Tea at Trianon: Cinéscénie

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Friday, April 26, 2019

Cinéscénie

From Aleteia:

Impressed by such historical heritage, Villiers adopted the estate as the setting of his show. More than 600 actors joined him in Les Epesses, giving rise to an epic theater show called Cinéscénie. Today, that same abandoned estate has been turned into one of the most wondrous historic theme parks in the world. “Puy du Fou,” literally “peak of madness,” recreates key moments of French history over a 135-acre reserve dotted with ancient amphitheaters, castles and farms. An estimated 2,000 volunteers dressed up as revolutionaries, farmers and priests entertain the park’s daily visitors, which add up to 25,000 during peak season.

Theater shows and live performances recreate specific moments of French history: gladiators fighting for their freedom in a Roman amphitheater, musketeers fighting for medieval kings, Vikings riding their longships. As Gaëtan Favreau, a representative for Puy du Fou, told the National Catholic Register, the shows are a way to help visitors connect with their roots. “Human beings always need to feel they are from somewhere; they need to feel that they belong to a community with its own habits and traditions” he said. “This community is, in fact, called civilization.”

One of the highlights of “Puy du Fou” performances is the Cinéscénie, an epic family saga that follows the adventure of a local family from the 14th century up to the Second World War. For many visitors, learning about local history means to learn about a brutal chapter of the French Revolution, when the French revolutionary army crashed the Catholic resistance. That’s why when the rest of the country celebrates the anniversary of the French Revolution on July 14, people in Vendée honour the local “commander-saint,” Jacques Cathelineau, who was killed while fighting for the Church. (Read more.)