Versailles

This king was a showman, not an insecure philosopher, spectacularly controlling, not a bit shy. To him the only crime was to be a bore. You might start with a makeover of the look and let the acting follow. Please do a better job with the men's hair and costumes. This is France, not dowdy old England. Although I do like the Mark Farner '70s rock star chevelure imagined for the king (who is very well cast with a short actor), all portraits of him show a cloud of curls from cradle to grave (wigs, of course). The fabrics are couture, but too neutral. That little red bow tie over the white lace cravat would have been three times as wide and multiplied by seven, like a holiday bottle of cognac. (Again, look at the portraiture.) Conspicuously absent: the fabulous music of Marc Antoine Charpentier and Lully, the Paintings of Le Brun, Mignard and Le Moyne, the solid silver furniture that nearly bankrupt the nation. Look to the movie, Vatel, for better food and fete inspiration. Monsieur said it best when Louis chided him about the 50,000 ecus shoe note with: "But you haven't seen the shoes!" No, we haven't.

I think the casting is superb. Add beautiful surroundings and great acting and add the story of Louis XIV and you will have a show that pulls you into the middle of life in Versailles. I know they took liberties with the story, and sexed it all up, but not in a bad way. There is no 21st century holier-than-thou attitude, which is nice. They did things differently back in the 1600's and here is a show that portrays some of that, without preaching. It is rare that audiences are given credit for having brains enough to form opinions of their own about the characters. Things in Versailles are not all black and white, good and bad--there are many, many shades of gray here. It takes a lot to be able to show all those shades, and I think Versailles succeeds admirably.

We do not expect historical accuracy from a series featuring French royalty. Rather, we expect opulence, much action and intrigue, with a fair amount of sex and decadence. Well, Versailles has that in spades, and not knowing much about the France of that period, I am taking much of it with a pinch of salt, but I think this is really good television.

The plot meanders a bit at times, and of course Louis was building his nation, and at times Versailles seems more important than his country, but of course it represents France and all that we associate with it most splendidly, even today.

Beyond the nation building, Louis had to deal with a troublesome group of noblemen who seemed to spend all their time plotting against him and killing off people to whom he was attached. No wonder the poor French got rid of their royalty eventually, it must have seemed very troublesome to those whose lives were harder and less important.

It is superb television and I think the scriptwriters can take real credit for building a series where Louis plays members of his court (and even his own family) off against each other with skill and aplomb. He was clearly born to be a king.

This is great TV and I can't wait for Series 2 which I am told is in the pipeline.

Mary Gumsley

Yet another fantastic TV-series that makes me want to learn more about history. I thank the creators of this for making me more curious about what really happened. Very beautiful and well acted.

I have binge-watched this twice in three days, so I think I can offer my opinion. It is very good TV!

Blagden and Vlahos perform excellently; the plot is very much about two brothers, a new and fresh angle of the Sun King I haven't seen before. It is also about building a home, a palace, and also about building a country.

I doubt a proper historian would approve, but I don't mind. This is good TV and I like it a lot.

Since I already googled the crap out of Monsieur Philippe d'Orléans, I guess I have made my point. This made me learn a bit more about this era, and also see how it influences the oligarchy in our present time.

Very well crafted entertainment - I recommend you watch it at least twice. That way you will get to know the characters better. Season two? Can't wait!

I've been waiting for what seems like ages for a series to come along that I look forward to each episode. This is it. Absolutely gorgeous, stunning settings, costumes and sets.

The actors are fascinating. I don't care if it is minute by minute historically accurate as I can read a history book about Versailles and life there, but this is super interesting as a drama within that palace and time frame. Everyone is just so real. They are horrible, loving, scheming, nasty, lavish, flamboyant, crafty and violent, but isn't that what real life and humans are all about? I am loving the costumes, jewels, food, florals, decor and art.

Fingers crossed for Season 2.