Writer and philosopher Voltaire, loyal to his king, Louis XV of France, nonetheless writes scathingly of the king's disdain for the rights and needs of his people. Louis admires Voltaire, but is increasingly influenced against him by his minister, the Count de Sarnac.
Acting
Arliss's theatrical mugging somehow works.
Costume
Pompadour's wigs deserve their own billing.
Production
Warner Bros. prestige sheen on a B budget.
Director
John G. Adolfi
George Arliss
Voltaire
Margaret Lindsay
Nanette Calas
Doris Kenyon
Mme. Pompadour
Alan Mowbray
Count de Sarnac
Reginald Owen
King Louis XV
Theodore Newton
François
Gordon Westcott
The Captain
Murray Kinnell
Emile, Voltaire's Servant
Doris Lloyd
Mme. Clarion, Actress
David Torrence
Dr. Tronchin
John George
Protester in Montage
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was George Arliss's final film for Warner Bros after his contract expired; he returned to Britain convinced Hollywood was finished with historical biopics.
Released March 1933, Voltaire's populist rhetoric accidentally echoed FDR's inauguration—studio publicity leaned into the coincidence hard.
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