‘La Reine Margot’ director Patrice Chereau dies

PARIS, France – Patrice Chereau, the celebrated French theater, opera, and cinema director whose works included the epic 1994 film “La Reine Margot,” has died aged 68.

“He had an extraordinary vitality right until the end,” said Elisabeth Tanner, co-director of the Artmedia agency that represented Chereau, as she confirmed his death.

Chereau made 10 films, including the romantic-obsession drama “Persecution,” the deeply reflective “Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train,” and the violent, erotically-charged “La Reine Margot” – starring Isabelle Adjani and Vincent Perez as impassioned lovers caught up in the brutal religious wars between French Catholics and Protestants.

The period drama, noted for its lush sex scenes and its harrowing depiction of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572, was nominated for an Oscar.

Chereau was also considered one of the greats of French theater, but he made his name outside his home country with his 1976 staging of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” at the Bayreuth opera festival.

The director of the Paris Opera, Nicolas Joel, who was Chereau’s assistant on that production, said he was “overcome.”

“He did me the honor of asking me to go with him to the Bayreuth festival for the centenary ‘Ring Cycle.’ I still have wonderful memories of the time we spent together,” said Joel.

Chereau’s final production – Richard Strauss’s “Elektra” at the Aix-en-Provence music festival in July – won a standing ovation. 

Watch the trailer or ‘La Reine Margot’:

– Additional reports by Rappler.com

Patrice Chereau photo from Shutterstock