Latest news with #Talleyrand
Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Summer Travel On TV: To France!
Summer is coming on, and travels are ensuing. Some for vacation, some searching new locales where to take residence. Me, until further notice, I'm spending my time just as I did the pandemic and the Palisades Fire: At home, watching foreign series on my TV. Although I am always down for a damaged detective solving cases in an arctic landscape, in Finnish, Swedish, or Danish, lately I've found myself compelled by TV series offerings from France, most of which are available in the French original with English subtitles, and some also offered subtitled. So join me on my TV Vacation adventure! Bon Voyage! "Carême on Apple TV+ This historical drama based on real characters tells the story of the machinations of Talleyrand during the rise and reign of Napoleon, as seen through the eyes of Carême, one of Frances most famous pastry chefs, who, of course, is a sensualist making love opportunistically to a series of equally opportunistic lovers including none other than Josephine – it is all very French and very enjoyable. Reformed on Max In French, the title is 'Le Sens des Choses' which translates as 'The sense of things,' which comes from the Passover Haggadah, and speaks to the spiritual, emotional, and overall impact of the ritual and its significance. Reformed is the story of Lea, (played with great warmth and charm by Elsa Guedj) a young French woman, unmarried, who moves back in with her father (played by Eric Elmosnino), in his apartment. The father is a widower, and a psychoanalyst whose own mother is a Holocaust survivor and is losing her memory. Lea has dropped out of medical school to become a reformed Rabbi – which to her father is a sacrilege. Each episode involves a problem that has been brought to her, for which she is often unsure of the proper response. Yet by the close, she has come up with a solution that is wise and expressive of Jewish values. It is not a show that moves at an American pace. It is at moments funny, awkward, and occasionally, sad. It is definitely the kind of show where you feel good after every episode. The first season has eight episode. A second season has been ordered. Try it. You may like it. Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight on Netflix Asterix and Obelix are beloved French comic book characters known all over the French speaking world, who live before the Common Era in a small village of Gaulois, in what today is Brittany, resisting the Roman Empire of Julius Caesar. Their druid has a magic potion that grants them superhuman strength, whose powers Obelix has permanently having fallen in the tub as a child; while Asterix, the brains of the two, has only when he quaffs the potion. Their many, many adventures have taken place in a series of books, and then a series of movies (often with the roles played by France's greatest actors), and finally, now, in a five part animated series that is currently streaming on Netflix, in French original with subtitles, or in a dubbed version. One sign of the deep affection for Asterix and Obelix, is that the project has attracted incredible animators, and the series is written and directed by Alain Chabat one of France's most successful and beloved comedy writers. The five episodes are filled with delightful word play, gags, and a certain French pride and chauvinism particularly when compared to the puffed up pompous Romans. The Art of Crime on Mhz The Art of Crime is multi-year series (there are four seasons currently available) in which an art historian and a detective to solve art-related crimes. As is standard for this sort of pairing, she's upper class, he lower. She sees a psychiatrist, he should. Eleonore Bernheim stars as the art expert, and she is both charming and enthusiastic. There few murders in this series, and if so they are rarely gruesome, but the art is wonderful as is the scenes of Paris as they pass by. A pleasure for which I am not guilty at all.
The Review Geek
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Careme – Season 1 Episode 5 Recap & Review
The Contest Episode 5 of Careme begins with our titular character being handed all the possessions left from Bailly. Unfortunately, the shop is being handed over to the State, given the charges he faced of treason. With very little to live for now, Careme's motivations have gone and this causes his food standards to drop too. At the kitchen, he shouts and demands nobody mention his father's name – including Agathe. Furthermore, there's a big competition coming up and they need to practice because right now, they're not going to get anywhere with Careme in this mood. Agatha lashes out at the head chef, reminding him that it's her food that's helped make him the best chef in France and he's ready to throw it all away. This competition is closed off to the public and Reyniere is the one judging matters, along with a couple of other food critics. Talleyrand tries to convince Careme to play ball, but he's blinded by rage and wants Fouche's head. In order to get what he wants, Talleyrand will not play ball with the chef unless he cooks at the competition. As Agathe studies the competition, she realizes that one of the men bound to attend is Auguste. He's the man who gave Agathe her first shot in the kitchen and she meets with him outside, discussing old times. The warm vibe is immediately squashed though back in the kitchen when Reyniere shows and starts the competition. There will be an initial round of eliminations and first up, they need to make a dish from Corsica. Careme is not in the kitchen with Agathe though, who decides to work with Auguste instead. Partly for her own career, but also to prove to Careme that he needs her. Careme certainly gets that wake-up call though when he comes second place to Auguste and Agathe's dish. The second dish cooked happens to be chicken marengo. There's drama behind the scenes but Careme's inventive idea of using veal wins the critics over. Josephine gets involved and swings the vote back to Auguste though. Elsewhere, Henriette meets with Fouche who plans to arrest Careme. She has that night to hand him over, otherwise Fouche will come himself. Now, Talleyrand has his men tailing Henriette and when she catches wind of this, she speaks to Talleyrand and plays dumb, claiming that Fouche approached her and acted like they were friends. Talleyrand's spy approaches Henriette after, knowing she's cunning, and finds coins stuck down her bra. Unfortunately, he forces himself on her too, prompting Henriette to smack him upside the head in self-defence. The blow though, unfortunately, kills him. Careme finds what Henriette has done and helps her cover up the murder, wrapping the man up in the bedsheets and hiding him in the stables. While Talleyrand manages to get hold of the map, Careme speaks to Agathe in the kitchen. He's leaving and decided to hand over everything to her. He embraces her and thanks the girl for everything she's done. However, he needs to cook for Bonaparte as he'll never accept a woman to do this. This distraction is enough for Talleyrand to catch up and confront Careme. He burns the map, and even helps give him some ideas over how to kill Fouche. However, it would mean cooking for Napoleon and working the poison into Fouche's dish in the process. Interestingly, it seems there's drama involving Careme's mother and while Talleyrand seems to know who this is, he refuses to give up the information to Careme. As the episode closes out, Fouche decides to double-down on the informants and spies across the city, wanting to turn it into a mousetrap. The Episode Review So Careme is back this week and with it, an episode that focuses a lot more on the cooking side of things. The show is juggling a lot of different elements here and it is a bit messy at times in its execution. Careme doesn't come out on top in the cooking competition, which is a nice break from him constantly winning and doing no wrong. The show does at least try and mix things up, but it also struggles to give the show some much-needed pace. It's not all bad but compared to the early episodes, this one's not quite firing on all cylinders now. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
The Review Geek
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Careme – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review
Buy the Crown! Episode 4 of Careme begins with General Georges executing rebels. It's a grim prelude to the episode, which sees Talleyrand determined to try and buy the crown. The Royalists won't stop until Louis XVIII is on the throne, but if Talleyrand can convince Louis to relinquish his claim, it could simmer down the crowd and stop the hostilities toward Bonaparte. This would put Talleyrand in prime position for a big slice of the proverbial pie. Speaking of pie, all of this political manoeuvring culminates in a fateful dinner with Louis XVIII in Poland, which naturally puts Careme front and center as the chef for this big event. Careme shows up at the police station to see his father. The latter warns his son to be careful given they're both in over their heads. They don't have much time to speak, but Bailly warns Careme against continuing his pursuit, as trying to get the guy out of prison could be his undoing. Careme though is stubborn and his whole motivation here revolves around freeing his dad. Finding out Talleyrand's letter was a fake though has done nothing to help Careme be in the forgiving mood with the string-master Talleyrand. When Careme confronts him about this later on, Talleyrand admits he's got the power to help get Bailly out, claiming a coup to rescue him from behind bars. Careme, predictably, believes him. This works to get Careme in the kitchen, preparing the meal for Louis XVIII, but in reality, it's another one of Talleyrand's games. He just wants to keep using the guy to do his scheming. On the subject of scheming, Fouche continues to use Henriette to do his bidding, giving her fake letters from foreign princes promising to fight for him to get the guy on the throne. Naturally, all of these are fakes and it's something that works in complete contrast to Taleyrand's mission, where he wants the King to abandon his claim to the throne. In the midst of this, Careme is still having his affair with Henriette, whose letters are almost spotted by him during one of their lovemaking sessions when it spills out her bag. The trip to Poland eventually ends with the group showing up at Louis' palace. They want to bargain for the crown with him, and that stems from making sure this meal is perfect. Unfortunately, some of the food from the jars are rotten and they need to improvise. Joséphine and Henriette are here to help out in the kitchen, thanks to Louis' instructions, while our star chef heads to the market to pick up some emergency ingredients. The meal is a hit with Louis, who wants to know exactly what Careme has used here. He promises to divulge… but only when Careme has spoken to Joséphine. Well, the pair do talk and go back and forth on the subject of relinquishing the crown. Josephine's words fall on deaf ears, while Louis XVIII speaks to Careme about his influences in the kitchen. The pair have a surprisingly warm rapport together, as they both talk about what it means to be a King. As it stands, Louis XVIII is a king without a kingdom, while Careme is a king in his kitchen… but not really his own master given he works for others. Oh, and Josephine is gay by the way, which we find out right in the midst of their chat when we cut to see her in bed with another woman. In the morning, Henriette shows to see Louis XVIII and hands over the foreign letters. This is enough to make his mind up, kicking out Talleyrand and the gang, forcing them back to France. He also points at Careme and decides that he should cook for him in the future. Careme figures out what Henriette's role to play in all of this is, and realizes she's working for Fouche. She's being blackmailed into submission given she killed a man when she was 13 and Fouche knows. The only way to keep that a secret is to work for the detective. Fouche spared her life back then, and given his hatred of nobility, and is using her to do his bidding. Unfortunately, Bailly's refusal to speak behind bars to the detective does not go over well. Fouche decides to torture the guy but as Bailly wrestles with the soldiers, finding a golden opportunity to flee, he winds up shot in the back by a trigger happy soldier. He's dead, and when Careme finds out, he's overcome with grief. The Episode Review So our star chef is caught right in the middle of this now and without an anchor to weigh his moral compass, Careme looks set to explode and go after those responsible for killing his father. That, of course, being Fouche. However, Careme is still being portrayed as this perfect protagonist who can do no wrong, and this sort of character is boring to watch. There's also the usual modern spin on the storyline too, where Josephine is gay now I guess, while Henriette is just misunderstood. The drama involving Louis XVIII is a nice touch though, especially as we learn more about his life and motivations, but beyond that, there's not much to sink your teeth into here. Hopefully the episodes ahead improve. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
The Review Geek
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Careme – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review
A Recipe for a Disaster Episode 3 of Careme begins with the orphan being released from custody. He immediately heads back to see Careme, who patches up the wounds on his hands. Apparently this guy kept quiet and remained loyal to the cause, which is perhaps just as well given Fouche is starting to tighten the leash! There's disorder in the streets and things soon turn violent when Catherine and Henriette's carriage is attacked by angry bystanders. This appears to be the work of Germaine after the letter circling the party last episode. They smash the glass and look set to hurt them, until the police show up on horses and break things up. Catherine is furious, especially when she returns to Talleyrand. She believes it's the work of De Stael, playing 'armchair revolutionist'. Just to make matters worse, the carriage has been painted with the words 'Death to Bonaparte' too. Talleyrand visits Careme and explains that Germaine's pamphlets have caused everything to begin cracking at the seams, and Talleyrand wants to try and patch things up before it turns ugly. This stems from using Careme as a spy to gather the pamphlets over at her apartment. At the Hotel de Salm, Careme shows up to see Germaine. He shows off the menu he's been working on but also uses this opportunity to briefly scout the place too, although that's quite difficult given a couple of men are here already. However, he promises Germaine a big surprise for the starter. The dinner looks set to go ahead and as Germaine shows at Talleyrand's place, there are light hostilities between her and Catherine. The pair grin through the games and keep up appearances, all whilst Careme heads into Germaine's room to find the pamphlets. What Careme finds instead though is one big scandal. Charlotte has been having an affair with Charles, Talleyrand's son, and it turns out she's pregnant. Their child will be heir if Napoleon Bonaparte and Joséphine don't have kids. This is a huge scandal and it's just what Careme needs to stir the pot. As he sneaks out the room, Charles winds up seeing him but doesn't say anything. At least not initially anyway. He does confront Careme in the stairwell later on, but they agree to keep each other's secrets… for now. Back in the kitchen, a guy called Grimod Reyniere arrives, grilling Careme and messing with the kitchen. Careme is not particularly happy as he waltzes about and tries the food, but it turns out Reyniere is actually the biggest food critic in France, so his opinion is not one to take lightly. Careme knows that this is serious and works on his dishes with renewed focus, showing the others how he intends to present this dish to the guests. While this is going on, Talleyrand pleads with Germaine to show off the original pamphlet, which he wants to destroy, otherwise if Fouche finds it first, she'll be killed for defying Bonaparte. The dishes are presented, just as Fouche shows up at the party with his soldiers, and the food critic (among many others) are impressed by Careme's talents. Well, for a bit anyway. He also has a lot of backhanded insults toward the young chef, including throwing shade at his father. Now, Fouche is intending to find these pamphlets, which he believes is hidden behind the barrels in the wine cellar, which happen to show off a secret entrance to Germaine's study, which includes a printing press. Now, earlier on Careme actually snuck in here and removed the pamphlets, replacing them with alternate versions that praise Napoleon. This also explains why Careme was late announcing the food to the party just moments before. Anyway, Fouche uncovers the pamphlets and is left with egg on his face when he finds out they're not genuine. However, the inspector checks the printing press and realizes the letters are identical and as a result, Germaine is arrested. Talleyrand encourages her to flee, for the sake of France's future, prompting Fouche to turn his attention over to Bailly. He tries to persuade Careme's father to play ball, and shows off his son's handwriting. Fouche has sussed out who Careme is and admits that the guy is in very murky waters right now. The only way out is to present proof to Fouche of Talleyrand's connection to the attack, and then Bailly can go free and return to his son. However, Fouche is also aware of where Germaine is too and has spies working for him. Spies which include Henriette. The Episode Review Alas, the plot thickens! With Henriette working on the side of Fouche, and Germaine having gone on the run, we now see a lot more of Fouche's ruthlessness and competence in his job. He's incredibly adept and has a great eye too. The printing press segment was particularly ingenious, working well to showcase exactly how tough he's going to be to beat here. Careme is caught in the middle but the scandal involving Charlotte and Charles could yet become a vital bargaining chip going forward, we'll have to wait and see. For now though, Careme has done well to keep things interesting, although the pacing is a tad slow at parts. While the actual history of this time period has clearly been shaped and changed to fit with the theme of the show, it's still an enjoyable watch, all things considered. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
New Indian Express
04-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Crystal Clear
Back in the 1860s, the Maharajas represented Indian swish, and the ultimate in OTT luxury: think the Cartier bejewelled pet tortoise of the Maharani of Pudukottai. When it came to crystal it had to be Baccarat. The Bombay store of the legendary French crystalmaker was frequented by the Who's Who of the British empire until it closed. The brand is back with a bang with its brand-new flagship store at The Chanakya in New Delhi. Exquisitely sparkling vases and candle stands. Magnificent chandeliers. Opulent cutlery. Striking keepsakes. All made in the finest glass, in signature hues of clear crystal and red (obtained by fusing clear crystal with 24k gold). The clarity and cut of the crystals ensure a unique play of light in every piece. Limited edition selections include Baccarat's collaborations with globally renowned artists and designers for pieces such as Philippe Starck's 'Talleyrand', Virgil Abloh's 'Crystal Clear' collection, Arik Levy's 'Tuile de Cristal', as well as striking creations from Baccarat's 260th anniversary collection 'New Antique' made by Marcel Wanders. 'With over 260 years of heritage, Baccarat represents the pinnacle of French craftsmanship and luxury,' says Alexandrine Reille-Linyer, Baccarat Export Director. The new boutique offers an immersive experience where this centuries-long tradition of glassware meets cutting-edge innovation.
