• Movies

    Discovering the French Renaissance through older films

    Screen shot taken from You Tube video Screen shot taken from You Tube videoIf you’re looking for older films about the French Renaissance, it’s hit or miss outside of streaming services like Netflix. You can check out YouTube, but sometimes there’s a murky question over whether the channel has the right to post a film or not. Screenshot taken from You Tube Video Screenshot taken from You Tube Video Screen shot from You Tube Screen shot from You TubeFor another perspective on Henry IV and his ill-fated wives, you can currently catch , in French. The movie’s not as visually stunning as either of the Queen Margot remakes, but it…

  • Movies

    Secrets of History’s documentary about Diane de Poiters

    important source Secrets of History is a great place to catch documentaries about the personalities of the French Renaissance. The audio is in French, and there are no English subtitles. Still, it’s worth a view and it’s a great place to practice your understanding of spoken French.

  • Movies

    Isabelle Adjani takes on Diane de Poitiers in new production

    First, she was an ethereal Queen Margot. Now Isabelle Adjani returns to the French Renaissance, this time taking on the role of . I admit, when I saw her cameo on Dix pour Cent, I screamed. When I heard that she was coming back to the 16th Century, I almost exploded. Filming has already started, with Chateau de Chambord posting about partial closings during filming. Instagram post from Chambord about Diane de Poiters Instagram post from Chambord about Diane de Poitersadditional info According to a writer friend, Gérard Depardieu is also part of the cast, playing Nostradamus. I’m not a huge fan of his, so I’m not sure what I…

  • History,  Movies

    Why I love really terrible historical dramas

    Please don’t mention this to my thesis committee, but I really love watching cheesy, historically inaccurate dramas.  Hear me out before you clutch your pearls.  Like many historians, I grew up watching a “historical piece” that was so entertaining that I had no idea that it wasn’t based completely in fact.   In my case, I got hooked about twenty years ago watching the miniseries Young Catherine with Julia Ormond.  I was OBSESSED with history after that.  Before, my historical education consisted of drawing letters to definitions with my pencil while the assistant football coach who taught the class tried to keep the rest of the kids from tearing the…