Emperor Claudius had a son, Britannicus, before marrying Agrippina and adopting her son Nero, born of a previous marriage. Nero succeeded Claudius and ruled the Empire. Despite his reign, Nero decides to free himself from his mother's yoke and take revenge on Britannicus, the brother who has everything and whom he envies.
Acting
Ivernel's Nero: petulant, terrifying, never leaves the stage.
Writing
Racine's verse survives intact—talky, tense, unrelenting.
Director
Jean Kerchbron
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
1959 French television staged Racine like national sport—this was peak ORTF prestige programming, not mere entertainment.
Kerchbron's static camera traps everyone in the same room for 114 minutes; Nero literally cannot escape his mother's orbit until murder breaks the geometry.
FR
