserved for the opposite gender just so they have an excuse to crossdress.

The upcoming play about the French Revolution is no exception and the protagonist is quite overjoyed but also frustrated that something just doesn’t ring true whenever they read their lines. Frustrated, they sneak into a time machine built by their parents and transport themselves to Paris of 1794.

They soon see that the city is in chaos and rumors about a traitor who had supposedly escaped the guillotine and went on the run with his family spread like wildfire. Moreover, the protagonist soon finds themselves in a bit of a pickle because of their name and physical appearance.

Even a man whom the protagonist saves from a mob advises them not to reveal their name and to lay low as soon as the protagonist introduces themselves. The protagonist is naturally confused but they do want to stay alive and free.

In order to survive, the protagonist decides to do what actors do best - improvise. It’s not easy, of course, but the protagonist tries to stay optimistic.

They hope that they will make it. They know they will. Giving up is not an option. After all, a Desmoulins never gives up. Right?

27. The French Revolution is not an easy period in history. It should be fairly obvious why.

The country is drowning in chaos and the future is uncertain, no matter how hard The Committee of Public Safety tries to maintain at least some semblance of order.

Meanwhile, in the heart of Paris, lives our protagonist whose main concern was not the revolution, but rather the fact that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep their inn’s doors open.

And then, one day, the unthinkable happens. A guest is found murdered in their room. Naturally, all the other guests are now suspects, and so is the staff. A diverse bunch of people with their own agendas, secrets and ties to the victim has gathered in the inn.

Sensing that something isn’t right, the protagonist decides to become an amateur sleuth and get to the bottom of the situation.

A “whodunnit” murder mystery is about to take place in the inn and the protagonist is determined to solve it.

28. A few years passed after the betrayal of the Thermidorians. The Revolution is destroyed and all of the enemies of the new government are dead… Except for one.

The protagonist is a patient in a mental hospital on the outskirts of Paris. Here the treatment of the patients is becoming more and more humane than it used to be before. That being said, the living conditions still leave a lot to be desired. Moreover, the protagonist feels isolated and lonely due to their personal issues and the trauma that caused them to become basically imprisoned in the facility.

Luckily, the loneliness disappears when the protagonist secretly manages to befriend another patient, a mysterious young man who is kept in isolation from the rest of the people at the facility, is forced to wear a mask to hide his face and is treated far worse than the others.

Horrified by the extent of the abuse that their new friend has to endure, the protagonist teams up with him to escape to Avignon, where the protagonist’s relatives live.

Little do they know, their new friend and partner in crime is an outlaw and a Montagnard, the last of them all, so when the two finally escape the police quickly catch wind of the situation.

Can the duo get to Avignon and avoid recapture? Will this unlikely friendship help them heal from their respective trauma? And will the revolutionary’s plan to avenge his executed friends be successful?

29. (Crossover with Greek mythology) When Adrestia, a minor Greek goddess, is banished to Earth from Mount Olympus for causing too much trouble, she assumes a human disguise and travels to France of 1789, where great changes are just around the corner.

Finally finding herself in her own element once again, Adrestia (whose human name is Adrienne) decides that she has no right to miss all the fun and joins the forces of the revolution. She is a goddess of revolt and a daughter of Ares, after all.

One would think that having a goddess on your side will make fighting easier, but things are not that simple and the other gods don’t exactly take kindly to troublemakers who go against authority.

Nevertheless, Adrestia is more than willing to try and help her new allies to win in their fight for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

30. When the protagonists first meet up in real life, they’re ecstatic. After a few years of chatting on the Internet, the two French Revolution enthusiasts have finally met each other face to face and now they decide to set an old plan of theirs in motion.

The duo wants to perform a time travel spell invented by their witch ancestors and change the way the French Revolution ended. The spell is successfully cast, but in the process the warlocks run out of magic and are now forced to wait in the past until they are strong enough to cast the spell again to return home.

But hey, at least while they’re waiting they can do what they always wanted to do - prevent the Thermidorian Reaction, and they are going to try to do just that, even though preventing a coup d’état is far from easy, especially for two college kids from the future.

31. It’s 1815. Joseph Fouché is the Minister of Police but his days in office are numbered and he knows it.

What’s more, rumors spread about the incompetence of the police as nobody can catch the culprit behind a new string of murders. Fouché hopes that cracking the case would restore his reputation, but something isn’t right about these murders.

So far, every single victim was a participant of the Thermidorian Reaction and it simply cannot be a mere coincidence. This pattern makes Fouché fear for his life and his reputation, as in addition to the murders the sins that he and his allies had pinned on their enemies begin to resurface.

Fearing that he is next and that his own crimes are about to be exposed as well, Fouché becomes obsessed with catching this mysterious vigilante. He even has a prime suspect in mind, but he can neither track him down nor prove that it was him.

Meanwhile, the time Fouché has to rehabilitate the police force is running out. Soon he too might face the music at long last, as well as learn exactly why sparing one of your enemies while killing the rest is considered to be a classic mistake.

Will the vigilante get to Fouché? How much time does the Minister of Police actually have left before karma knocks on his door? And why does the youngest police inspector in history, who is Fouché’s beloved protégé, turn against his mentor?

32. When the protagonist decided to sneak into the Catacombs of Paris for “shits and giggles” with their buddies, the last thing they expected was a sudden time travel to a closet in an apartment of a prominent revolutionary, whose skull the protagonist was holding in their hands seconds ago.

Naturally, the protagonist gets caught by the housekeeper and promptly accused of breaking and entering at best, and an assasination attempt at worst. It doesn’t help that the protagonist has strange pills and a baseball bat on their person.

But when they’re about to get prosecuted, the inhabitant of that same apartment suddenly speaks up on their behalf and defends the protagonist, claiming that it was a mere misunderstanding. Later, that same revolutionary visits the protagonist, reveals that he knows about the existence of time travel and promises to help, as long as the protagonist goes along with his plan.

Despite suspecting that the revolutionary has an ulterior motive, the protagonist does want answers so they agree to play along...at least for a while.

33. After the Revolutionary War in America, the protagonist follows his friend and mentor, Marquis de Lafayette, to Paris as he is the only family the hero has at this point.

At first, when the French Revolution rolls around, the hero still stays by his mentor’s side, never questioning his opinions and decisions and admiring him as a hero.

But after the September Massacres reveal Lafayette’s...less heroic side the hero is utterly broken and disappointed that he trusted the wrong person yet again. This revelation prompts the hero to switch sides and become a double agent, working with the Jacobins while pretending that he is still loyal to Lafayette.

Is this the correct choice to make or will the hero’s naïveté and a simple desire to belong betray him once again?

34. Maximilien Robespierre finds himself in a difficult situation. Somehow, everyone who crosses his path keeps going missing, only to turn up brutally murdered.

Moreover, Robespierre keeps receiving notes with rather...stalkerish messages written by the culprit. The stress and the crippling paranoia are slowly taking a toll on his frail body and he collapses altogether after finding out that Camille Desmoulins and Antoine de Saint-Just got attacked as well.

Fortunately, Saint-Just and Desmoulins manage to survive the ordeal and decide that enough is enough. After a long recovery, the two men decide to set aside their differences and track down the mysterious stalker before other people close to Robespierre get hurt.

Who knows, perhaps this buddy cop-esque adventure will even help Saint-Just and Desmoulins resolve their rivalry once and for all, now that a mutual friend of theirs needs both of them.

35. An immigrant enrolls into a high school in the country where they live now, a country located on the other side of the planet, miles away from their homeland.

Isolated from the rest of the students, shunned for their Eastern European accent (feel free to pick the specific country) and their Socialist beliefs, the protagonist has very few friends and even they are imaginary - three French revolutionaries whom the protagonist admires the most.

However, things change when a classmate bonds with the protagonist over their fascination with the French Revolution and the two decide to team up and write a novel about their favorite topic, all while the three imaginary friends, who may or may not be something more than a simple product of imagination, are guiding these kids on their quest to rehabilitate the legacy of the revolution.

P. S. The Fouché tag has been graciously lent to me by @frevandrest , the tag’s inventor. This needs to become an official tag imo.

[frevandrest]

are you aware that 'i still refuse to make a fouche tag' is one of your most popular tags?

Is it? Ok, I had to take a look, and there are around 33-34 posts tagged with "I still refuse to make a Fouché tag". This is well below my most popular tags (#fun - 337 entries, #frev, #french revolution, #robespierre and #saint-just - 177 entries).  That being said, "I still refuse to make a Fouché tag" tag is used more than #danton, #marat, #gender, #18th century, #politics, and, most shockingly, #organt (??!?? - Fuuu How???) So... I don't know what to say.

[usergreenpixel]

Frev writing prompts, Part 5! Seriously, I have no idea how I keep coming up with these. 😅

36. The protagonist was born and raised by a troupe of traveling performers. For as long as they can remember, they have been traveling from place to place, never staying anywhere for a few days at most.

The protagonist’s father is the troupe’s flutist and singer while their mother is a puppeteer so the youth has always had a passion for the performing arts and dreams of traveling all over Europe with their big happy family.

Nicknamed “L’œillet rouge” (The Red Carnation) by the troupe as an homage to their father’s favorite flower, the protagonist enjoys playing the flute and singing with their father, as well as putting on puppet shows with their mother.

With a song in their heart, a smile on their face and their father’s precious flute in their hands, the protagonist travels all over the country with their family, entertaining the people of France but never settling down and they like it that way.

But one day, while the troupe is staying in Paris and putting on a rather satirical puppet show which mocks the current regime, the protagonist’s parents are suddenly arrested by the police. Apparently, the father is a dangerous rebel while the mother is guilty of having sheltered said rebel years ago.

The protagonist is convinced that there must be a mistake and decides to rescue their parents with the help of all the other troupe members, including the protagonist’s older maternal half-brother and their maternal grandparents, all of whom are eager to help.

The time is limited and the rescue will be far from easy, but the protagonist will be damned if they don’t at least try to succeed. So, with that in mind, the young flutist and their family start to concoct the rescue plan...

37. Rumors have it that people who have been murdered tend to become vengeful ghosts and haunt their killers to exact revenge.

This is certainly true for Robespierre and his supporters. Unable to find peace, their souls are brought back to the realm of the living, seeking revenge on the Thermidorians.

This particular circumstance is quite convenient for the protagonist, a spirit medium who summons these ghosts and intends to use them as tools in their plan to torment the Thermidorians and avenge their family that got massacred in Lyon, skillfully using the revolutionaries’ restlessness and anger to achieve their goal.

However, soon certain events make the protagonist question the morality of using these spirits. Perhaps the protagonist is no better than their enemies if they are not above manipulating others. Perhaps there’s another way… Nonsense! It’s not manipulation if the other people also want revenge and are dead anyway...right?

38. The heroine of the story, like many other girls of the noble class, grew up and got her education in a convent in her hometown of Caen, France.

As a result of this upbringing, the young woman is rather used to a sheltered life, her idealism is through the roof and she is rather nostalgic about her life in the convent and her friendship with another noble girl, Charlotte Corday, who is the heroine’s closest friend and confidant.

At first the noblewoman wants to stay out of the events of the revolution, dreaming of taking her vows as a nun and living a quiet life in the convent, but those plans are abruptly thwarted by Corday, whose influence slowly gets the naïve heroine deeper and deeper into the mess that is the French Revolution.

Being idealistic, easily trusting, quiet, pacifistic and devoutly Catholic, the heroine initially follows her best friend’s lead and trusts her judgement since Corday is the closest thing to a big sister that the young woman has.

However, when Corday tries to convince her to kill Jean-Paul Marat and end the revolution, the heroine starts having mixed feelings about her friend’s decisions, despite being angry with Marat for her own personal reasons. After all, her faith teaches to forgive, not to judge and take revenge, so now the heroine must make a choice.

Will she betray her best friend and ruin the plan or will she cast aside her morals to help Corday and, presumably, the rest of the country? Is Marat really the bloodthirsty monster that Corday says he is? Is there another way to deal with the situation at hand without any casualties? And what consequences will the main character face for the choice she makes?

39. The main character is an illegitimate son of a Russian noble and a serf (yes, serfs were still a thing in Russia) who got taken in by his father as a “ward” and sent to France to get a good education, as everything French was very fashionable in the Russian Empire at the time.

There, in Paris of 1789, the young man absorbs all the knowledge he can, learning languages, reading the prominent books written in the Enlightenment era and even befriends a man by the name of Maximilien de Robespierre, a lawyer from Arras and the representative of Artois.

Considering that Robespierre was almost born illegitimate, he is the first person in a long time who doesn’t judge the protagonist for the circumstances of his birth and accepts him for him. Excited to be accepted at long last, the young man begins to look up to Robespierre as a mentor and an older brother of sorts, quickly absorbing his ideas and supporting him.

So, naturally, when the revolution begins and the young man finds himself trapped in Paris, he joins the revolutionaries to fight alongside his mentor.

Thus begin his adventures.

40. The protagonist is a child of criminals forced to survive on the streets after losing their parents until they’re eventually taken in by a seemingly sympathetic Jacobin, given a new name, a home and a fresh start in life. The protagonist essentially becomes the revolutionary’s ward and their guardian even takes them to the Convention so the youth can observe the meetings.

All seems good for the protagonist...almost too good to be true. But eventually certain events force the protagonist to wonder if their new guardian truly cares about them.

Could it be that their Jacobin guardian has some sinister motives? And will the protagonist be able to move away from their “bad” heritage and live an honest life at last?

41. Barras is in love. Again.

Head over heels over a pretty servant he recently hired and she even seems to like her employer back. Even her suspiciously strong resemblance to a certain Jacobin who got executed in 1794 isn’t a dealbreaker for Barras and the smitten man writes said resemblance off as a coincidence.

The other Thermidorians, especially Fouché, are not that blind and they fear that a relative of that particular executed man is here to seek revenge. Fouché decides to investigate this seemingly ordinary and harmless young servant, suspecting that she has quite a few skeletons in her closet.

Are these suspicions going to be confirmed or is Fouché simply being paranoid?

42. Thermidor has just taken place. The Jacobins are imprisoned and it seems like the traitors are going to win. All hope is lost for the Jacobins and their enemies rejoice.

But little do the Thermidorians know that by betraying and imprisoning all the men who stand in their way, they have just acquired new enemies - women.

Revolutionary women.

Wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, goddaughters, lovers, wards, friends and sympathizers of the captured Jacobins who are not going to sit back and give up.

Seeing how bleak things are, these women, led by a mysterious woman who conceals her face behind a mask and calls herself “Citoyenne Liberté” (Citizen Liberty), decide to rescue their imprisoned loved ones from the clutches of the Thermidorians.

They’re running out of time, they’re outnumbered and not equipped with proper weapons, but that is hardly a problem they can’t solve and they’re willing to fight against the odds regardless of the obstacles.

After all, Heaven hath no fury like a woman scorned, which is what the Thermidorians are about to learn the hard way.

43. A singer and actress who used to perform in Venice flees to France after a scandal demolishes her reputation. Having only her voice and her acting to make ends meet, for a while she tries to find work in Paris but barely makes enough money for her and her son to survive.

Her only friend and confidant in this bleak situation is a future revolutionary who happens to admire the heroine’s singing and strongly believes that she deserves better. He even bonds with the actress’s toddler son and is willing to step up and become a proper father figure for the child.

Thanks to said revolutionary, the heroine’s life begins to change for the better and she decides to settle down in Paris. Even when she learns about the approaching revolution, she chooses to stay in the only place where she feels like she can belong.

What’s more, the actress finally finds her new purpose in life. She too can fight for the cause of her new partner and his friends, in her own way.

How is a woman whose main talents are acting and singing supposed to be able fight, you may ask? Why, by becoming a spy for the Jacobins and the singing voice of the revolution of course!

And she might just be able to prove that anyone can be a revolutionary and one doesn’t need to be a fighter nor an orator to help a noble cause.

44. A female servant working for Georges Danton has to practically flee the house of her employer after the latter crosses all the possible boundaries while drunk.

Fearing for her safety and profoundly traumatized by the event, the servant is found and taken in by a seemingly sympathetic man who sees Danton as a sworn enemy for his own reasons. Considering that both have a grudge against Danton and the man is a journalist, he and the servant team up to bring Danton down.

Will they succeed? Why does the journalist hate Danton? And is his desire to aid the heroine genuine?

45. Paris, France. The revolution is in full swing.

The Committee of Public Safety has to deal with multiple issues, the ongoing war is depleting France’s resources and the situation seems dire.

What’s more, a new newspaper, “La Voix de la Justice” (The Voice of Justice), began to circulate in the city. While this particular fact isn’t that surprising by itself, the thing that sets this newspaper apart from the rest is the fact that its author is anonymous.

Nobody knows who writes this newspaper but the articles are quite good and this mysterious person has already exposed several people who were using the Reign of Terror as an excuse for their atrocities.

Naturally, all these details catch the attention of Jean-Paul Marat and Camille Desmoulins, two of the most prominent journalists of that time. Intrigued by this new newspaper and its author, the two revolutionaries team up to track that person down, if only to find out who they are and thank them for helping their cause.

46. The protagonist grew up believing that Robespierre is single handedly responsible for the execution of their beloved aunt and uncle and, as a result, believes that the man deserved to be executed for that betrayal.

However, the protagonist is soon forced to question their judgment when their older cousin, Horace Desmoulins, reaches out to them in a letter, inviting them to Paris and claiming that he found evidence proving that in actuality Robespierre attempted to save Camille and Lucile Desmoulins, Horace’s parents.

Although the protagonist is skeptical at first, since Horace has always defended his godfather, they are still intrigued by their cousin’s invitation and leaves Guise to join Horace in his investigation.

Together, the two cousins are both determined to clear the names of Horace’s parents and figure out what role Robespierre actually played in the family tragedy.

47. The five protagonists are all members of a heavy metal band whose name and songs are an homage to the French Revolution.

Previously little more than a quintet of college misfits determined to rehabilitate this particular event and tell the real story through music, the band finally starts gaining popularity after a successful concert at a music festival in Marseille.

And then things take a turn for the unexpected when the band gets into an accident on their way home, only to wake up in Revolutionary France. Naturally, they now must survive and return home but this adventure might just become the inspiration they needed so much...

48. After the protagonist’s father leaves them and their blind mother behind to move to Paris, the protagonist is naturally upset. Year after year, they wait for their father to return but he never does.

In 1789, after losing their mother to an illness, the protagonist decides that enough is enough and travels to Paris to confront their father. To their disgust, they soon find out that their father is now remarried, with a new family and quite rich while the protagonist is basically a pauper. Moreover, the father seems to have joined the revolutionaries, which is something that the protagonist cannot approve of either.

Now the protagonist wants to make sure that their father faces the music for his betrayal so they contact a journalist who is about to expose said father in an article.

A story of one of his enemies leaving behind his first family will be a nice addition to the already existing accusations of corruption, but the protagonist and the journalist soon realize that they are not immune to the consequences of their actions either and this article might cause more damage than they think it will.

49. (A reimagining of Aladdin) After their flute is broken beyond repair, the protagonist goes to a pawn shop to find a replacement for their practice.

It is there that an old ivory flute catches their attention so the protagonist purchases it, has it professionally restored and decides to keep it, ignoring the warning of the shopkeeper that it’s cursed and the suspiciously low price.

The protagonist is a skeptic and never believed in magic, curses and other occult things.

That is until they play the flute for the first time and a man poofs into existence like a genie from a lamp. Introducing himself as Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, he informs the protagonist that he used to be the owner of the flute but is now trapped in it because of black magic.

Despite their skepticism, the protagonist cannot logically explain anything that’s going on but wants to help so they strike a deal with Saint-Just - he is going to help the protagonist win over their love interest in exchange for freedom.

As for how the spell is supposed to be broken, the protagonist is completely clueless but their mysterious neighbor with a knack for alchemy and the occult might be able to help…

50. Lyon, France.

The future Thermidorians mercilessly massacre innocent people and rule with an iron fist. Just today they massacred several prominent noble families of the city for defying them.

However, what the tyrants do not know is that they didn’t massacre everyone, for the daughters of the executed nobles are currently living at a convent to get education, as was common back then.

Upon receiving the tragic news and fearing that these young girls are going to end up on the death list, two nuns, the heroines of the story, come up with a plan to escort the girls out of the city and get them to a different location where they would be safe.

The plan is daring but the risk is too high to sit there and do nothing. Will the nuns be able to keep their students safe?

Let me know in the comments or DMs if any of my prompts interest you! I can help you with certain prompts if you want! 😊

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JACOBIN FICTION CONVENTION MEETING 2: The Black Book (1949)

1. Introduction

Welp, here it is, Citizens.

Welcome to the second meeting of the Jacobin Fiction Convention. Please, enjoy some snacks and drinks and get comfortable because we’re in for a pretty wild ride.

The review of “The Black Book” is finally here. Initially released under the title “Reign of Terror” in 1949, it acquired its second (and more famous in our community) title during its rereleases, as far as my research could tell me.

Now, before we proceed, allow me to give you some background info on the way I found this movie.

I have seen @frevandrest ‘s posts referring to it. A few other people too, but I simply don’t remember the usernames. Still, I immediately got the impression that it’s a rather infamous movie in our community so I decided to review it simply out of morbid curiosity, just to see what the fuss was about.

I found the entire thing on YouTube so it’s available for anyone curious or masochistic enough to check it out.

Let’s just say that I dropped the movie several times and the reasons for this awful impression are going to be listed below.

2. The Story

The story reeks of propaganda, which is to be expected.

Basically, The Evil Misogynistic Gay Pigeon Boi Not Yet Dictator ™️ Robespierre wants to become, well, the dictator of France.

Problem is, apparently only Barras can appoint him as the dictator and that guy is in hiding, refusing to comply. And to make things worse, the titular book, Robespierre’s personal death list of sorts, has vanished.

Robespierre believes that he cannot control the Convention without the book and summons Duval, the butcher prosecutor from Strasbourg, to locate the death list in 24 hours. Unbeknownst to him, Duval gets replaced by one Charles D’Aubigny, who is eager to stop Robespierre...

Yes, Citizens, they attempted to make a thriller/detective story of sorts, which isn’t a bad idea. If my prompts are any indication, there’s a lot of genres that fit the setting of the French Revolution. In fact, I would love to read a good detective story set in this era.

The keyword here is ‘good’ though, and, unfortunately, this movie simply didn’t cut it for me as a detective story.

(Spoilers ahead!)

In all honesty, it’s actually quite predictable in its execution. Personally, I predicted rather quickly that the book wasn’t actually stolen and it was a distraction move.

The complete lack of logic in the actions of this Robespierre and the ridiculous levels of seriousness also were really painful to watch and kept breaking any potential immersion on my part.

For instance, Robespierre’s method of controlling the Convention is not telling who is and who is not on the list.

Now, in Real Life ™️, this hardly stopped the Thermidorians but apparently that’s not the case in the movie! Nobody even tries to speak up against him or, you know, quietly assassinate him to prevent him from getting all the power, which is hardly realistic if you ask me.

I also feel like this plot line of Charles and Madelon (the female lead) being these bitter exes is boring and really done to death. It’s actually one of my least favorite tropes and I would rather prefer them to simply have a professional relationship (because yes, men and women can have platonic relationships), like old acquaintances who went on a spying mission that one time or something similar.

This romantic subplot was really shoehorned into the story in my opinion and I do believe that it would’ve been more tolerable with only the main plot left in the final script, but oh well.

3. The Characters

Once again, boring is the best adjective I can come up with. Fouché felt less out of character than the others though, which is not a good sign.

Madelon is the femme fatale mixed with damsel in distress and Charles is the stereotypical single detective character. That’s about it. They’re both just walking clichés.

Anyway, since the OCs are kind of archetypical and blander than oatmeal without milk, let’s discuss the historical figures.

Robespierre is once again stereotypical, but I find it funny that his HQ are connected to a bakery and his scene with pigeons near the beginning is surprisingly accurate in the sense of the “he likes pigeons” tidbit. I don’t know if the creators did any research on this but it’s a nice detail nonetheless.

And now let’s talk about Saint-Just in this mess. He is ridiculously and cartoonishly evil, kicks kittens to prove it, giggles and grins like me when I write something funny in my chapters and is incredibly dumb. Also, he sounds and acts like he belongs in a Western, not in this kind of movie.

Fouché is...well, Fouché, believe it or not. Opportunistic, cruel, a backstabber and he turns on Robespierre so he is not as out of character as the others. He also makes a face similar to an owl or that “You don’t say” meme. His almost friendly banter with Charles is pretty entertaining though, I’ll give him that.

4. The Setting

The authors didn’t do their homework here properly. I’m not an expert but most outfits don’t fit that epoch and a lot of names are butchered when they’re pronounced. Danton and Marie-Antoinette in particular suffer from that, but so does SJ.

I know that the Internet was not a thing yet but it baffles me that apparently the creators couldn’t bother to consult native French speakers? Dig up information about the time period in archives? Look at portraits? Read books? You know, the usual parts of ❇️ research ❇️. Apparently, they couldn’t and it really shows.

The backgrounds are better in this department, but nothing particularly impressive here either.

5. The Acting

A+ for effort I guess. Look, guys, people trash actors a lot but I think that here they tried their best with what they had so props for that. The over-the-top acting and the extensive seriousness even made this boredom fest kind of funny to watch at times so I’m going to give it credit where credit is due.

6. The Conclusion

All in all, a pretty bad and boring movie filled with propaganda, clichés, flat characters but also occasional unintentionally funny and cartoonish moments sprinkled in.

If you’re into bad movies, I won’t stop you from watching it but I highly recommend you to do something else with your free time if you’re looking for an actually good movie.

This concludes today’s meeting of the Jacobin Fiction Convention. Stay tuned for updates, Citizens, and stay safe!

Love,

- Citizen Green Pixel