Versailles: Season One [DVD]

Exceptionally underrated show. I really enjoyed the whole series. Great acting by some lesser known actors.

I liked everything about Season One. The locations...Versailles, Vaux le Vicomte ( a line in the series "Remember what happened to Foucquet")...the sets, costumes, cinematography...the acting...directing. George Blagden is fantastic (if only Louis looked like him, seriously). The intrigue (well, there're a lot of plot twists and turns when you're trying to kill a king...and quite a bit of blood), sex galore!!!...again George Blagden, as I noted above, but most interesting was the view of the human side of Louis XIV, his desire for greatness, for a Versailles that would stun and amaze the world and cement his power, his need to completely control the nobles, and his fear of being usurped or killed, wonderfully portrayed by (again) George Blagden. I also loved the portrayal of Fabien by Runyan...great acting and Alexander Vlahos as the Duc D'Orleans. So, Season One was perfect. Now, where are Seasons Two and Three on DVD for the US? I know that you can watch them on Prime (and I probably will), but I want the DVDs.

I brought this based upon the write up on Amazon. Boy am I glad I did. The story of King Louis IX (the Sun King) taking control of France from the nobles is very interesting. The plots between the nobles and the problems with other countries makes for many twists in the story. The story plays against the changing to Versailles from a hunting lodge (his fathers) into the Versailles we all think about is in the season and changes more and more which can be viewed. In fact the workers are even part of the story. There are murders, sex and lies in abundance in each chapter. Very seldom I ended one chapter and just continued on to the next over and over. Take a chance on this series and I believe if you like period shows this will be great.

I am really enjoying the 1st season of Versailles. All the actors are great and I love the costumes and sets, very well done. I didn't know much about French history, even though I'm of French ancestry. They really don't teach much French History in American schools (other than English). This series has really peaked my interest. Since watching this series I have started reading and studying this period on my own. I realize there may be much artistic license taken in the series, since all History is really "hear say" anyway it doesn't really bother me. Love the show!!

King Louis XIV of France is 28 years old. Being King so far has not been all he hoped. Per the episode 1 introduction, he "has been King since he was 4 years old. For years, France has been governed by a Council of ministers, led by his mother. Now she is dead. The nobles are seizing control. To survive, Louis must defeat his enemies and build a new power base away from Paris, in a small village called: Versailles."The year is 1667. Louis already has a hunting lodge in Versailles and he has moved his court, including his pregnant wife, to this relatively remote place of safety. The ministers rule Paris and hardly listen to anything he says. The nobles rule everywhere else and power in France is fractured and decentralized and nobody wants to pay their taxes. On top of that, the Spanish, the Dutch and the Hapsburgs would love it if someone would assassinate him. And in spite his brother's marriage to the sister of the English King, England doesn't much respect him either.What's a poor monarch to do?Season 1 of "Versailles" has 10 episodes totaling 9 hours. If you purchase the show on disc, there are English SDH subtitles available. The discs have no bonus features, which is a shame. There were several official interviews and making-of featurettes available on-line at one time, so it's too bad they wouldn't add them to the discs.The show has graphic violence, but not as much as it has graphic sex. There is a lot of sex. Just about everyone is sleeping with everyone else, and I think they showed most of it. It does fit into the story because sex was hand-in-hand with politics in that era, especially for women.Other than sex, the very favorite past-time of the court is lying. For good reason, it is a brutal time and your fortunes can change in the blink of an eye. You can lose your head for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and killing the messenger is the business norm.For example, Louis needs a local doctor for the Queen's confinement. He selects Dr. Masson (who doesn't really have a choice), who will be assisted by his daughter, Claudine. After meeting the King, Masson tells Claudine, "If it goes wrong, we pack our bags and we leave immediately."The show is full of interesting and complex characters. Many of them, including the doctor and his daughter, are made up. The show's producers don't pretend "Versailles" is a documentary and it would be a good idea to not think you're getting a history lesson. However, I think the spirit of Louis XIV's early court is shown very well, and by the end of Season 1, you can see how this monarch will become "The Sun King".All in all, "Versailles" was engaging, a rather giant soap opera with lovely clothes and stunning locations. A king's hunting lodge is larger than a mansion to anybody else. After all, where-ever HE went, went also his whole court, so a lot of space was needed.Standing in for the Versailles hunting lodge in the filming is the very lovely Vaux-le-Vicomte, an estate about an hour from Paris. Louis XIV actually visited there when he was young, and he hired the same architect, gardener and interior designer when he started Versailles, the palace. (Which, incidentally, took 53 years to complete.) The Grand Salon with its oval dome is just one of the stunning rooms used in the filming.Season 2 has already aired; its time frame is 4 years after the happenings in Season 1. Season 3 was in production in spring 2017 and hasn't aired yet.Happy Reader

This series is fabulous! It's promoted as historical with a modern twist, which is a facinating combination. I love that the costumes for the king were created by hand with the same gold thread used on the original coat of the king. The costumes are historically accurate. Season 1 aired overseas and was picked up for 2 more seasons already. I just finished season 1 and cannot wait for season 2. I don't purchase many tv series, but this one is going to arrive on it's release date! If you like movies from this era, you will love this! (be aware, nudity and violence are throughout the season)

Beautifully filmed, written and acted, this very entertaining production seems to accurately capture the political and social drama unfolding in Europe on the accession of Louis XIVth to the throne. The notoriously venal and pampered court is captured in all its magnificent and sordid detail.

I was disappointed with how far this departed from history. Unfortunately, more a salacious soap opera in period costumes than anything.