Shortly after the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the series The Crown dedicated to the history of the monarch saw its audiences explode in England by more than 800% according to the magazine variety. This enthusiasm for the adaptations of the life of these regents is not ready to weaken. “Historical series tick all the boxes of what can make a good series”, “the three fundamental elements are: the story, the characters and the universe“, explains Rémi Tereszkiewicz, founder of Betaseries a site dedicated to series, at AFP.
Many productions inspired by the lives of its illustrious sovereigns should see the light of day on the small screen. The latest, The Serpent Queeneight episodes inspired by the life of Catherine de Medici in a rock version, available in France since Sunday on Starzplay. The series focuses on the queen’s strategy to impose herself on her husband Henri II, while making him forget his beloved mistress Diane de Poitiers, played by Ludivine Sagnier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w-XKE80HVk
A few weeks later, on September 29, it’s the Californian platform netflix which again adapts the rise to power of the very famous Sisi, Empress of Austria with The Empress. The German actress Devrim Lingnau, little known in France, will take over the now iconic role of Romy Schneider. As for French-language productions, France Televisions is preparing for the end of the year a mini-series on Diana of Poitiers starring Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu. In the studios Canal+ it is Marie Antoinette which is in the spotlight with an eponymous series scheduled for the fall.
The great novelty of his adaptations, a description of women as decision-making figures. They are no longer passive and face difficult choices. “Compared to classic representations, of the Sissi type, we are more focused on the question of the power of politics and the way in which women do politics.“, explains Marjolaine Boutet, professor of American civilization at the Sorbonne-Paris-Nord University, to AFP.
These women are also actors of their desire, “they build their destiny and are not only “the wives of”, mistresses or objects of conquest for men“, adds the professor. These modern monarchs brought to the screen have already entered pop-culture, real characters like Queen Charlotte in The Bridgertons Chronicle or fictional like Daenerys Targaryen in the series Game Of Thrones.