Germinal on France 2: how was the scene of Maheu’s death shot? – News Series on TV

Be careful, spoilers. It is advisable to have seen the Germinal series or to have read the work of Émile Zola before continuing to read this article.

End clap tonight for the event series of France 2 with the broadcast of the last two episodes of Germinal.

And to recreate the atmosphere of the 19th century mining towns depicted by Émile Zola, it took no less than six months of filming, 2,400 extras as well as a hundred technicians.

Although taking up a classic of French literature many times brought to the screen, this adaptation produced by David Hourrègue is modern and daring by offering a contemporary rereading of Zola’s novel in the light of the concerns of the 21st century.

Successful bet sincee Germinal had won the prestigious Audience Award during the Séries Mania festival last August.

In the penultimate episode, the workers of the Montsou mines do not give up while the revolt continues to gain in intensity with the culmination of the arrival of Belgian workers who have come to relaunch production.

Once again, the anger of the miners will eventually overtake Étienne (Louis Peres). Having nothing more to lose, they face the soldiers sent to deny them access to Voreux. For them, it is now the final struggle carried by weeks of drama and deprivation. As they advance towards the soldiers, the latter shoot and among those who fall, is Maheu (Thierry Godard).

A strong scene whose intensity is reinforced by the choice of recourse to slow motion. The image then evokes a fresco by a master seeking to immortalize the dramaturgy of the moment through the bruised bodies and faces.

” I like to put slow motion where not in use. »Explained David Hourrègue at the microphone of Allociné for the Spotlight program recorded at the Séries Mania festival.

” Using slow motion very subtly, even sometimes imperceptibly, to deal with what I call “suspended moments” is the mantra. Let’s not miss the silences, let’s not miss what is being said. “.

And to continue, ” in the sequence of Maheu’s death, the text was quite faithful [à l’œuvre originale]. I was convinced that this would not be enough. In this case, you summon some magic. We start shooting, we make all the arrival of the minors. When I throw the shots I scream right now “freeze “because I had the impression of seeing a painting by Delacroix.”.

David Hourrègue then decides to seize the moment to capture the silences, the unspoken and the looks of his actors.

” I play the accompanying music [la séquence] and I direct my steadicameur so that he goes to seek every glance. We have this incredible moment with Catherine and Mouquette with the wind sweeping them. Normally, on this kind of sequence, you always have an extra in the background who doesn’t understand. But there, everyone froze. A take. We cut. Total silence on the set.

This moment has become pivotal. You live it on the set and you have only one hope that when you see it during the editing it will not be completely beside it. We show it during editing and the magic happens. “.