Anchored in the Périgord Noir, the series, created by Christopher Thompson (Bardot), follows the twists and turns of the literary saga of the same name, imagined by Robert Merle. In this case: the first volume of his 13 novels. France Télévisions has in fact bet on the curiosity of some six million readers won over three decades (1977 to 2003) by this story anchored in the tumults of the French Renaissance. A historical saga whose themes – religious wars and countless succession quarrels – seem timeless.
The series “Zoey’s extraordinary playlist” allows you to find the words and the tone to say it
A resolutely traditional narrative
Despite a nice cast – Nicolas Duvauchelle, Guillaume Gouix, Lucie Debay, Gregory Fitoussi, Blandine Bellavoir – the series struggles to impose the epic breath of its story. Beyond its neat sets and costumes, this series remains extremely classic and starched in its narration, faithful to the great tradition of French historical soap operas. A genre that also has its admirers.
Filmed in the Dordogne, in the settings of three castles – Fénélon, Beynac and Biron – the historical saga gives pride of place to the language of the time, carefully transcribed by the French author, even if some historians appear divided on the fidelity of this saga to reality. Its slow pace and its secondary characters lacking, initially, charisma or depth, require that we hang on, especially during the first two episodes, to taste the salt of this historical story. On the other hand, the performances of Nicolas Duvauchelle and Guillaume Gouix were rightly praised during the La Rochelle TV Fiction Festival.
After broadcast on France Télévisions, the first three episodes of the series are available on HBO Max since this Wednesday. The next three will be revealed over the coming weeks…
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