Like any self-respecting “period drama”, the series written by Simon Mirren and David Wolstencroft also abounds in breathtaking sets, costumes, sex (lots of sex)
After the aristocratic but severe residences of “Downton Abbey”, on Saturday evening La7 gives us the splendor of the palace of “Versailles”, the series written by Simon Mirren and David Wolstencroft focused on the French noble life, on the ambitions of the royal dynasty and set in mid 1600s, between conspiracies, power plays and debauchery. Playing Louis XIV of Bourbon, the future Sun King, is George Blagden. Like any self-respecting “period drama”, also “Versailles” abounds in breathtaking scenery (the location is exactly the Castle of Versailles), costumes, winks at Marie Antoinette of Sofia Coppola, of pomp, of intrigues, of sex (a lot of sex), of courtesans dressed in the style of “miss wet t-shirt”, of conspiracies, of revenge, of plots. But if the attention to the historical reconstruction is very faithful (thanks also to a generous budget), the dialogues are very updated as if everything were an allegory of the present.
Because, if you think about it, the real protagonist is the palace itself of Versailles, since the mother of the “anointed of the Lord”, of the “blessed one of the Sun”, foretells him that “a king without a castle is not a king at all”. Why build a palace far from Paris? Why the long staging of power that begins with the “lever du roi” ceremony and ends with the “coucher du roi”, meaning that all court life must revolve around that sun? The most curious and significant part of the series is represented by the palace which becomes the pretext of the monarch to induce the aristocracy to abandon its possessions and move to the luxurious palace. By doing so, the Sun King could exercise full control over Versailles, eliminating too many scattered powers and offering the courtiers honorary posts and pensions in exchange. But in the meantime, outbreaks of revolt are igniting in Paris.
October 10, 2021 (change October 10, 2021 | 19:53)
© Time.News