60 Years Ago, This 5-Film French Saga Became a Box Office Sensation!

On December 8, 1964, a film premiered featuring Michèle Mercier, an actress more famous in Italy than France at the time. Known for leading roles in Mario Bava’s “The Three Faces of Fear” and “The Buccaneer,” Mercier starred in “Angélique, Marquise des Anges,” a film that would transform her career and spawn numerous sequels.

Nearly 3 Million Tickets Sold!

Based on Anne Golon’s eight-book literary series, the first “Angélique” film was directed by Bernard Borderie. Having previously found success with “The Three Musketeers” duology and two “Chevalier de Pardaillan” adventures, Borderie was a natural choice to helm this big-budget production. In the film, Michèle Mercier plays Angélique Sancé de Monteloup, while Robert Hossein portrays the enigmatic Joffrey de Peyrac. Jean Rochefort plays the lawyer Desgrez, and Giuliano Gemma appears as Nicolas, Angélique’s childhood love. The plot kicks off when Angélique, in love with Nicolas, is forcibly married to the wealthy, alchemy-practicing, war-wounded nobleman Joffrey de Peyrac due to her father’s financial troubles.

The two main characters slowly grow to understand each other, and just as they begin to fall in love, Joffrey is unjustly executed for witchcraft. The movie ends as Angélique finds allies, including Nicolas, in Paris’s Court of Miracles, fueled by a strong desire for revenge—a sequel was already planned, contingent on the success of this first film.

Four More Sequels Followed!

“Angélique, Marquise des Anges” captivated audiences, drawing nearly 2.95 million viewers. The original team quickly produced a sequel, “Merveilleuse Angélique” (1965), which followed the tone of the first film but included some unfortunate departures—such as Angélique’s inn that burns down shortly after it opens. The ongoing intrigues in the Court of Miracles continuously delay Angélique’s revenge.

Three more episodes followed, featuring more adventure, mild eroticism, and exoticism, with perhaps the best being “Angélique et le roy” (1966). However, the plot of “Indomptable Angélique” (1967) unnecessarily drags on, and “Angélique et le sultan” (1968) clumsily mimics the aesthetics and music of “Lawrence of Arabia,” released six years earlier, to poor effect and little narrative interest.

Despite ongoing success, Michèle Mercier grew tired after the fifth installment. Frustrated with hastily written scripts, inadequate pay despite the films’ earnings, and the increasingly poor treatment of her character, she decided to step away. Over time, the once ambitious, strong, courageous, and intelligent Angélique was reduced to a mere object of violence, abduction, and abuse.

From “Indomptable Angélique” onward, the character became more passive than proactive, diminishing her strength and credibility and disappointing loyal viewers.

For the Curious, the Rest of the Story

Here, briefly, are the further adventures of Angélique after “Marquise des anges”:

• Merveilleuse Angélique (2.3 million). Angélique begins her revenge, but the Court of Miracles criticizes her ties with lawyer Degrez, now a police officer. After a rivalry among the bandits leads to Nicolas’s death, Angélique flees. She opens a chocolaterie and considers marrying her cousin, the Marquis de Plessis-Bellières, to regain nobility. She changes her mind, but the cousin forces her hand, and the king himself marries her.
• Angélique et le roy (2.1 million). Angélique loses her husband in war and is tasked by the king with a secret mission: to persuade the Persian ambassador to sign a treaty with the French. She succeeds, but the ambassador requests her hand in marriage. Colbert shocks everyone by announcing that she is the king’s favorite, Louis XIV, creating jealousies that threaten her life. She finds refuge in her late husband Joffrey de Peyrac’s property, who, having survived his execution, writes to explain that he is alive but has let her live her own life.
• Indomptable Angélique (1.9 million). Angélique searches for Joffrey and boards a ship to Sardinia. Attacked by a pirate known as “Rescator,” she jumps overboard, unaware that Rescator is Joffrey. Rescued by another pirate, D’Escrainville, she is taken to Crete and sold in a slave market. She is bought by a man sent by Joffrey and finally reunites with her husband. However, their reunion is short-lived as Angélique is abducted by D’Escrainville.
• Angélique et le sultan (1.78 million). D’Escrainville sells Angélique to the sultan of Mikenez. She attempts to kill him and is sentenced to whipping. The sultan’s favorite also tries to kill her, but Angélique survives, escaping with two other prisoners. Joffrey meets the sultan but arrives just after the escape. As the sultan’s troops prepare to capture her, Angélique collapses but regains consciousness on Joffrey’s ship, and their love is rekindled.

The saga concluded in 1968 with this last episode, ending the series on the big screen and allowing author Anne Golon to continue exploring Angélique’s character in print rather than film. Regardless of opinions, the series initially presented a compelling character that sparked one of French cinema’s greatest popular successes. Hats off to Angélique and Michèle!