Chevalier Parent Guide

When Joseph Bologne (Reuben Anderson) is left at French boarding school by his father (Jim Hugh), he is given one piece of advice: “You must be excellent. Always excellent. No one may tear down an excellent Frenchman.”

The advice is critical because many want to see Joseph fail. His father is a French plantation owner in Guadeloupe, but his mother (Ronke Adekoluejo) is an enslaved Black woman. As a person of color, Joseph is disdained by some in France as “the dark pestilence” or as part of a “subhuman race”. For him, excellence is a refuge; proof that he belongs in the French elite.

In his pursuit of social acceptance, Joseph (played as an adult by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) becomes an expert swordsman, a skilled dancer, a violin virtuoso, and one of the most famous composers in pre-revolutionary France. He impresses Queen Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton), who grants him a title – Chevalier de Saint Georges (the French equivalent to a knighthood).

Joseph accepts the title as his due, his confidence in his abilities often shading into arrogance. Determined to establish his status atop the music world, Joseph aims high, seeking to be named the conductor of the Paris Opera, a quest that triggers unexpected and tragic consequences…

Chevalier is a fascinating film about a remarkable man who was lost to history when Napoleon banned his music a few years after his death. The movie is as ambitious as its subject, attempting to weave together biography, musical history, reflections on racism, and the beginnings of the French Revolution. In this effort, the well written script usually succeeds, managing to avoid both bloat and incoherence. Joseph’s amours almost slip into soap opera territory but the writing is tight enough to avoid mawkish sentimentality.

There is no denying that the story features a fair bit of negative content. Adultery is a plot point as is promiscuity; thankfully there is no explicit nudity. There are only a few profanities in the film, but people drink alcohol almost constantly. Violent episodes are particularly disturbing since several are racially motivated and demonstrate the contemptuous disdain with which the French elite view the rest of the population.

Fans of historical movies and classical music will find Chevalier worth watching. It reintroduces Joseph’s music to a modern audience and provides a brief sketch of the conditions that contributed to the Revolution. Disturbingly, this story is reminder that racism has a long and ugly past, fueling violence and hate and smothering talent and diversity. The tale also illustrates the power of family bonds, the strength that comes with self-respect, and the innate dignity of all people. The legacy of the Chevalier de Saint Georges might have been erased by a despot, but the message of liberté, egalité, fraternité (liberty, equality, brotherhood) still resonates today.