Sarah, Knight of Maupin
After the success of the new adaptations of Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas for television, it was time for Théophile Gautier's "Julie, chevalier de Maupin" to be adapted for the most popular French TV network, TF1. The challenge was to find this fictional Julie... The chosen one was a young woman, discreet and unknown to the public, who was quietly finishing her art history studies at the Sorbonne. Anonymous, yes, but also the daughter of the actress who remains the most beloved in the hearts of the French; the one who endures in popular memory as the tragic empress: Romy Schneider.
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisArts & culture Directed by Gérard LafontSupported by CNCYear2004Duration52min
Sarah Biasini, daughter of Romy, will play Julie. Sarah hesitated before embarking on this adventure. Would the comparison with her mother be too harsh to bear? Did she really want to pursue this acting career, so close to her mother yet so far from her own world? Would she be able to rise to the role? Would she be ready to “face” the media? After a few weeks of hesitation, Sarah accepted the challenge—out of excitement and a taste for risk. And there were many risks involved.
The character of Julie is an exceptional fencer; Sarah is not athletic at all… Julie sings baroque opera like a divine siren; Sarah, like everyone else, sings in the shower… Julie dances with the grace of a ballerina; Sarah dances disco from time to time with her friends… Julie is one with her horse; Sarah has only encountered a horse by accident…
Above all, Julie does not exist; it is the actress who will bring her to life, who must move the audience, entertain them, frighten them, exalt them, and carry them away—in a word, play her. Sarah has done a bit of theater in college, but… she accepts the challenge, fully aware of the work required to meet the demands of the role and her seasoned co-stars: Pierre Arditi, Jürgen Prochnow, Marisa Berenson, Catherine Spaak, Pietro Sermonti, Didier Flamand, and many others.
After weeks of preparation… January 3, 2004 marks the beginning of filming in Portugal. The two episodes will be shot in Portugal and France over more than 70 days. The budget reflects the film’s ambition. And Sarah cannot afford to fall short of that ambition…
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