A Gilded Prison: My quick take on Netflix’s web series “Versailles”
It's rich, it's opulent, it's ostentatious, it’s like diving into the treasure chest of Uncle scrooge. I have a certain weakness for period dramas provided the ‘period’ is aptly re-created, on this yardstick the French web series (available in English on Netflix) stands tall almost as regal as the original Palace of Versailles near Paris. It's just not the grandeur of the production which enamored me, but the overall plot of the series was quite entertaining. If you have enjoyed “Crown” which was about British Royals, then I am confident you will enjoy this series which is about the longest-serving monarch of France King Louis XIV.
I have heard stories of how the Shish mahal set of Mughal e Azam was kept for public viewing even after the movie was released, in that comparison in Versailles every frame is worth keeping for eternity. I am not sure if it was shot on real location or a set was created or was it a play of VFX creativity, whatever it is the final result is simply awesome.
The plot begins with the young King Louis deciding to relocate his court from Paris to a hunting lodge near the hamlet of Versailles, primarily to tighten the leash on nobility who are defying the young King's power. He fantasizes about transforming the hunting lodge into a grand Palace. To fulfill his dream, he must fight battles beyond his boundaries and within his palace compound with an iron fist. His tyrannical journey is filled with betrayal, deception, politics, church indulgence, and backstabbing, and such plots keep the series going for three seasons.
The Series is packed with characters donning rich opulent costumes and filled with many acts where characters don’t wear any (yes, the series is replete with love scenes, hence decide with whom you are going to watch this series). The production design has taken care of not only the architecture, drapery, and costumes of the period, but even the minute details of board games played during that period. However, I was surprised to note that the concept of the toilet was not prevalent then and people used to relieve themselves in pot n pans in their rooms (yuck !!). On a lighter note – it’s a tale of Louis without Loo
The performances of the entire cast (Sorry could not identify any of these ‘French’ cast) is superlative. Of course, the main lead King Louis (George Blagden) is simply wow. Similar to the chambers of Palace which has many built-in labyrinthian secret passageways the main plot also has many subplots which keep up the overall tempo of the web series.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the web series, it can addict you to binge-watch. Watch it, if you love period drama filled with dramatic plots and take a peek into the French history before revolution which may give you insights on the causes leading to the French Revolution.
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