Les rois maudits

When this screened on SBS, I caught the last half-hour of the first episode by accident. I was hooked! The series itself it so over the top and camp but it's an interesting and fascinating way to bring the story to life.

In Ausralia, when it first screened it was shown on Sunday nights and Monday mornings at work resulted in the kinda of intense water-cooler discussions not repeated until Masterchef! It was recently replayed and it was as fabulous as the first time round. The sets and costumes are amazing - it's really avant garde theatre done for TV. Possibly the first time that has actually worked.

And of course, then there's Jeanne Moreau - impossibly beautiful, vulgar and scheming all at once. I'd love to read the book - I'm yet to find an English translation.

It's definitely not for everyone - but if you don't mind your history with a bit camp, this is just great fun and it's exquisite to look at.

The basic trait - it is more an experiment than a reasonable adaptation. The clothes are the basic proof. It is saved by few performances and by the expectations of viewer. Sure , not a bad adaptation but always an inspired one. A sketch of Druon novel, reasonable in some measure, less convincing in too many.

Doing a remake of Les Rois Maudits is a little like doing a remake of Citizen Kane. You've got an awful lot of pressure! The text is powerful but most of the actors can't get a hold of it. Mind you, the producers have mostly hired good actors, but in many instances (Philippe Torreton for example), they can't get inside their characters, because it's not in their range. Others, like Julie Depardieu or Jeanne Moreau in some instances, are just pathetic!

Josée Dayan, the director, has a reputation for not taking many shots, so that the actors play on their "first energy". The result is interesting in some scenes, but you often get the feeling that there isn't any actor direction at all, which is very dangerous with this text, which requires some kind of classical training for the actors (No wonder the best actor was Eric Ruf, of La Comédie Française).

No wonder why in most stores in Paris you see more space for the 1972 version than for this year's!

A lot has been made of the sets and backgrounds.. Philippe Druillet, the artist behind the sets, is an iconic sci-fi graphic novelist. He created 'Lone Sloane'in the mid-60s; unlikely, then, that he is much influenced by the Riddick franchise as suggested above. Anyway, he was never going to come up with anything conceptually accurate to the 14th Century, that's for sure! Not a good idea to get hung up on historical accuracy of plot or costumes, either. Druon wrote a novel loosely based on historical fact. The curse on which the whole premise is based is folklore, even the eye-watering demise of Edward II may be urban mythology... It is a wee bit like remaking "I Clavdivs" but with a Giger/Lynch vibe going on. The stylised acting and shoogly sets of the original with some seriously dodgy Goth overlays. It didn't impress me as much as the original, but French TV in the 70s was truly awful and expectations are so much higher....murderous Moreau worth the price of admission!

Firstly I must state I have only seen part 1 of an apparent 5 part series.

And I am glad I did. I have great interest in this period of history and - told by the French - in French - made it all the more enjoyable.

The production is sublime with modern ... improvements like the lighting in castles sometimes obviously artificial (ie: not mere torches) and some racy female costumes (for the period).

The acting was excellent and includes long time favorites like Gerard - and the actress that plays Queen Isabelle is so pretty.

Generally this story is based on fact.

Unless part 2 is awful (doubtful) I am hooked already.

Recommended!