The Lady and the Duke

The effect is one of gorgeous puppets, a removed perspective that makes some of the most powerful political and social events in history seem like the sad, desperate flailing of monkeys.

This is absorbing throughout--not just a history lesson but, as always with Rohmer, a story about individuals

History comes alive with verve and cold-sweat suspense in The Lady and the Duke.

An elegant story about an elegant woman, told in an elegant visual style. It moves too slowly for those with impaired attention spans, but is fascinating in its style and mannerisms.

The result is a galvanizing mix of intellectual discourse and guillotined heads.

It's dull in a very tasteful way, with none of the reverberating tenderness and sometimes surly vigor that characterize Rohmer's best work, things like "Summer" and "The Aviator's Wife."

A bold (and lovely) experiment that will almost certainly bore most audiences into their own brightly colored dreams.