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A Cursed Monarchy

A Cursed Monarchy (Les Rois maudits)

TV Series · 2005 · 3 people

Adapted from Maurice Druon's novel cycle of the same name, Les Rois maudits (A Cursed Monarchy) brings it to the screen as a Franco-Italian historical miniseries. Directed by Josée Dayan, it has five episodes of 90 minutes each and aired on France 2 between 7 and 28 November 2005. In Belgium it ran on La Une from 28 September to 26 October 2005, in Switzerland on TSR1 from 30 September to 28 October 2005, and in Canada on Radio-Canada; it has also been shown repeatedly on Russian television.

The story spans the reigns of the last five Capetian kings and the first two kings of the House of Valois. It opens as French King Philip the Fair, surrounded by scandal and intrigue, brings a curse on his family by persecuting the Knights Templar. The generations of rulers that follow push France and England toward the Hundred Years' War. Besides Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Claude Brialy, the cast includes Philippe Torreton, Jeanne Balibar, Julie Gayet, Jacques Spiesser, Julie Depardieu, Éric Ruf, Luca Barbareschi, Jean-Claude Drouot and Christopher Buchholz.

One of the features that makes this adaptation memorable is its deliberately theatrical language in the sets, costumes and character makeup. The series is classed as drama and history.

DirectorJosée Dayan
NetworkFrance 2

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Cast

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Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau Film actor · died at 89 Jean-Claude Brialy Jean-Claude Brialy Stage actor · died at 74 Tchéky Karyo Tchéky Karyo Actor · died at 72

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Series Binger A series devotee tracking character arcs, cast chemistry and season pacing.

Five episodes of ninety minutes each: a miniseries you can finish in a weekend, but far from a light one. As the curse that begins with Philip the Fair's persecution of the Knights Templar passes from one generation to the next, the story keeps widening, and there are so many rulers and courtiers that keeping track of who is who takes effort in the early episodes. A large cast with names like Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Claude Brialy carries the load. For me the real question was the theatrical sets and makeup: sometimes spellbinding, sometimes like watching a recording of a stage play. If you love intrigue, it pulls you along.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Adapted from Maurice Druon's novel cycle, the series covers a long stretch, from the last five Capetian kings to the first two kings of the House of Valois. Opening with the persecution of the Knights Templar, it tries to trace how court intrigue and dynastic rivalry pushed France and England toward the Hundred Years' War. The curse is a dramatic frame; the question underneath is how the fate of whole countries gets decided when power hangs on one family's ambitions. A good way in for anyone curious about medieval Europe, though it is worth remembering that this is a novel adaptation with its own dramatic choices.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

The boldest decision in Josée Dayan's adaptation is to lean deliberately on a theatrical language in sets, costumes and makeup. Refusing the expectations of a realistic period drama, this stylisation gives the dynastic saga the air of a stage tragedy, and combined with the weight of a performer like Jeanne Moreau it produces some striking moments. But the same choice widens the emotional distance from the viewer across five long episodes; past a certain point the artifice can crowd out the dramatic tension. Squeezing seven reigns into five episodes also makes the storytelling feel like a summary at times. Interesting for those who value formal experiment, tiring for anyone after a classic historical series.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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