Dates for Monarchs

Dates for Monarchs
Theatrical poster
Rendezvous des Monarques
Directed by	Mathieu le Fêvre
Produced by	Mathieu le Fêvre Jean-Yves Forvert
Written by	Mathieu le Fêvre
Starring	Jean-Yves Forvert Edith le Fêvre Adam le Bonc Vittorio Ballotelli
Music by	August Hürtelmeyer
Cinematography	Viktor von Schwepps
Production company	Primo Kino
Distributed by	Primo Kino
Release date	September 5th, 1962
Running time	88 minutes
Country	Yonderre
Language	Burgoignesc

Dates for Monarchs (Burgoignesc: Rendevouz des Monarques) is a Yonderian 1962 comedy film starring Jean-Yves Forvert, Edith le Fêvre, Adam le Bonc, Erika von Geyschel, Vittorio Ballotelli and Monica Nisoda. The film follows the ordinary citizen Richard de Monguse (played by Jean-Yves Forvert) as he bluffs his way into a ball and catches the eye of Caroline (played by Edith le Fêvre), a Baron's daughter set to marry Gaius (played by Vittorio Ballotelli), a Prince of Elbonia. Hillarity ensues as Caroline has to pick between her family's pick Gaius or following her heart and marrying Richard.

Plot

The film starts by following the morning of Caroline, the daughter and only offspring of Gilllaume (played by Heinrich von der Zeich), Count and widower of the fictitious Barony Bouquid. A maid reveals that tonight a major ball will be held, to which Caroline replies that she is aware and does not wish to marry Gaius, the Elbonian prince and guest of honour. The film then cuts to a nearby gas station in which Richard de Monguse (played by Jean-Yves Forvert) is awakened from his daydreaming by his boss, questioning him why he isn't manning the gas pumps. Richard discards the newspaper he had used as a blanket and emerges to the petrol pumps, walking to a fancy looking automobile bearing Elbonian standards. As he refuels the vehicle he overhears a conversation between its occupants referring to a ball held at the nearby castle de Vouclair tonight. Richard contemplates this for a moment, hillarious overfilling the gas tank of the car and spilling some on his boots. As the vehicle leaves and he lights a cigarette, Richard manages to catch his own feet on fire and is unwaware until a coworker points this out to him, sending Richard jumping into a nearby pond.

At the end of his shift, Richard asks his boss to borrow a hundred Taler. When the Boss laughs this off, Richard quietly sneaks into his boss' office and finds the safe unlocked. Richard hastily grabs the money in there and hails a taxi to the local tailors wherein he buys a fancy suit. Richard then hires the same taxi to take him to the castle de Vouclair. However, as the taxi driver remarks that Richard still reeks of petrol, they instead go to a bathhouse where Richard has a good scrub. Finally ready to attend the ball, Richard arrives at castle de Vouclair. Richard manages to bluff his way into the castle after fooling the guards into thinking he is actually a Vespian noble who has forgotten his invitation. When arriving at the main hall, Richard learns that he is in fact partaking in an international get-together of nobility by Urcean nobleman Patrick (played by Michael Geigh). Richard makes his way to a balcony overviewing the grand hall to spot Caroline next to her father Gillaume. The two lock eyes and are both instanly smitten with one another. Richard asks about Caroline and is informed by Patrick about her identity. Around the same time, Gaius (played by Vittorio Ballotelli) walks onto the scene, shaking hands wih Gillaume. He excahnges an awkward kiss on the cheek with Caroline which causes Richard to recoil somewhat.

Richard makes his way to the lower floor where he sees Caroline's faughter Gillaume put his arm around the shoulder of Gaius as the two walk away. Richard goes to the orchestra playing baroque music and asks them to play something more modern. Switching the tune to a more rock'n'roll-style number, Richard bids Caroline to join him for a dance. The two share a dance and a musical number before her father Gillaume returns, shouting for the music to be stopped and Caroline to return to him immediately. When she refuses, he orders his guards to seize Richard immediately, who narrowly escapes into the night. Caroline, infuriated with her father, runs to her chambers where she cries into her pillow. Her father attempts to enter but is unable to as she has locked the door. The ghost of her forefather Aedelbrecht (played by Adam le Bonc) appears in the midst of her father's demands to open the door to ask her why she is crying. After an initial shock of conversing with a ghost, Caroline explains that she doesn't wish to marry the Elbonian prince Gaius. When Caroline asks about the mysterious stranger from tonight, the ghost tell Caroline that she can be taken to the place of her heart's desire provided she is willing to give up everything in exchange. The film the cuts to Gaius outside the door of Caroline's chambers beckoning her to open. When there is no answer he forces his way in to find the room empty.

The film clips to Richard waking up the next morning in the workshop of a local gas station once more draped in a newspaper, with his boss once more poking at him. After Richard denies any knowledge of the money from the safe going missing he is told a woman is asking for him. When Richard gets up he sees Caroline by the gas pumps. The two embrace one another as Richard asks how she found him and the two take part in another musical song, but just then, with the loud honking of encroaching cars, the film clips to an interior view from that of Gaius' car, followed closely by that of Caroline's father Gilllaume. Much hillarity ensues as Richard and Caroline flees in an only partially complete automobile undergoing repairs. A car chase ensues until they make it into a lime quarry in which Richard and Caroline find themselves at a dead end. When Gaius threatens Richard with a pistol Caroline steps in front of him, offering up her life instead of his own. Witnessing the plight of the two young lovers, the ghost of Aedelbrecht intervenes and causes a strong wind to blow Gaius into a pit.

The film's ending is a highly convoluted chain of events in which Caroline's father Gillaume first mourns the loss of Gaius and refuses to allow his daughter to marry Richard. After some persuasion, including the aid of the ghost of Aedelbrecht, Gillaume finally agrees to the marriage of the two. A fade to black is followed by a wedding scene, overseen by the ghosts of Aedelbrecht and the disgruntled Gaius.