In this first sequel to the 1964 film "Angélique", it begins with the capture and death of one of the men responsible for the death of Angélique's husband in the prior film. You see the monk die but oddly, instead of being happy, she is rather gloomy and petulant towards her rescuers--still making demands like she is STILL the marquise. Unfortunately for our heroine, the leader of the band of criminals (Nicolas) with which she lives is killed and she is without a protector.
Now, the film takes an odd turn. She is able to get her two young sons back but instead of going back to the underworld life, she goes into business with a local inn keeper--and they are very, very successful. However, apparently Angélique isn't excessively bright, as she takes a trip to the palace using her new alias--even though in the last film the King's brother tried to have her murdered. This doesn't seem like the best place to go, huh? Angélique also meets up along with way with an odd man who is a wanted man for producing pamphlets that the King does not like. This part is played by the famous French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant and, like most French women in the 1960s, she fell in love with him. Later, with Jean-Louis' help, she comes up with a plan for killing off 12 men (including the very wicked brother of the king) for the senseless murder of a boy and the burning of her business. However, almost as soon as this plot was created, she decides to call off her vendetta because the king made amends--even though her new lover has been killed and there wasn't a whole lot they could do to bring him back! Now, she takes a new lover--the same cousin who she hated in the first film. Oddly, they have little chemistry between them and he seems like a jerk. And, when he should treat her well for being so good to him, he treats her like dirt.
At this point in the film, I really felt lost. Again and again, the film seemed to have a plot and again and again, the people involved died and the movie took an entirely different direction. Three different lovers, three different plots--and none of them seemed satisfying or consistent. In fact, although Angélique seemed smart at times, at others she was enigmatic and confusing. As a result, much of what I loved in the first film was no where to be found. It is definitely a step below the other film and hopefully I will enjoy the next one much more.
