History: France

France during the times of Henry III. Religious wars and political intrigues mixed with the tragic love story between Count Louis de Bussy and Countess Diana de Monsoreau.

Napoleon's tumultuous relations with Russia including his disastrous 1812 invasion serve as the backdrop for the tangled personal lives of five aristocratic Russian families.

Set in 14th century France, the film chronicles the reigns of Capetian and Valois kings, starting with Philip the Fair's persecution of the Knights Templar.

During the turmoil of the French Revolution, English aristocrat Percy Blakeney, often aided by his League of friends, secretly undertakes various daring missions as the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Based on the novel of the same name by Maurice Druon, Les Rois maudits (The Cursed Kings) is the second television adaptation of this seven-volume book which is widely agreed to be an accurate representation of actual events. It is the early 1300's and the treasury of France, under the rule of Philippe IV (Philippe le Bel or Philippe the Beautiful), is empty. The king decides the only solution is to raid the treasures of the Knights Templar (amongst others) and concocts various charges of treason, heresy and deviance against the Knights and their Grand Master Jacques de Molay. Having confessed under torture to the crimes of which he is accused, de Molay is condemned to be burned at the stake. With his dying breath he curses the king, the king's advisor (Guillaume de Nogaret), the pope (Pope Clement V) and the thirteen succeeding generations of their families. There follows one of the most dramatic periods in French history, half a century of political intrigue, murder, treason, war and famine, which ultimately culminates in the 100 Years War.

The story of five aristocratic families in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars of 1812

The Russian aristocracy prepares for the French invasion on the eve of 1812.

A masterful soldier, tactician, and statesmen, Napoleon Bonaparte, with courage and love for his country, rises from an unpaid general consumed with ambition to the most powerful man in Europe. But his life ends with a fall and exile.

As the Russian conflict with Napoleon reaches its peak, five aristocratic families face the possibility of their lives being changed forever.

A chronicle of the French Revolution from the calling of the Etats General in 1789 until the end of the Jacobin Terror in 1794.

A film about the French general's youth and early military career.

From the appeal of June 18, 1940 to his departure from power in 1969, a dive into nearly three decades of the public, but also private, life of Charles de Gaulle.

Epic story about the romance between the most powerful man in the world and the woman who conquered his heart.

Abel Gance's 1971 sound edition of his epic 1927 'Napoleon', which contains much of the silent original, with new material shot and added in both 1965 and 1971, and with sound synchronization from both the 1932 reissue and this version.

Who was Moliere? He is known everywhere as one of the world's greatest playwrights. But who was he? Born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin in 1622, the son of a prosperous tapestry maker. His mother died when he was a boy. Growing up in the teeming streets of 17th century Paris, Jean Baptiste received a good Jesuit education and was fascinated by the street fairs and traveling carnivals that flourished in spite of the religious repression and hypocrisy of those cruel times. As a young man he joined the theatrical Bejart family to establish the Illustre-Theatre, which soon went bankrupt. The troupe reformed, found patronage, and went on the road for thirteen years, performing all over France. Poquelin developed his stagecraft adapting Commedia dell Arte plots to please brutalized peasants and cynical townspeople. He also married Madeline Bejart, the widowed daughter of the troupe's founder. Later he entered into a love affair with Mme Bejart's daughter, to the dismay of all. The troupe eventually returned to Paris and, on October 24, 1658, greatly impressed the 20-year old King Louis XIV, later to be called the Sun King. Moliere's life became bound up with the magnificent court at Versailles, and with its intrigues. He wrote, staged and acted in the plays now famous all over the world. He fought with his enemies and his friends, enjoyed success followed by failure, organized court festivities and defended himself against increasingly fanatic religious authorities. Above all, his theater was taken from life as his life was theatrical.

Documentary about the rise and fall of one of the greatest military geniuses of modern times from his Corsican childhood to final exile in St. Helena.

The chronicle of Charles II's time on the throne, his ten-year exile from Oliver Cromwell's England, and his triumphant return.

Part 1: The young wolf (1932-1981) Jacques Chirac was born in Paris on 29 November 1932. At the age of 18 he became a student at Sciences-Po, the prestigious French institute of political science. He then moved on to the equally renowned École Nationale de l'Administration, before working for Georges Pompidou at Matignon. On 5 March 1967 he was elected as MP for Corrèze and joined the government. A move that marked the beginning of an uninterrupted ministerial career. In 1974, Jacques Chirac torpedoed Jacques Chaban-Delmas' challenge for the French presidency and became prime minister under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. But it rapidly became obvious that it was difficult for the two men to work together. In August1976, he resigned and created a new political party, the RPR, purpose-designed for conquering the Élysée Palace. Part 2: The old lion (1981-2006) Facing President François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac embodied the opposition. In 1986, the right won the parliamentary elections and he became prime minister. After two years of stormy political cohabitation, François Mitterrand was re-elected in 1988. Swallowing his disappointment, Chirac set his political machine rolling once again. During the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty, he campaigned in favor, against the vast majority of his party. In March 1993, Chirac led the opposition to a crushing victory. Édouard Balladur became prime minister. In 1995, Jacques Chirac was elected French president: the fulfillment of thirty years of politics.

Napoleon's tumultuous relations with Russia, including his disastrous 1812 invasion, serve as the backdrop for the tangled personal lives of two aristocratic families.

Under the Regency of Philippe d'Orleans, Cartouche sees his bride murdered by La Reynie, the future chief of police. Eight years later, Cartouche has become a Robin-Hood-like character loved by the people and a cause of concern to the powerful. Along with his entourage (La Guigne, Timour, Isabelle and the Marquis), he becomes a legend by distributing to the poor part of the booty taken from the nobility. One day he attacks the leutenant-general of police, Minister d'Argenson, then the Regent himself, who vows to make him pay. Meanwhile, Juliette, the fiancee of d'Argenson and the sister of La Reynie, sees the good work of Cartouche and starts to help him secretly. Loosely based on the life of Louis Dominique Garthausen (1693 - 1721), also known as Cartouche, an eighteenth century French highwayman who reportedly stole from the rich and gave to the poor in and around Paris.

In 1894, the French Army discovered the existence of a traitor Alsatian and Jewish, the French officer Alfred Dreyfus makes an ideal culprit. For lack of evidence, the War Ministry creates a damning document Dreyfus overwhelming. Judged and sentenced, Dreyfus is deported to Devil's Island. In 1896, the Army flushed out the real culprit. The truth broke out in 1898 thanks to the mobilization of intellectuals shaken by Zola's "J'accuse!"

An 18th-century true story about a rebel and his lover's attempt to overthrow the Italian monarchy.

After the sumptuous fête which infuriated the king, Fouquet was arrested. After a travesty of a trial, he spent the rest of his life in a fortress.

With France's prime minister Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis XIII dead, the Italian-born Cardinal Mazarin and the Spanish-born Queen Anne struggle to establish a regency to rule France in the name of the five-year-old Louis XIV.