Mammie Gummer: Corday

I think Mammie Gummer would make for a phenomenal Charlotte Corday in a film adaptation about the legendary figure of the French Revolution.

Corday, Charlotte (1768-1793)

Charlotte Corday was a French noblewoman, born in the province of Normandy. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789 she was at first an enthusiastic supporter of the revolutionaries, but she was later horrified by the violence o "Jacobins" such as Robespierre and Marat. She decided to kill one of their leaders.

On July 13, 1793, she gained an interview withMarat by pretending to have information about his enemies. When Marat (who was in his bath) said: "I will have them all guillotined in Paris," Corday plunged a dagger into his heart. Corday was then herself guillotined by the revolutionaries. Some say before Charlotte Corday was guillotined her last words before death were: "I killed one man to save 100,000."

*James McAvoy: Marat

Marat, Jean Paul (1743-1793)

Marat was a French revolutionary politician. He was a doctor and a scientist, and studied electricity and optics, publishing several scientific papers. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789 he began a newspaper called L'Ami du peuple ("The People's Friend") which became famous for its extreme opinions. He supported violence against the aristocracy and the old rulers.

This made him popular with the "mob" in Paris, but also placed him in great danger from his opponents. He often had to flee, and once hid in the Paris sewers. Marat had a skin disease which forced him to spend much time in the bath. There, on July 13, 1793, Charlotte Corday stabbed him to death.

*Rufus Sewell: Robespierre

Robespierre, Maximiilien Marie Isidore de (1758-1794)

Robespierre was one of the most important of the leaders of the French Revolution. He was born in Arras in the north of the country, where he eventually became a lawyer, a judge, and one of the town's leading citizens. When King Louis XVI and his minister Necker summoned the ancient assembly called the "States-General" to Paris in 1789, Robespierre was elected to represent the province of Artois. During the early part of the revolution he spoke regularly in the assembly. His uncompromising opinions made him unpopular with extremists and with the revolutionary mob in Paris. In 1791 he was elected to the "commune" that governed the city, and became a member of the "Jacobin Club," a meeting place for extreme revolutionaries.

The Jacobins' opponents were known as the "Girondists," and over the next two years the two groups struggled for control of the government of France. The Girondists succeeded in declaring war on Austria in 1793, against the opposition of Robespierre and the Jacobins. When the war turned out badly for France, the Girondists were weakened. The following year the Jacobins insisted on the execution of King Louis XVI, despite the doubts of the Girondists. The battle between the two groups was finally won by the Jacobins. Robespierre introduced a new constitution and was elected to the "Committee of Public Safety." In this position he became more or less absolute ruler of France. He introduced strict economic measures and programs to feed and care for the poor. In 1794 he proposed a new state religion, based on the worship of the "Supreme Being."

Meanwhile, the Committee of Public Safety mercilessly arrested and executed his pponents--men who were either too moderate (like Danton), or too extreme. This period became known as "The Terror," for Robespierre believed the revolution could not succeed without the use of force. But as the number of executions increased and the state of the economy grew worse, he became increasingly unpopular. In July 1794 the assembly refused to approve his decrees. Members attacked Robespierre, and his supporters were shouted down. He was arrested, and the next day he became victim of the guillotine he had used so often against his opponents.

*Callum Blue: King Louis XVI

Louis XVI (1754-1793)

Louis XVI was the king of France when the French Revolution broke out in 1789. Four years later, through a combination of foolishness, bad advice, and bad luck, he became the revolution's most famous victim when he was brought to trial and guillotined. Louis was the grandson of Louis XV, whom he succeeded as king in 1774. He inherited terrible economic and political problems: a series of wars had cost the French government large sums of money, and as a result the people suffered heavy taxes. Louis improved things a little by repealing the worst of taxes, and for a while he was popular. But then France entered the American War of Independence and the government had to raise extra money to pay for the war.

Louis' minister Necker proposed to tax the aristocracy, but the aristocrats, led by Louis's queen, Marie Antoinette, opposed this and forced Necker to resign. For several years the economy became steadily worse and the people of the country more discontented. Finally, in 1788, Necker was recalled to his old job. He demanded that the king summon the "States-General," an ancient French assembly made up of representatives from all over the the country which could vote on taxes and other policies. The States-General met in May 1789. It was made up of aristocrats, bishops, and the "third estate"--middle-class businessmen and others.

The third estate decided to form their own National Assembly and force the king to accept a new constitution for France. This was the first stage of the French Revolution. The king refused their demands, and tried to silence the calls for change by force. On July 14 revolutionaries in Paris stormed the Bastille fortress and took control of the city. Similar things happened throughout the country, and Louis quickly lost control. Eventually, in 1791, he and his family tried to flee, but they were caught and returned to Paris. He then began plotting with other countries to declare war on the revolutionary government, and it was this that led to his downfall. He was imprisoned, tried, and on January 20, 1793, executed.

*Sophia Myles: Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette (1755-1793)

Marie Antoinette was queen of France at the time of the French Revolution. She was the fourth daughter of Maria Theresa, the empress of Austria, and the Emperor Francis I. In 1770 she married the future king of France, Louis XVI. After the couple's ascent to the throne in 1774, Marie Antoinette quickly became unpopular with the French people. She was extravagant and strong-willed. Many people thought she was trying to further the interests of Austria at the expense of France, and when men such as Necker and Turgot suggested reforms of the French economy, she bitterly opposed them.

Louis XVI, who was as weak and indecisive as Marie Antoinette was strong, was often influenced by her. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, she opposed reform, and when the situation became desperate she tried first to bring the Austrian army to fight for the French crown, and then to flee the country. These things lead to her and her husband's downfall. She was imprisoned by the revolutionaries, then was brought to trial. After two days of questioning she was sentenced to death, and guillotined on October 16, 1793.