This is a fine film about an historical figure, but as usual, Hollywood couldn’t resist the temptation to alter the plot in some ways. For example, George Bologne, the father of Joseph did not simply drop him off at the music conservatory in Paris and run back to Guadalupe, his home. He in fact became the chevalier d’ St. George before his son did, and was a famous fenceman as well. Secondly, Joseph did indeed make it to England to meet the Prince of Wales with Louis Philippe, part of the royal family who supported abolition and democracy in France. Yes, Joseph did fight for the French Revolution in its only black regiment, but he was arrested by the revolutionaries who suspected he collaborated with the royals against the revolution because he had often been favored by the royals and played music for them. Despite these and other liberties taken with the story, this movie is well worth seeing, and is under two hours in length. It tells the story of racism in France during the 18th century quite well and as such is a timely film. More of Joseph’s story can be seen in the YouTube clip below. In some ways the most devastating part of the story is that when Napoleon became ruler in France, he made sure most of Bologne’s remarkable music was destroyed. There are exceptions which can be heard in Youtube videos such as his 11th Symphony and Quartet No. 3. We would like to know a good deal more about Bologne’s relationship with Mozart, not least because they lived together for a good while in Paris, and Joseph played the violin for Mozart when Mozart was composing three of his later important pieces. Joseph only lived to 53, dying in 1799.
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