Episode 1 - Chevalier

Wigs and Candles

In a baroque opera hall in Paris sometime in the late 1700s, there’s a concert taking place.

The audience is hypnotized by the virtuosity of the main violin player and the beauty of the music. And still, the most puzzling fact about the scene is the player’s skin colour: it’s Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, and he’s Black.

Born in Guadeloupe to an enslaved African woman and a French aristocrat, Joseph grows up in Paris and enjoys a high-class education. His talent for music can only benefit from this, making him a renowned musician and composer and gaining the favor of Queen Marie Antoinette and her entourage.

It sounds as if the boundaries of race and class are diluted in this story. Only to discover that, by crossing a line that seemed unimportant, the colour of the skin is the only thing that suddenly matters.

The story of Chevalier is fascinating, and is still hard to believe that it has remained untold for over two centuries.
While reviewing this movie, we learn about hidden jewels in history, what it takes to bring them back to light, and what effect they have on a wider audience.

***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***

Sources and other links:

Interview with cast and crew

Kelvin Harrison Jr. on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

Interview with the Cast and crew on the TIFF 2022 by “The Hollywood Reporter”

Cast, crew and other facts