The New Look

I was apprehensive fur a reason after so many disappointing shows from Apple that had great cast, budget and concept but decided to do a great pilot followed by 8 episodes of side stories of little interest with a decent finale if you were lucky (For All Mankind, Foundation), this has all the production values actors but also a story that has momentum and does not feel like a slog/ getting through time wasting dialogue. Can't say how historically accurate but definitely interesting so far. Both Ben Mendelsohn and Juliette Binoche are great, sound design could be better, at some point just had subtitles instead of changing the volume all the time for too loud music/ too quiet dialogue game shows love to play.

Generally we get the fashion side of the minds of designers. This time we are transported to the major events in Christian Dior's life.

Acting is spot on and so is the cinematography.

Authentic feel for the resistance and Nazis as they are portrayed in a more subtle realistic way.

Bonus is Coco Chanel's big haunt. Juliette Binoche embed her so well. Kudos to her.

Ben Mendelsohn's acting is perfect and felt.

Costumes and sets historically correct.

Lighting was done in a way you feel the period.

Cinematography utilizes old and new techniques to keep you interested.

Writing keeps you engaged.

Glad this was produced with care.

I didn't realize the subject matter when I first started watching, and it was a pleasant surprise. The design careers of Dior, Chanel, and the other couture houses are merely a backdrop to the painful period of Nazi-occupied Paris. The show deals with how people handle ethics, compromise, and survival under impossible circumstances.

At the time I'm writing this, most of the reviews here are quibbling with things I find unimportant. It's made for English-speaking viewers, so it's not in French, and some of the accents may not be perfect. But many of the performances are absolutely riveting, and the story is quite thought-provoking. It's also entertaining - worth a watch!

Sumptuous exploration of Vichy Paris and the designers who inhabited it. I've known all my adult life that Coco Channel was a Nazi collaborator, but I did not know the story about Christian Dior, his sister in the resistance, or her time at a work camp. This all set during the Nazi's occupation, and final retreat from France, is produced so well, with such an excellent top tier cast, top tier directing, set design, writing, pace, just about everything about this show is excellent I'm very surprised to see it not doing better in the user reviews and ratings. In an era of reality TV drivel, this quality show is so needed.

Ben Mendelssohn and Juliette Binoche give fine believable performances in this series. As does Maisie Williams as Catherine the sister of Christian Dior. Maisie, is of course incredibly well-known from Game of Thrones. In this role she was so believable and her performance so subtle that initially I did not realise who the actress was and had assumed she was a young French actress chosen for the role. The production quality is impeccable with especially sumptuous locations. The serious is almost worth watching for that reason alone. But unfortunately this is all rather badly let down by a light treatment that too often lacks any convincing emotional intensity. As such it belongs more in the realm of escapism than the serious drama the (based on a true life) story of intense courage and love truly deserves.