Les rois maudits

The 1972 version of Les Rois Maudits still stands up among the best TV series ever produced. In France and Canada, it is mentioned in the same breath as the Prisoner!

The adaptation is remarkable. The cast is absolutely perfect. The producers picked theater actors and have chosen to simplify the sets as much as possible in order to bring even more punch to an already powerful text.

It's a shame the DVD box set doesn't come with English subtitles. It would certainly help English-speaking viewers understand the whole story, even though people can get a clear idea as to what is going on.

Les Rois Maudits is a must in any DVD collection!

Oh, i should have seen this colossal piece of classic theater style drama much sooner. This 616 minutes felt like 2 hours and i was ready for another 616, it really took me by surprise because it looked dated and boring at first.

There's some really original scenes like those family portraits in which nobody moves for several minutes while the narrator do his job. The sets and costumes are well made and the acting level is very high. If you are a "long take fan" like me you will be pleased, really amazing actors, great cast and well directed. Jean Piat (who plays Robert d'Artois) steals the show and he's by far my favorite character in this series, what an artist!!

I've learned a lot of historical facts with this, even if some scenes are obviously fictionalized a bit.

The plot is quite complex and i was lost from time to time because there is a lot of characters in this historical saga and they are almost all important. The music is discrete and takes more and more place as the series goes on. Don't expect too much physical action though, if you don't like long dialogues in a theatrical-flamboyant style you may have some boredom problems along the way; even if there's always a spectrum of brutality and sadism around. But if you like to watch good actors performing as i do, there's an "all you can eat" buffet waiting for you on Youtube, just saying...

Ok, ok, I know its a bit old, it looks more like theater than a real movie but, man, what an incredible performance from the actors ! I've rarely seen such acting. And the story was so great, I mean, I've read the book 5 times (and its about 1620 pages long) and the TV series are as great as the book. A must

(Please forgive my spelling mistakes, English is only my second language ;)

In 1302, king Philip the Fair of France staged a coup against the mighty order of the Templars, which he considered to be a state within the state. The Grand Master was accused of sacrilegical practices and burnt at the stake. According to the legend, from the stake the Grand Master cursed the king and all his descendants. In fact, the king himself would soon die, and all his three sons would succeed him, but each only for a couple of years and each dying without issue. Therefore, these kings are often called "Les rois maudits", the "cursed kings".

The series describes the lifes of some common people during the reign of these kings, when France was struck, inter alia, by a terrible famine and by plagues. It is beautiful pageant of Medieval Life. The video, if it existed, would be an ideal educational tool for the teaching of French and European history.

Right up there with Elizabeth R, Henry the eight six wives and the Mahabharata ! It is acting at it's best and even forty years later, we are still trying to create tv series able to compete with this one ! Buy it, rent it or steal it, but see it !!! 10/10