DVD Review: Maximilian And Marie De Bourgogne Looks At A Less Covered Section Of History

I don’t remember the last time I’ve gone into a TV show blind, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Finding a TV show nobody else is talking about is like hitting the jackpot, but it doesn’t happen too often. I think I finally unearthed a trailer, but it didn’t have English subtitles (Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne is German and French) and that’s a slippery slope for trying to figure out whether to watch a historical drama. The costumes in this production, designed by Thomas Olàh, are exceptionally good, but usually the concern with period pieces is that they’re more style, than substance, not the other way around.

Here’s the real kicker: people should be talking about Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne. It’s an outstanding, six-part miniseries. When Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, dies without a male heir, his daughter, Marie (Christa Théret), becomes the Duchess of Burgundy. This catches the attention of two countries, Austria and France, who see Marie as vulnerable and, more importantly, husband-less. France is Burgundy’s sworn enemy but has more claim to the throne because Burgundy is a male fiefdom. That means unless a man’s in charge, France can take over. Friedrich III (Tobias Moretti), the Holy Roman Emperor, needs money to cover his debts and an impending war with Hungary. Access to Marie’s considerable funds would help Austria out, but Friedrich’s son, Maximilian (Jannis Niewöhner), is no great fan of his and Marie wants to rule alone.
If this were a work of fiction, maybe Marie could stronghold her competition but Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne is based on true events, and seeing the realities of what she faced and how her authority was undermined, and how that was acceptable because she was a woman, is eye-opening. To find the show on IMDB it’s called Maximilian. “Marie de Bourgogne” is cut off, but Théret is a huge reason to seek this show out. Her Marie is in a weak position but doesn’t act wobbly. She’s strong but also a new leader, and the trouble is that her court’s not allowing for that. She’d be in a good position if they had her back, but they want to tear her down.
The writing can be expository, with situations designed to let characters explain what’s going on to viewers. Names and relationships are repeated often, to a degree that can get tiresome (“your father, my husband,” we get it) but there are a lot of players and this was a section of history I personally knew nothing about, so in the end I felt it was worth it for clarity.
History never gave Maximilian or Marie any breaks, and it’s helpful to be reminded of what it was like to live back then. These are two people who’ve never met going by word of mouth and cameo portraits to decide whether or not to get married. King Ludwig XI (Jean-Hugues Anglade) of France is Marie’s biggest opponent, but the show dedicates time to his grief over losing another child and there’s a frankness to some of the more personal questions history harbors (like King Louis’ plan to have his underage son marry Marie) that Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne addresses.
A subplot involving Marie’s lady-in-waiting (Miriam Fussenegger) and Maximilian’s chamberlain (Stefan Pohl) goes on for too long, especially since there are issues with consent and how the relationship started, but that’s about it in the dislike department.
Halfway through the series, I googled Marie and wish that I hadn’t. The ending would’ve come as a surprise otherwise, but while I recommend staying away from Wikipedia, do take a chance on Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne.
Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne is available on DVD from Kino Lorber.