The New Look

I didn't realize the subject matter when I first started watching, and it was a pleasant surprise. The design careers of Dior, Chanel, and the other couture houses are merely a backdrop to the painful period of Nazi-occupied Paris. The show deals with how people handle ethics, compromise, and survival under impossible circumstances.

At the time I'm writing this, most of the reviews here are quibbling with things I find unimportant. It's made for English-speaking viewers, so it's not in French, and some of the accents may not be perfect. But many of the performances are absolutely riveting, and the story is quite thought-provoking. It's also entertaining - worth a watch!

Ben Mendelssohn and Juliette Binoche give fine believable performances in this series. As does Maisie Williams as Catherine the sister of Christian Dior. Maisie, is of course incredibly well-known from Game of Thrones. In this role she was so believable and her performance so subtle that initially I did not realise who the actress was and had assumed she was a young French actress chosen for the role. The production quality is impeccable with especially sumptuous locations. The serious is almost worth watching for that reason alone. But unfortunately this is all rather badly let down by a light treatment that too often lacks any convincing emotional intensity. As such it belongs more in the realm of escapism than the serious drama the (based on a true life) story of intense courage and love truly deserves.

The New Look is worth watching based on the acting performances alone-Ben Mendelsohn, Juliette Binoche, Malkovich and Maisie Williams who since GoT has turned in multiple big performances. My complaint is the historical inaccuracy involving the Coco Chanel character and storyline which is nearly half the script. It shouldn't matter because Hollywood scripts aren't meant to be documentaries. But when the truth is more interesting than what the scriptwriters put to page why make the change? For some reason they make her conflicted and being pulled in by the Germans. In reality she was a full fledged sympathizer and shared their views decades before they marched into Paris. She was directed involved in using German Laws to attempt and seize the business from her partners. As some have said, instead they whitewashed and girl bossed her. The C. Dior storyline is much more historically accurate and entertaining. But for some reason they didn't feel the need to meddle as much with his biography.

This series gives an insight into a little explored era - the French occupation, the tug of self preservation, the desire to fight the oppression of the Nazis and the development of the haute couture designers whose brands eventually came to dominate our lives for the next 70 years. I have found it riveting. Yes, it is flawed, mainly I feel because it is covering complex pressures and it is impossible to do more than scratch the surface. The series, if one can stop being critical of superficial accents for one minute, forces one to think about what that occupation did (and the parallels we must recognise today in Ukraine). This series draws you through the rich tapestry of life, emotion, selfishness, greed, heroism, sacrifice, love, homosexuality and mostly addresses for me the very "Frenchness" of all these - yes yes, only touched upon. But sufficient for this staid Brit to want to know more. I really can't cope with the continual criticism of accents (in case you hadn't guessed). Non Europeans (especially Americans) find it difficult to face sub titles and foreign languages, and so the film makers have to compromise and decided it should all be in English, but they also have to remind viewers that this is set in a foreign country hence the attempt at accents. I think this was carried out in an inoffensive way and the plus side is that they necessarily widened their audience to those who really should watch this topic and be inspired to learn more. Although a bit disjointed - Paris and Europe was disjointed at the time - people had to make split second decisions or lose their life or livelihood. So we are treated to the roller coaster that it was - and I think that the production is well paced considering all that they had to cover by nuance and by dwelling on the points sometimes for what seems like an age. I particularly applaud the treatment of the gradual awareness of the retreat of the Nazis, the pursuit of collaborators, the depiction of Ravensbruck, the return of the few and the pressure of relatives to seek out their loved ones. I loved John Malkovich as Lelong as well as the other main and supporting characters. I forgive all the mangled French accents. I now want to know more which is what a good series should want to achieve.

I really enjoyed this it has a real calming atmosphere which makes it engaging and interesting. I felt like it was able to give just enough depth without being overly complex. The cast were good and of course where everyone is speaking English with a French in Paris it will always be off putting. But I was captivated by the story and the characters.

It's not a period I was so familiar with but I found it engaging and interesting. The way it's shot felt intimate and gave it an intensity. Also the scenes and location's felt realistic and gave the show a sense of realism. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.