Les Rois Maudits

[RogerW]

France 2 has remade Maurice Druon's brilliant story of 14th century France and is showing the first episode on November 7th at 20h50. Should be good!

Roger.

[Alexis]

i'm looking forward to it.  isn't it two nights a week?  no.  not outcast.  cat asleep on left arm.

[Thibault]

About 25 or so years ago, the BBC transmitted a French language/English sub-titled version of Les Rois Maudits.  I have tried without success to obtain a Video of this to work in England.

Does anyone know if a DVD of this version is available?  I can't remember any of the names of the cast etc but do remember how very, very good it was.

[Mistral]

I loved the first TV adapation (I watched it when they repeated it back in the early nineties and there was one episode a night) and I'm really looking forward to seeing what they can do with more recent techniques (the first, although brilliant was very "studio filmed" )

I loved the books too, except the last one which has a completely different perspective and writting style. I may have to read them again.

A DVD exists of the old version see here but I don't know if it's got english subtitles

 

[Thibault]

Thanks, Mistral.  I shall get a copy when I return to France at the end of the month.  I liked the earlier version precisely because it was filmed rather like a stage performance.  It reminded me very much of Olivier's Henry V.

I would be very interested in how the new version goes down.

 

[BJSLIV]

They are certainly going to town. It even has a flashy website

http://les-rois-maudits.france2.fr/

Where you will be able to watch online or download the whole series. Though I woudn't recommend trying on dial-up!

It comes with potted biographies of the characters, historical background, screensavers etc etc.

[Mistral]

Thanks for the link. I tried "voir un extrait" for the first episode but only got the written resumé. I had a look at the forum too which wasn't such a good idea. Apparently they've already shown the first 4 episodes in Belgium and the people posting about them weren't too enthusiastic. The main gist was that it's better not to have seen the 1972 version, but to have already read the books.

I don't care. I'm watching it anyway.

 

[Chrissie]

Oh Lord, I loved this series so much I read all the books and still have some somewhere which will now have to dig out.  Can someone tell me how long the episodes are as I can at least tape them while other half is glued to UK satellite emissions...

Chrissie (81)

[Tony F Dordogne]

The series has got wide coverage in the French history journals and mags over the past few weeks, lots of additional information about the historical characters in hard copy.

Part of my company's research period, plus it's the Templars, so required watching.  And the sooner the whole thing is out on DVD the better, will make good watching with La reine Margot, Cyrano de Bergerac etc, all good religion and political films.