Catherine(1986)

Catherine is a 1986 French television series adapted from Juliette Benzoni's bestselling novels of the same name. Directed by Marion Sarraut, who had previously adapted another Benzoni work, the series follows Catherine through medieval France as she navigates love, danger, and political intrigue. Claudine Ancelot stars as Catherine, opposite Pierre-Marie Escourrou as her great love Arnaud de Montsalvy. The production was ambitious in scope, requiring two years of preparation, fifteen months of shooting, and over two hundred actors. Though aired in afternoon slots rather than prime time, the series became a huge success with book readers, faithfully adapting all seven novels with only minor changes. The supporting cast includes Pascale Petit, Benoît Brione as the villain Gilles de Rais, and Geneviève Casile as Queen Yolande. After disappearing from circulation for over twenty years, the complete series was released on DVD by France Loisirs beginning in 2007.