Ridicule

Ridicule French pronunciationidikyl is a 1996 French film set in the 18th century at the decadent court of Versailles, where social status can rise and fall based on ones ability to mete out witty insults and avoid ridicule oneself. The story examines the social injustices of late 18th century France, in showing the corruption and callousness of the aristocrats.

The film then shifts to the Dombes, a boggy region north of Lyon. The Baron Grgoire Ponceludon de Malavoy Charles Berling is a minor aristocrat and engineer. He is one of the few aristocrats who care about the plight of the peasants. Horrified by the sickness and death caused by the mosquitoes that infest the swamps, he hopes to drain them he goes to Versailles in the hope of obtaining the backing of King Louis XVI Urbain Cancelier.Just before reaching Versailles, Ponceludon is robbed and beaten. He is found by the Marquis de Bellegarde Jean Rochefort, a minor noble and physician. As Ponceludon recuperates at the marquis house, Bellegarde takes him under his wing, teaching him about wit lesprit, the primary way to make ones way at court. At first, Ponceludons provincial background makes him a target at parties and gatherings, even though he proves himself a formidable adversary in verbal sparring. ........

Source: Wikipedia