Wednesday, February 24, 2010

History Come to Life

Remember my post about the Hôtel Bourrienne? A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a mini series about Napoleon on TV and there, to my surprise, was the building and its garden, playing the part of Josephine's residence in the days before she married Bonaparte and moved to Malmaison. This 2002 series features an all-star cast including Isabella Rossellini as Josephine, Gérard Depardieu as the corrupt inspector Fouché, John Malkovich as Talleyrand, and French actor Christian Clavier as Napoleon.

Well I suppose I should have posted this right away because the clip I found on Youtube has since been taken down. The best I can do now is to share this music video that offers a few glimpses of the interiors (the scenes where Napoleon is in his night shirt and Josephine is soaked to the skin, crying at his door) plus a glimpse of the scene in the garden around 1:30. There are other scenes from the series posted on Youtube and the good news is that if you are a glutton for this sort of thing, the series is available for purchase in both French and English versions.

3 comments:

Andi said...

I love this mini-series, my hubby and I have it on DVD and watch it about once a year! I think is well done.

Starman said...

Good news for American francophiles, the series is available on Netflix.

Harriet said...

Is the entire first floor of Hotel Bourienne on tour? I'm assuming that you were with a group when you went. Was the lunch a special occasion or are there times when this is offered? I'd love the details. hcreavisathotmaildotcom. If you haven't read Dancing to the Precipice:Lucy de la Tour du Pin and the French Revolution, it's a great read that encompasses this period and more.
Merci.

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