The Bonfire of Destiny

The first episode had such an effect on me. Once the fire starts I couldn't look away. It's terrifying and you can sense their fear. The fact that this really happened is so sad. Some scenes are extremely hard to watch, but it's well done. The men are infuriating, especially those at the charity bizarre!

A very entertaining series with three women leading the way, with, of course, the usual men-and occasional woman- getting in the way. Do not confuse the story with the real fire of history, or any of the characters with real people. The plot devices are soapy but most of them work due to the great acting, script and cinematography.

The one plot line that just doesn't work because it's so transparently bad is the one with the woman whose face is partially burned but hardly enough to disfigure her or disguise her. Her use of a thin see through veil is a joke, and she should have been given a mask, but I'm guessing that the actress and the Director didn't want her hidden from us. So we're to believe "they" can't recognize her while we can. Voila!

Apart from that, (the title SHOULD be The Charity Bazaar), please watch this in the original French with subtitles. Actually, watch ANY show in it's original language with subtitles as ALL THE DUBBING is horrendous. I agree with all the other reviewers, good story, good acting apart from the HUGE plot hole with Adrienne running all over Paris with her distinctive red hair aflame for all to see. Gee, hubby recognised me? Go figure? The rest is top notch.

I'm not a huge fan of French movies (subtitled) or love stories; however, this movie has changed both of those perspectives completely! With a cast of wonderfully portrayed characters, I was spell bound for two days watching this series to its eighth episode. In a time of political upheaval, silent, strong women are pitted against the bravado of their wealthy husbands, but with promise of a new day of reason, and compassion on the horizon among the young and the working class. My blood boiled as the perfect villain slithered his way through each episode, and I wept, as much, through the sensitive love scenes (thank you for keeping the nudity scarce--always felt it detracted from the plot). Thank you for releasing a series that kept me thinking about what was important during this time period and the wonder of excellently written twists in a plot. I can't wait for the second season. Please keep it classy like the first.

As an intermediate French student, it's really difficult to find interesting content that is easy enough to understand: This series is perfect. Watch it in the original French with French subtitles turned on (happily an option with Netflix). The speech is fairly clear, not too fast and not heavily accented.

The beautiful costumes, set design and cinematography in this historical drama make up for the fairly predictable plot and uninspired acting. Compared to the mindless dialogues contained in most French language courses, this is a truly entertaining step up.