9.025 minSeason 1 • Episode 13
LatestIt's only been a few months since Vidocq began working for the police, complaints from jealous officers are multiplying and Mr. Henry is ready to dispense with his services. One last chance comes up for Vidocq: the police museum has been broken into, and the Emperor's hat and the black diamond have disappeared. Vidocq has just a few days to find these objects before the Emperor himself inaugurates the museum...
François Vidocq has been sentenced to eight years' hard labor for a crime he didn't commit. Escaped with the help of his faithful friends Desfossés and Fil de fer, the convict is pursued by his lifelong enemy: the policeman Flambart. Between scams and disguises, Vidocq initially leads an undercover life in 19th-century Paris. Eventually, the two men team up to fight criminals... And Vidocq succumbs to Annette's charms.
Costume
Vidocq's disguises are *chef's kiss*—wigs, waistcoats, pure theatricality.
Acting
Bernard Noël plays charming rogue with dangerous ease.
Creators
Marcel Bluwal, Georges Neveux, Claude Loursais
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Vidocq was a real 19th-century criminal-turned-detective who basically invented modern policing and the private detective agency. This series adapts his own heavily fictionalized memoirs.
Marcel Bluwal directed this after establishing himself in French television theater; the stage-trained cast explains the heightened, playful performances that feel almost commedia dell'arte.
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