Product Details

• Language: French
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000050FY7
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,421 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Les Rois maudits [Region 2]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story, good acting -- too bad about the production, May 7, 2009

By 

Paul Magnussen (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Les Rois maudits [Region 2] (DVD)

This French television production of Maurice Druon's famous hexalogy has a great deal to recommend it: most pleasurably, for those accustomed (or resigned) to the megalomaniac meddlings of Hollywood, it is *extremely* faithful to the original books, right down to the dialogue. It is also, by and large, well executed; although the gentleman playing the central character, Robert d'Artois, has a tendency to overact (possibly because of M. Druon's repeated characterisations of him as larger than life).

Unfortunately, it has two large strikes against it.

One, mentioned by other reviewers, is that there are no subtitles. One has to wonder at the cause: indifference to foreign sales, arrogance (let them learn French), or simply laziness?

The other is that the entire thing is apparently shot in cheesy studio sets. Even quite modest settings like council chambers are unconvincing. I didn't expect a cast of thousands, but they can't even manage the forest scene where Philip the Fair collapses.

Even more irritating than the visuals, though, are the acoustics, which never change, whatever the scene. Even when it's supposedly the streets of Paris, there are no background noises, nothing but the dialogue of the principals.

Can it have been done on a shoe-string budget? A major production of a famous book by an Academician (as the titles do not neglect to tell us)? Surely not. Some comments on Amazon France attribute these characteristics to the age of the production (1972), but Elizabeth R, from the same era, is far more professional.

However, this is comparing it with the very best. By and large, the fine acting and the colourful characters and costumes make it more than worthwhile -- if you speak French! -- to catch this convoluted, fascinatingly true historic pageant of power, violence, love, hate, intelligence, stupidity, treachery, nobility, venality, and (of course) sex.

Incidentally, there are six (not seven) volumes of "The Accursed Kings" books in English, corresponding to the six episodes of the video:

1) The Iron King
2) The Strangled Queen
3) The Poisoned Crown
4) The Royal Succession
5) The She-Wolf of France
6) The Lily and the Lion

If you read these first, you will be able to get through the videos with only schoolboy French.

The 7th book, Quand un roi perd la France ("When a King Loses France"), appears to have been a later addition, not filmed and not translated into English.

UPDATE 2007

I now gather that sets and costumes were deliberately kept minimal, to give the audience the feel of a small theatre production; fair enough (although I would have thought that a small theatre used cheap sets because it had too, not because it wanted to).

Also that the 2005 remake has realistic sets, CGI blood and guts, and (with the illustrious exception of Gérard Depardieu) inferior acting (but still no English subtitles!).

I think I'll stick with the good acting.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Accursed Kings, February 11, 2011

By 

Dead People - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Les Rois maudits [Region 2] (DVD)

This is a fantastic series. It has got the lot, a great sexual scandal with three french Princesse's caught with their lovers, their imprisonment, the strangling of one and an immense amount of treachery, intriugue, bad faith and goodness in one series. It all happened too. The author Maurice Druon researched it and if he says he happened , it did. This adds to the enjoyment. I saw it with subtitles on British Television in 1974 . This was before video and once it was gone, you never saw it again. I had very vivid memories of it. The actors, all from the French Theatre are magnificent. However only buy this series if you either speak French or have read the 6 original books. As it was rereleased in , I think 2005 but without either dubbing or subtitles. l have read the books and I can understand what is happening.