From Monday, February 7, France 2 will broadcast Leonardo, a new TV series whose hero is none other than Leonardo da Vinci, the genius of the Renaissance. Here are 5 good reasons to watch this European co-production that mixes fiction and reality to help us discover the man behind the brilliant artist and inventor.
With the series Leonardo, France 2 offers a captivating historical drama signed by two talented creators: Franck Spotnitz (X-Files) and Steve Thompson (Sherlock).
This Tv series is also a careful recreation of the era of the famous Italian genius. The sets, costumes and music have been given special care to plunge viewers right back into the 16th century.
However, let us specify that this European creation is not a faithful biography: even if this fiction is based on real facts, the scriptwriters have taken some liberties with the life of Leonardo da Vinci, in particular the arrest of the character which is a pure invention and a pretext to bring the artist to tell his life...
What distinguishes this historical series from a biopic is mainly the fact that Leonardo da Vinci is suspected of murder.
In 1506, Leonardo da Vinci was the most famous artist of his time. But this does not prevent him from being arrested and suspected of the murder by poisoning of Caterina di Cremona.
Imprisoned in Milan, the genius painter and inventor is interrogated by Stefano Giraldi, an officer of the Podesta, about his relationship with this woman who was much more than his muse.
Leonardo then recalls his meeting with this beautiful maid, when she was posing as a model in the studio of the painter and sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence.
To play this mythical artist, who was the protégé of the Medicis and King Francis I, the production has called on Irish actor Aidan Turner (seen in the role of one of the dwarfs in The Hobbit saga).
The actor plays a very convincing Leonardo da Vinci, both in his moments of exaltation and in his periods of doubt.
In this international cast, we also find the Italians Matilda de Angelis and Giancarlo Giannini, the British Freddie Highmore without forgetting two French actors: Robin Renucci and Hugo Becker.
It should be said that the series Leonardo is co-produced by the Italian RAI, French France Televisions and Spanish RTVE groups within the framework of the Alliance, as was the case for the series Around the world in 80 days broadcast in late 2021 on France 2.
With the series Leonardo, France 2 offers us a fiction that is both entertaining and cultural, peppered with numerous references to the work of Leonardo da Vinci and his most famous paintings such as The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
The creators of the series have spared no expense in bringing this character and his era to life.
This series actually involved 3000 people. It was shot in more than 50 locations and on a 20,000 square meters of sets, specially built in Lux Vide's studios in Formello, Italy to recreate the cities of Florence and Milan during the Renaissance!
In addition, the 8 50-minute episodes of Season 1 required nearly 2,500 costumes of great historical fidelity and stunning beauty.
In the Leonardo series, the investigation led by the Machiavellian Stefano Giraldi (a.k.a. Freddie Highmore) helps discover the man behind the genius.
It is Aidan Turner who lends his features to this tormented, stubborn, perfectionist artist. Convinced he was cursed, Leonardo da Vinci often doubted his talent and his feelings.
But he was gifted with a rare insight into the human nature of the subjects of his works and thus attracted much jealousy and animosity.
The 8-episode season 1 thus paints a comprehensive portrait of this artist, shedding light on his work as well as his personal torments.
Author Audrey on 30 March 2023
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Author Audrey on 19 September 2022
News and Media : Television