The King, the Squirrel and the Grass Snake (2011)

Season 1

2 episodes · Mar 5, 2011

Set at the dawn of Louis XIV’s reign, the story follows the quiet but fierce rivalry between two men: Nicolas Fouquet, brilliant, dazzling, a patron of the arts, and Jean‑Baptiste Colbert, methodical, patient, and determined to reshape the kingdom in his own way. At first indispensable to France, Fouquet shines through his intelligence and spectacular lifestyle, enough to spark the young king’s suspicion. As he builds Vaux‑le‑Vicomte and expands his influence, Colbert weaves a relentless strategy to bring him down. After the famous fête at Vaux, Louis XIV decides to assert his authority: Fouquet is arrested, tried, and becomes the symbol of a monarchy tightening its grip. Through this clash, the two films portray the birth of absolute power and the fall of a man who dared to shine brighter than the king.