La Révolution, Netflix's New French Series on (You Guessed it) The French Revolution [Trailer]
The revolution is here. This October, Netflix will release a brand new enthralling period drama on the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, La Révolution.
But this is no ordinary account of the famed social unrest and overthrow of the monarchy in France. This particular version of the historical and thrilling tale is told through the lens Joseph Guillotin. He's not exactly who you think he is and more on that later.
This kind of programming is what we've been hoping for ever since the launch of the Netflix office in Paris and the slew of promising French programming put on the docket.
Creator Aurélien Molas' version of the story follows the life and influence of physician and member of King Louis XVI's States General assembly Joseph-Ignace Guillotin and reimagines his role in various historical events, namely during and towards the end of the "Reign of Terror".
A little more on Guillotin himself; our hero was born in 1738 in Saintes, France. In actuality, he opposed the death penalty and did not actually invent the device, in his later years completely trying to separate himself from the image of his namesake. Rather he advocated that if capital punishment must be carried out, all people from all walks of life should be executed as painlessly as possible by way of a quick and "simple mechanism". In the late 18th century, only members of the elite were offered the luxury of a beheading. Peasants were subjected to being burned alive, hanging, drowning and other slow and agonizing ends.
This is by no means an accurate but stuffy BBC reimagination of the past. This narrative adds a bit of dark, bordering on supernatural twists and turns, so you can be sure you can't possibly know what will happen next. The upcoming series should be a very fresh and innovative take on the events of the time that shaped the beginning of modern France. Vice President International Originals at Netflix Erik Barmack said back in 2018, "We are thrilled to be working with [Molas] on our next French original series". Well we are thrilled to watch it Barmack, very thrilled indeed.
Check out the teaser, released this Bastille day!
