Chevalier: all you need to know about the 'Black Mozart' biopic, the story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
The swordsman with an incredible aptitude for composing, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges is brought to life in a new biopic
A new film about the inimitable Baroque composer, violinist and fencer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges is coming to our screens in summer 2023, in a new production from Searchlight Pictures.
The Baroque composer and violinist Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges has been hailed as the 'Black Mozart', a nickname that has often attracted controversy. Although the two were contemporaries and knew one another, there's little to suggest that Bologne remained in Mozart's shadow for too long – and in several instances, it appears that Mozart may have borrowed Bologne's material in some of his own writing.
Who was Joseph de Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges?
Born in Guadeloupe to a French colonial plantation owner and a young Senegalese slave, Bologne was taken to Paris at a young age to gain an education. His fencing skills helped advance him up the social ladders, and he later assumed the title Chevalier de Saint-Georges. As well as an aptitude for swordsmanship, Bologne was a skilled composer and violinist.
'Like Vivaldi or Paganini, Bologne was a composer-executant par excellence who knew his instrument inside out – and, fencer to his fingertips, was fearless, lunging ever higher into a stratosphere never attempted by Mozart,' wrote Paul Riley for BBC Music Magazine.
Who is the directorial team behind the new Chevalier de Saint-Georges biopic?
The biopic, Chevalier, will be the feature screenwriting debut from Stefani Robinson, the writer of TV shows Atlanta and What We Do in the Shadows, both of which she received Emmy nominations for. She is the first black woman in Emmy history to be recognised for multiple nominations in both the Outstanding Comedy category and in Comedy Writing.
The project will be directed by Jamaican-Canadian director Stephen Williams, who was behind the recent hit TV series Watchmen, The Walking Dead and Westworld. He was also a co-executive producer on the ABC series Lost.
The film will be funded and distributed by Searchlight Pictures, which is owned by Disney.
Who’s starring in the Chevalier de Saint-Georges biopic?
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges is played in the film by Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves, Cyrano), recently seen in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. The cast also features Minnie Driver, Lucy Boynton, Samara Weaving and Sian Clifford.
What is the name of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges biopic?
The biopic has been titled Chevalier after its protagonist Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
When will Joseph Bologne's biopic be released?
Chevalier is set for a UK release in summer 2023.
