Blanche is a 2002 French swashbuckler film directed by Bernie Bonvoisin and starring Lou Doillon, Roschdy Zem, Antoine de Caunes, Jean Rochefort, Carole Bouquet, Gérard Depardieu and José Garcia.
In 17th century France, Cardinal Mazarin's death squad kills the parents of the young de Péronne, who were shipbuilders and refused to work for him. Blanche grows up to become a thief and steels a substance called "Powder of the Devil" and a coded letter that were sent to Mazarin, who's none too pleased.
This film provides examples of the following tropes:
- Anachronism Stew:
- People dressing like Gauchos (a 19th century South American thing) in 17th century France.
- Cocaine was first isolated from coca leaves and made into powder circa 1860, not in the 17th century.
- Very modern French language is liberally used throughout.
- Anachronistic Soundtrack: There's much Blues guitar music on the soundtrack.
- Best Served Cold: 20 years pass till Blanche can enact her revenge for the murder of her parents.
- Doomed Hometown: Blanche's parents were killed by Mazarin's death squad and their castle was burned down.
- Double-Meaning Title: The film's title refers to both the main character and "white powder" (cocaine).
- Eternal French: A good portion of the language in the dialogues is made of modern French words, swear words and expressions.
- Evil Colonialist: Mazarin listens with delight to what the Count of Tesmoulenes has to tell about his "civilizing of savages" in South America that resulted in massacres.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Mazarin never had death squads running around persecuting people and looking like The Klan.
- The Klan: The leader of Mazarin's death squad is named "Captain KKK", they spread terror and they wear pointy hoods with holes for the eyes.
- Raging Stiffie: Tesmoulenes got a boner for three weeks from sniffing the "Powder of the Devil" (cocaine), apparently.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Mazarin's death squad is notorious in the kingdom for raping people in its wake.
- The Western: The film uses many Western genre tropes, applying them to The Cavalier Years.
