Little Chaos, A

Synopsis: From 1661 on, Andre le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts) is chief gardener to King Louis XIV (Alan Rickman). When the King announces he wants a garden of “exquisite and matchless beauty”, le Notre gets on the job, overseeing the design and construction of the world-renowned gardens of Versailles. In 1682 Le Notre commissions designs for a lavish water feature in a corner of the still unfinished gardens. The chosen applicant, Sabine de Barra (Kate Winslet), is an earthy woman still grappling with tragedy from her past but whose creativity and unaffectedness eventually win the hearts of both Louis and Le Notre.

Despite being a historical mish-mash (de Barra is a fictional character, le Notre not), this film is a treat for lovers of gardens and of historical pomp, lavish costumery, gratuitous foppery and court intrigue. It is also another victory for strong female leads, something which is, particularly given the era, quite a delight.

In one way the film falls squarely into the historical romance genre but on another level it has an almost anomalous modern sensibility that could be seen as refreshing, or out of place, depending upon your expectations.  For me it is the former, and much is due to Rickman’s relaxed direction and choices of performers.

Playing the Sun King, Rickman chooses to be a man to whom people can easily relate, should he so choose. There is a delightful scene in which he wants a break from his kingly duties, so doffs his wig and coat. Sabine mistakes him for a gardener whom she is meeting and an everyday interaction occurs. Sabine seems a most unlikely character to grace a royal garden, let alone a royal court, but again Winslet gives her character some elusive and modern touches that feels refreshingly new on screen. But it is the burgeoning romance between Le Notre and Sabine that is the heart of the story. He comes from a background of formal garden design, and to parallel this is in a rigid arranged marriage with a wife (Helen McRory) who thinks only of her own courtly advancement.  Initially le Notre dismisses Sabine’s plans as lacking the order he requires and being too chaotic but after he sees her charming cottage style garden he rethinks and commissions her.

I suspect that the historical accuracy of all this is questionable but the script by Allison Deegan, Jeremy Brock and Rickman provides enough engaging plot points and given us a good bodice-ripping romance so who really cares? Starting with some discussions of the importance (or not) or chaos in gardens, the film quickly gets into the entrails of the plot and the motivating idea that a woman is as good at getting her hands dirty as any man. There is also tension generated by the issue of a terrible event in Sabine’s past. The romance between le Notre and Sabine is a well drawn slow-burn affair with ample titillation and sexual chemistry to satisfy. Schoenaerts’ le Notre is a strong broody but sensitive masculine presence to which Winslet’s buxom independence is a great match. Amusement comes in the form of Stanley Tucci as the foppish Duke of Orleans, completely comfortable with both a wife and a male lover.

A lush musical score perfectly complements the lavish cinematography. The odd coupling of period drama with modern speech is perhaps both a strength and a detraction, but even if there is nothing momentous to take away from this film, it is a real entertainment in a modern, yet old-fashioned way.

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