Who is Chevalier? | In Theaters April 7th

Searchlight Pictures presents, a Stephen Williams film, “Chevalier” starring Kelvin Harrison Jr., Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton, Minnie Driver, Sian Clifford, Alex Fitzalan and Ronke Adeokluejo.

Coming to theaters on April 7th, 2023.

Inspired by the incredible story of composer Joseph Bologne, “Chevalier” de Saint-Georges. The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr. in a tour de force performance) rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, complete with an ill-fated love affair and a falling out with Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) herself and her court.

Set in 18th Century France, “Chevalier” unfolds the vivid, timely story of the soaring rise and defiant spirit of the musical phenomenon, Joseph Bologne, aka the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The Chevalier was what we would call today a superstar—a blinding multi-talent at the top of several games: he was a virtuoso violinist who gave packed concerts; a champion swordsman; an ingenious composer; and, for a time, one of the most alluring, unexpected members of Marie Antoinette’s glittering court.

Historians have long struggled to document Bologne’s life. With his papers and his music destroyed in Napoleonic times, little is known of his inner experiences moving in the sphere of the elites. Director Stephen Williams and screenwriter Stefani Robinson aimed to give Bologne a fresh, contemporary life on screen. With many of the details imagined based on extensive research of the period, “Chevalier” is a buoyant and aspiring vision of a man driven to create and to truly be who he was, no matter the expectations put upon him, or the dreams forbidden to those like him.

Stay Tuned for The UB Interview with Director Stephen Williams + Cast!

Who is Chevalier?

Bologne was the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, a man of color in a society rife with racist beliefs and laws. In the midst of mounting bigotry and raging social fury, his path would take a turn—as he ultimately rebelled against the aristocracy that adored his talents yet disparaged his heritage and confined his potential.

While his story is set in the 18th Century, it also speaks strongly to this moment. From its high voltage opening violin battle, the film lends Bologne a touch of rock-and-roll swagger. But if Bologne’s fame and radiance echo the world of the modern pop star, his tale is equally an exploration of something very relatable today: how a person breaks out from the trap of what others expect or demand.

Directed by Stephen Williams, the film is written by Stefani Robinson and produced by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe at Element Pictures, Stefani Robinson, and Dianne McGunigle. Production designer Karen Murphy, director of photography Jess Hall, composer Michael Abels, costume designer Oliver García, editor John Axelrad and set decorator Lotty Sanna round out the production team.