A sprawling, vivacious period play chronicling the Protestant Henry of Navarre's ascension from battlefield warrior to France's revered King Henri IV. The epic directed by Jo Baier is a typically entertaining adventure, albeit one with a fair amount of bloodshed and frequent raunchy sexual interludes. Catholics and Protestant Huguenots were at war in late 16th-century France. Catherine de Medici, the French dowager queen, calls Henry to her court to marry her daughter, thus unifying the two warring groups. However, the Catholics slay the Protestant wedding guests in what became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, and Henry—now married—must rely on all his wit to survive and maneuver for the crown. [Originally published by the Palm Springs International Film Festival]
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A sprawling, vivacious period play chronicling the Protestant Henry of Navarre's ascension from battlefield warrior to France's revered King Henri IV. The epic directed by Jo Baier is a typically entertaining adventure, albeit one with a fair amount of bloodshed and frequent raunchy sexual interludes. Catholics and Protestant Huguenots were at war in late 16th-century France. Catherine de Medici, the French dowager queen, calls Henry to her court to marry her daughter, thus unifying the two warring groups. However, the Catholics slay the Protestant wedding guests in what became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, and Henry—now married—must rely on all his wit to survive and maneuver for the crown. [Originally published by the Palm Springs International Film Festival]
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