Henry of Navarre – Henri 4 (2010)

Directed by: Jo Baier | 180 minutes | action, drama, romance, history | Actors: Julien Boisselier, Joachim Król, Andreas Schmidt, Roger Casamajor, Armelle Deutsch, Chloé Stefani, Sven Pippig, Sandra Hüller, Hannelore Hoger, Ulrich Noethen, Devid Striesow, Adam Markiewicz, Gabriela Maria Schmeide, Christine Urspruch, Marta Calvó, Karl Markovic Calvó André Hennicke, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Antoine Monot Jr., Karin Neuhäuser, Johannes Silberschneider, Pep Anton Muñoz, Matthias Walter, Manfred Schmid, Aida Folch, Frank Kessler, Paulus Manker, Katharina Thalbach, Fritz Marquardt, Kristo Ferkic, Maximilian Befort, Lukas T. Berglund

Political assassinations, mass slaughter and brutal battles: that is France during the Wars of Religion in the sixteenth century. The Catholic and Protestant factions are at war. The royal family is Catholic, where the weak and ailing Charles IX (Ulrich Noethen) is dominated by his formidable mother Catharina de’ Medici (Hannelore Hoger). However, the House of Valois seems to be on its last legs. Charles is childless, so are his younger brothers. The Huguenots are led by Gaspard de Coligny (Karl Markovics) and seem to be winning. Southwest of France, in the Pyrenees, lies the small, independent kingdom of Navarra. Here the Catholic baptized but protestant raised Prince Henri of Navarra (Julien Boisselier) grows up. With unbridled commitment, political opportunism, a portion of luck and with the support of his loyal friends, he fights his way to the French throne.

‘Henry of Navarre’ is an energetic Franco-German co-production, based on two novels by the writer Heinrich Mann about Henri’s life. Originally it is a TV movie in two parts, which were pasted together for the Blu-ray release. Although Mann’s work is used as a basis, the TV film seems to be mainly inspired by series such as ‘Rome’ and ‘The Tudors’. The emphasis in these series is on the blood, violence, intrigue and sexual escapades of the protagonists. Likewise here. Moreover, the makers did not have to search long for suitable events to fill the time: from the infamous Bartholomew’s Night, in which thousands of Huguenots were massacred, to the various assassinations of prominent Catholic and Protestant leaders (including two kings), the life of Henri IV was brimming with bloodshed. It was an additional advantage for the makers that Henri was also a lover of women. Of course, his turbulent marriage to Princess Margot (Armelle Deutsch) and his relationship with his great love Gabrielle (Chloé Stefani) are central.

Boisselier is a somewhat stiff protagonist, but grows into his role as a marginal pretender to the throne – who as a child was predicted a grand future by the seer Nostradamus – until he actually becomes king of France as Henri IV, the first king of the House of Bourbon. The focus is entirely on him and his life is followed for forty years (occasionally helpfully summarized as “seven years later” and so on. Director Jo Baier keeps the momentum going, throwing one new battle, lovemaking or hostile battle after another. It does raise the question whether it would not have been better to make it a multi-part miniseries, so that more peace could have been built in and other characters would have come into their own. as in the unstable, slightly hysterical Charles IX. The other characters are mainly one-dimensional, which is certainly disappointing in the case of actress Hoger as the “spider in the web” Catharina. Deutsch also gets little space to give her Margot van Valois more than a temperamental bitch.In that respect ‘La Reine Margot’ (1994), which partly has the same events as its subject, is the superior film adaptation. , is the bad dubbing from German. Due to the international cast, the dialogues are partly redone in French, but not too accurately, so that there is often a striking difference between the mouth movements of the actor and the text that you hear as a viewer. Aside from the minuses, ‘Henry of Navarre’ offers enough spectacle to entertain the viewer for three hours. The fights look realistic – especially in the chaotic close-ups – and with all the intrigue, betrayal, doubles and attractive, naked women, there’s plenty to do.