Rating: 
Summary: Half-love in a time of cholera
Review: "The Horseman on the Roof" opens in Aix-en-Provence in July, 1832, as Austrian secret police hunt down two Italian revolutionaries operating from exile in France. At that time, a huge chunk of northern Italy was under the control of the Austrian Empire, and Metternich's spies regularly scoured Europe sniffing out and assassinating opponents of Austrian rule there. This movie revolves around Angelo Pardi (played by Olivier Martinez), one of the two revolutionaries.Fleeing from the Austrian agents in Aix, Angelo goes out into rural Provence, where he quickly finds an even worse enemy: a massive cholera epidemic, "the worst in a century", says one village doctor. As the epidemic spreads, mass hysteria follows in its wake. Rural Provencals start to hunt down perceived "empoisonneurs" (poisoners), innocent people accused of contaminating the water (a scene common in French history). Angelo himself is attacked as he drinks water from a fountain while coming into one town. Here Gerard Depardieu makes a nominal appearance as the town's police chief on the run, who says rightly, "The cholera's a bitch, but this is worse." Angelo ends up hiding from the mob in the house of the beautiful Madame de Theus (played by Juliette Binoche). The main story takes off when the army comes in and moves the entire town out into the countryside to sit in quarantine. There, Angelo runs into some of his exiled Italian friends, who have a dangerous mission for him: break through the quarantine lines (he could be shot for doing it), brave the epidemic, and ride to Milan with two bags of money to help finance a rebellion against the Austrians. This task would be dangerous enough, but Angelo's chivalry snags him into taking Madame de Theus alongside him on a wild ride in search of her husband, who vanished when the cholera broke out. Does she find him? Does Angelo make it to Italy? Do the Austrian spies come back into play? I'll leave that for you to find out. Jean-Paul Rappeneau did an outstanding job with this film. The cinematography is superb and includes some stunning shots of the gorgeous landscape of Provence, ranging from the luscious Rhone valley to the majestic Hautes-Alpes. (Yet it also leaves a melancholy aftertaste behind and proves that Provence can be just as miserable a place as anywhere else in Europe.) The acting is convincing, and so is the plot. Five stars and more.
Rating:
Summary: A grown-up romance
Review: A delightful movie, strong, powerful and thoughtful, as well as action-packed. It's a big step above most Hollywood adventure movies which are on a 6th grade level.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother
Review: Everything is this epic film seems forced and unauthentic. Forced emotions. Not much depth or realism to the plot. Terrible dialogues. Some nice cinematography and beautiful bodies, however.
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: Everything is this epic film seems forced and unauthentic. Forced emotions. Not much depth or realism to the plot. Terrible dialogues. Some nice cinematography and beautiful bodies, however.
Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: Having visited this area of France I can say it is shown beautifully in this film. The story line is original and mesmerizing. Olivier Martinez shows a little of what he is capable (See The Chambermaid on the Titanic for a real acting job by him!) This is one of my favourite French films.
Rating:
Summary: Horseman could have been a contender
Review: Horseman on the Roof is a beautifully filmed movie. The acting is good; the script, not so good; the choleric, two-minute transformations from healthy to "Dawn of the Dead" puplesque, ridiculous. The plot is rather predictable and mundane. I'm a big fan of foreign films, including the French ones. Overall, this one disappointingly misses the mark. There are, however, several action scenes that are quite good and the cinematography is outstanding.
Rating:
Summary: Horseman could have been a contender
Review: Horseman on the Roof is a beautifully filmed movie. The acting is good; the script, not so good; the choleric, two-minute transformations from healthy to "Dawn of the Dead" puplesque, ridiculous. The plot is rather predictable and mundane. I'm a big fan of foreign films, including the French ones. Overall, this one disappointingly misses the mark. There are, however, several action scenes that are quite good and the cinematography is outstanding.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Captivating!
Review: I actually saw this recently on the Bravo cable channel and was completely captivated. I cried when Angelo worked so diligently in trying to save Pauline's life. That has to be one of the most intense scenes I've ever seen in a film. This is a beautiful love story and Olivier Martinez, who plays Angelo is a beautiful man!
Rating:
Summary: too much horse riding and running not enough plot
Review: I certainly don't need a thousand words to sum this movie up. BORING!!!! I felt obligated to see it through to the end because I had spent good money on it, but it was a total waste of time and electricity.
Rating:
Summary: A must see foreign film!
Review: I have seen many French films, but this one was truely one of the greatest. It's a tragic romance that takes place in France when the plague breaks out. The climax of the film will leave you breathless. If you enjoy this film, I also reccomend "Margot".
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