Ins ide the inPRESENTS tim acy of kin gs A docum en tar y by ERIC DE LOCHNER

52’ | History | HD | 4K he Trianon is an area of more than 96 acres, comprising two castles, one hamlet, both English and French gardens T and so-called workshops (also known as ‘Folies’), crea- ting a pleasant and bucolic imbroglio of styles and epochs, representative of the various sovereigns having embellished it through their diff erent reigns.

A true haven of peace, located at 1.5 First of all because the Trianon ‘invites’, km form the o� icial palace, it has been it doesn’t house the courtesans. This Ins ide the in tim acy of kin gs the home to many �inancial investments gives it its particularity, unique in the of the French kings throughout history, landscape of other o� icial residences. as well as laying the scene for their While the Marly was accommodating everyday private life. Sheltering their the courtesans chosen by Louis XIV, the intimacy behind the enclosing walls Trianon is exclusively dedicated to the of the domain, the Trianon has long intimacy of the king, with no obligations. been the subject of much attention and In this place, common protocol is dis- sparked the wildest dreams. Its secrecy carded. At least so it seems. For though has even left historians and specialists one lives behind these walls, abiding to on the matter with many unsolved mys- new rules, we shall soon come to �ind TrIANON teries as to what the sovereigns would that the sovereigns, though sheltered, allow and indeed live behind these are never truly free. walls... This is what we wish to uncover through this documentary. The Trianon also off ers an indisputable advantage in discovering who the kings The Trianon has in�lected the solem- really were. It holds buildings and instal- nity of the Versailles Palace to �ind a lations that correspond to the personal form of intimacy until then forbidden preferences of its occupants; the gardens to the monarchs, and create a contrast strewn with workshops, showing the taste between everyday life and power. 52 MINUTE DOCUMENTARY for botany of Louis XV or the theater and As we venture deeper into the disco- the hamlet, attesting to Marie-Antoinette’s WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ERIC DE LOCHNER very of this hidden place, the intimate taste for the arts and drama. lives of former rulers unfold before Finally, the Trianon is an essential his- us. This new perspective allows us on torical asset in determining the private one hand to create the timeline of this life of its three last sovereigns. It has domain, left unscathed to us in spite of miraculously remained intact in spite the vicissitudes of time. Furthermore, of the revolution and certain hasty and it leaves us with a portrait of its inhabi- shoddy embellishments. tants, namely Louis XIV, Louis XV and fi nally Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. While the other intimate-size residences of the kings such as Marly, Saint-Cloud Why should the Trianon be particular and Choisy-le-Roi were destroyed, the in giving us a glimpse into the personal Trianon still stands to this day, unscathed. lives of the kings?

3 DIRECTOR’S NOTES The documentary

e shall begin the documentary with a drone aerial shot taking of from the rear courtyard, unveiling the W ‘Domaine de Trianon’ behind the curtain of bushes and trees. Not only does this give us a sense of the proximity of this location, but it also provides a few general indications t’s in this exclusive domain, far from the polished, marke- about the domain. ted image that the sovereigns of Versailles conveyed, that their everyday ordinary life unfolded, tasting life’s simple I Our �irst protagonist, whose emblem We finish off with the ‘Parc à L’An- pleasures and passions. And these intimate protagonists for the domain is the ‘Grand Trianon’, a glaise’, and the ‘Hameau de la Reine’, would do so in perfect secrecy. building of great sobriety with classical emblems of its last occupant, Ma- Italian inspirations, with marble-covered, rie-Antoinette, and her love for the imposing and regular alignments, much countryside. The spectator will discover through this rangements and decorative arts through appreciated by the Sun King. It’s with him Long since abandoned and mistakingly tale, far from the golden panache of each epoch. Stefan Zweig would later that everything starts. Not merely Ver- considered as one of Marie-Antoinette’s Versailles, the heartening story of these describe the domain as a ‘prototype of sailles, but also the history of the Trianon. many eccentricities, though she had lived persons burdened by the strict protocol fashion and taste’. A story that will show, as we shall come happy as well as dramatic moments, this put in place by the Sun King. to learn, that the Trianon has had very Thus, the best architects, artists and area relives, and gives us a glimpse into diff erent uses for its diff erent successors. Here for example, the admittedly schi- cabinetmakers worked tirelessly in order the personality of the queen. zophrenic life of Louis XV will allow him to turn this place int a place of intimacy Thereafter, we �ind the ‘’, The personality of one who, secluded to act out his passion to the extent of and luxury. located not far away from the ‘Grand herself in misunderstandings, entrenched building a castle for his mistress... There, Trianon’, though not aligned with it. From Louis XIV until the revolution, ‘The behind her walls. This will lead to the only 1.5km from the queen, Louis XV lives The brainchild of Louis XV, its garden Trianon, inside the intimacy of Kings’ most fantastic speculations regarding his telltale life, married to someone else featuring specialized workshops that recounts the personalities and inclina- her life at the Trianon, leaving in and enjoys his passion for botany. witness the fashion for things out of tions of the last sovereigns of the ancient absence of a queen. the ordinary, but also his passion for At the Trianon, we shall also come to regime. botany. We will come to �ind that it is understand that enjoying the simple Three universes and three types of archi- Though Versailles hasn’t left much space indeed Louis XV, strongly encouraged life isn’t necessarily incompatible with tecture for these three monarchs who for the privacy of the sovereigns, subser- by Madame de Pompadour, that shall wanting the best. have lived, loved and embellished the vient to their role of absolute monarchs, trigger the Trianon to provide the Trianon, with the careful consideration The domain represents the quintessence the Trianon allowed them to live secluded, possibility of a parallel life, in concor- for their predecessors’ work. in all matters of architecture, garden ar- in the true dreamworld of kings. dance with his human passions.

4 5 LOUIS XIV the �inancial side of the sun

e is the king through which everything starts at Versailles and Trianon. Not only does he build the most impressive H palace in Europe, but he also installs the heavy proto- col and etiquette that will leave little space for intimacy and ordinary passions.

In his domain of Trianon, two castle will erected alongside the relation held follow in order: the ‘ Trianon’, between the Sun King and the sparkling and the ‘Marble Trianon’, also known as Antenais de Montespan. the ‘Grand Trianon’. Their both represent 17 years later, the Italian inspired two diff erent eras, and two very distinct ‘Marble Trianon’, evoking this time character traits of Louis XIV. the austerity of the end of Louis XIV’s First, the ‘Porcelain Trianon’, beautiful reign, and his pious and sober rela- edi�ice that now has disappeared, is tionship with Madame de Maintenon.

6 7 The ‘Porcelain Trianon’ now gives way when Louis XIV purchased it in 1660. to the ‘Marble Trianon’. He instructs his architect, , to build “a house to recollect oneself”. This new construction sees the light of day in 1688. Classical, with only The Porcelain Trianon is composed “I have built Vers aill es for my court, one �loor, it is composed by two wings of 5 buildings coated in delicate ear- connected by a peristyle, purple marble thenware from Delpht. It was built to columns and pillars, and falls into per- please Madame de Montespan, and we Mar ly for my frie nds , fect harmony with the surrounding will draw a portrait of this relationship, gardens. representative of the pinnacle of the Sun King’s reign. an d Trian on for mys elf It is the family home that Louis XIV de- ” sires, and for the �irst time, he appears Together they shine, and the first LOUIS XIV more human. Life is more free there Trianon reflects the image of the than anywhere else, and the duchess stunning couple, both narcissistic of Burgony, wife to the oldest grandson and seductive. Louis XIV appears vi- of Louis XIV, becomes the ray of light of rile and powerful by the side of Ma- this miniature court, and prolongs for dame Montespan, a builder that seeks a short while the sparkle of the former to conquer and seduce not only his pompous parties held by the Sun King. mistress, but also Europe and the en- tire world. We will discover that beyond being a space of intimacy for Louis XIV, it is This portrait will give way 17 years later mainly intentioned and dedicated to his to one of a quieter, more pious man, mistresses. This function will continue weakened by the state of a country through the reign of Louis XV. that falls deeper and deeper into the misery, that wishes for nothing else but Thereafter, we engage with the history to enjoy the simple life next to his new of the domain itself, indicating the ori- secret spouse, Madame de Maintenon. gin of the name ‘Trianon’, which was the name of the hamlet located there

8 9 LOUIS XV the in�luence of a wife and the mastery of nature

ollowing the death of Louis XIV, Versailles and Trianon are abandoned by the successor who decides to move F the court to .

Louis XV returns 7 years later in 1722. He man passionate about literature, protector loses interest in Trianon which he considers of the arts and avant-garde on many sub- to be too rigid and old-fashioned. He the- jects; the one who unknowingly shall free refore off ers the domain to his wife Marie the spirit of revolution by protecting the Leszcynska. The queen houses her father philosophers. In turn, the Trianon will see king Stanislas there, but given the lack of many changes directly infl uenced by her. interest for this place, Louis XV retakes To which point will she play an active part ownership of the Trianon. By 1750, he starts in the private life of the King? How did she spending time there with his mistress live here, sheltered by the opinions of the madame de Pompadour, in order to live court? Were she not the fervent defender there hidden from the court. of the free spirits and thus Rousseauism, We will show a particularity to this strong which would later on take over the domain relationship held by Louis XV and this wo- under Marie-Antoinette?

10 11 This is the start of a series of construc- First and foremost, it is a desire for mo- tions, beginning with the ‘Pavillon Fran- dernity. For example the appearance of cais’ and the ‘Pavillon Frais’, built by the the ‘tables volantes’ of Loriot, a mecha- talented architect of the time, Anges- nism that allows a table to be lowered Jacques Gabriel. These correspond to by one story through an opening in the a new fashion and lifestyle, the ‘Folies’. �loor, making it possible to change the dishes during a dinner. In these unique rooms with large glass windows, people dine, talk and rest. Thereafter, a desire for privacy occurs, And this much closer to nature. with mezzanines and private chambers on the second �loor with a lower ceiling, This is a novelty for the sovereigns of providing an easier living space and Versailles. more comfort. Foremost, and according to Louis XV’s Finally, a desire for fantasy is expressed passion, the Trianon will become the with the �ine wooden decors and light keeper of the biggest botanical garden and gay furnishing. of Europe. MARIE-ANTOINETTE Madame de Pompadour won’t see the Being very concerned with making the completion of the Trianon, it is Madame king’s life as comfortable as possible, the misunderstood intimacy de Barry, Louis XV’s last mistress that Madame de Pompadour suggest that it will inaugurate the pavilion and enjoy would be easier to oversee his green- n 1774, Marie-Antoinette accessed to the throne, and is the use of it. houses if he had a proper residence at off ered the domain of Trianon by Louis XVI. the heart of his botanical gardens. The king shall �inish the embellishment of Trianon by constructing the chapel I The idea pleases Louis XV. And thus, the of the domain in 1722. A �inal payoff for ‘Petit Trianon’ sees the light of day, a true a melancholic and tormented king who gem of neoclassical architecture, again For Marie-Antoinette, Trianon shall Her brother Joseph said of her: ‘Her �irst never ceased to search for the pleasures conceived by Gabriel. The projects truly over time become the hidden dream gesture is always the right one. Should of life as well as establishing himself as thrills the king, as passionate about ar- of a life without the strict etiquette she think things a bit further and follow a very christian king. chitecture as his mistress, and he follows or intrigues of the court, where she it, she would be perfect’. can savor the pleasures of pastoral each phase of the construction of this In 1785, the chapel was dressed with a Talented in many �ields due to her inspiration. home in the heart of his greenhouses, clock by its future occupant (Marie-An- upbringing in the Austrian court, Ma- in front of the ‘Pavillon Francais’. toinette), so that she could always have From her arrival, she dismantles the rie-Antoinette is often portrayed as ‘the time of Versailles before her eyes’... This building will give us a glimpse of botanical garden of Louis XV, and be- lazy, never exploiting her talents to the king’s will on how to make use of gins the construction of the ‘Jardin the fullest. She is described by Mer- this new Trianon. à la mode’. After having housed the cy-Argenteau (advisor to the empress mistresses, Trianon fi nally becomes Marie-Therese) as ‘barely listening to the domain of the queen! anything she is told, it is hardly possible to treat any subject of important or Through her tenure of Trianon, the serious aspect. Her lust for pleasure documentary will draw the picture of seems to have a mysterious grip on her’. a queen, described as skilled at many things, but also dispersed by too many.

12 13 “You lik e flowe rs , Madam e. I have a This fashionable new park is very elu- Marie-Therese acted as a chaperone, sive, strewn with streams of water and and though her guardianship weighed bouquet to off er you, the Trian on .” workshops, hinting to the spirit of Louis heavily on Marie-Antoinette’s shoulders, XV’s ‘Folies’. A belvedere, a ‘Temple of forcing her to explain herself conti- LOUIS XVI Love’ and a ‘Rocher’ are built to orna- nuously and repent, the death of the ment the garden. empress in 1780 will have a profound impact on Marie-Antoinette. The interior design of the ‘Petit Trianon’ will echo the green areas with the install- During her mourning she looses interest ment of �lowery wallpaper, an impressive in drama (as with most things) and �ind a ‘mobilier aux épis’ (winged furniture) and new interest in the domain by adhering the creation of interior decoration over- to a new trend begun by the Prince of �lowing with vegetal motives. For the Condé à Chantilly, in creating a village fi rst time in France, the personal taste named the ‘Hamlet of the Queen’. of a queen will generate a lexical term Very aesthetic, with a perfect resem- of the arts, the ‘Style Marie-Antoinette’. blance to a Norman hamlet, it is built Delighted with pompous, exuberant and on the swamps of Versailles. expensive parties, it is during one of the There, she lives the bourgeois lifestyle last ones that the queen shall meet the as presented on some paintings of her Earl of Fersen. by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, dressed The grotto built in the park would even- in simple gowns, partly sparking the tually house their unlawful relation. Rousseauist fashion of simplicity and gardening. In 1777, Richard Mique will construct a new theater where Marie-Antoinette This lust for pleasure will come to life can indulge herself in the pleasure of on the domain of Trianon. Here, the dramatic arts in company of her friends. queen will develop what she is known We will come to �ind to which extent this for by ordering and personally following distraction will tarnish her reputation in every project designed to embellish her the public eye and towards her mother, intimate space. Here at last, she shall empress Marie-Therese, who doesn’t follow through on her passion. share her taste for drama. This leads us This is where she shall impose her per- to have a look at their mother-daughter sonal taste, in contradiction to the old relationship. court and its traditions.

14 15 1785 marks the end of the building, her inner circle, a living a family life and as Marie-Antoinette is about to at the Hamlet recalling the end-reign take residence in this new domain, the life of Louis XIV at the ‘Grand Trianon’. ‘Necklace Aff air’ erupts. This date is the Her stays at the Trianon and the Hamlet beginning of a series of misunderstan- are troubled by successive ordeals: the dings that will tarnish her image. Louis parliamentary acquittal of the Cardinal XVI’s purchase of the Saint-Cloud castle of Rohan in the Necklace Aff air will to house the court during the renovation single out the queen as the culprit. In of Versailles, and the following gifting her personal life, the undesired birth and of this castle to his wife will further the then premature death of her daughter reputation of a queen looking solely So�ie, the horrible deterioration of the for self-enrichment. First the Trianon, health and untimely death of the king then the Hamlet, then Saint-Cloud, all on the 4th of June, one month after heavy expenditures! the installment of the general state... She gives birth to her second son that At the end of her reign, Marie-Antoi- year, and receives a very cold welcome nette’s for merly carefree and festive de- in Paris. For the �irst time, Marie-An- meanor gives way to one of an anxious toinette becomes aware of her unpo- mother, a despised queen, a burdened pularity. woman. From there, Marie-Antoinette will live in a more restrained fashion, reducing

16 17 THE DIRECTOR Eric de Lochner ric de Lochner is a director and producer of cultural TV-programs. After obtaining his Masters in international E journalism at the City University of London, he begins his career in the culture department of the BBC radio in the African section. Thereafter, he joins the culture department of the newsroom of �irst France 24, and then Direct 8. He makes his way into written press in 2011, where he acts as author and chronicler, specialised in cultural heritage for the magazine Vieilles Maisons Françaises, then as author of special reports and editorials of the magazine Demeures Historiques.

In 2015 he joins the production com- TV5 Monde, the documentaries ‘Arts pany of de Patrick de Carolis and Jean- numériques, Révolution ?’ (26min) Luc Orabona, Eclectic production, for Museum TV, ‘Le Bernin, l’étoile de where he directs several documenta- Rome’ (52min) for Museum TV, and the ries on cultural heritage and the arts discovery series ‘La Vigne en Héritage’ (Des Racines et des Ailes, Le Grand (10x13min) for TV5 Monde. Passionate Tour France 3). about history, the arts and cultural heritage, he has also produced and In 2016 he launches the production created the classical music festival ‘Un company KPL productions. He directs été en Gascogne avec Eve Ruggieri’ the continuing volleys of the TV-serie (2016, 2017 and 2018 editions) with ‘Demeures de Collectionneurs’ for KPL productions.

18 19 [email protected] / +33(0)149 1723 85 ARIANNA CASTOLDI CONTACT :

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