History is written by the victors, so thank god for whomever kept track of the works of Joseph Bologne. The talented chevalier, violinist, composer, and champion fencer really tried to make sure he was on the right side of France politically, but society wasn’t ready for his talents. As a result, he got buried by the Reign of Terror and Napoleon’s cruel rule toward Africans and slaves. Chevalier is a reminder why its important to keep records, so we get the honor of learning more about what should be a celebrated man.
After a quick montage of how he got to France, we pick up Joseph Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) at ,the top of his academic/arts class in France in the 1770s. This success has caught the eye of Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton), who appoints Joseph a chevalier in France’s upper class. One of the first black man to hold such a title, he’s definitely the first African to compose music in France. Overnight he becomes a hit to the younger generation, threatening the current people in power like opera singer Marie-Madeleine Guimard (Minnie Driver) and the marquis de Montalembert (Martin Csokas), who despises art in favor of military power and control. Convenient timing for Joseph: as maybe a little revolution is in the air in France while Joseph tries to upend the current political order.
Chevalier tries to recreate the struggles of someone who looks like Joseph in 1770s France. From an early age, Joseph learns that in order to get what he sees as acceptance in society, he has to “be the best.” Assuming there is a meritocracy at play, Joseph becomes the best: he is on record for being a fencing champion, and the movie’s amusing opening has him square off against, we’ll say a well known contemporary. As time goes on, Joseph learns there may be more important qualities than being the best at something. In 1770s France there’s a cap on how far the powers that be will let him grow power and esteem in France’s upper class, and when the chips are down whom Joseph can trust might have some answers he’s unprepared to deal with. Plus, the weight of the little day to day injustices he faces just burdens the poor man with constant stress he can only purge through limited means (thank goodness for France’s progressive stance towards sex I guess). The numbers of times white people utter “mulatto” or “negro” at Joseph will shock audience members, but it’s an effective way to know the amount of societal prejudice and discrimination Joseph Bologne had to face despite his elite status in French society.
The movie wouldn’t work though without Kelvin Harrison Jr., who continues to prove to be one of our most versatile working actors. Harrison uses his wig to don two personas depending on who he’s supposed to be, scene to scene, equally compelling in both. The swagger with the wig on dissolves when the wig comes off, replaced with a bit of naivete and open raw emotion, hoping for someone to love him in spite of the society born to reject him because of his skin. Harrison really delivers on Joseph’s slow unraveling from the stress, and we see the horror at just how fragile the chevalier’s position really is. His chemistry with Samara Weaving’s Marie-Josephine is electric, as the pair are scared, naive and delighted to find a connection with one another and relish in the short lived respite from the injustice. And as a nice cherry on top of the sundae, Harrison (and everyone, for that matter) really make great use of the excellent costumes and sets they are filming in, throwing a hell of a dinner party.
My only real complaint is that Chevalier feels like a part 1. The title card at the end indicates an incredible character transition that would have looked amazing on the big screen but the storytellers clearly didn’t have the budget. Who knows? Maybe Chevalier will make enough money to craft John Wick: Chevalier for part II. Either way, this movie brings a little woefully forgotten history into the light of day, reminding everyone of Joseph Bologne, a trailblazer whose work hopefully gets a fair assessment as researchers discover more of his art.