User Reviews

At the dawn of the twentieth century there is political turmoil in Paris. The president has died in scandalous circumstances and various unpleasant groups, including anti-Semites and anarchists, are vying for power. Police chief Louis Lépine is brought out of retirement in order to help the authorities maintain control. Against this background the body of a young woman is found in a trunk floating in the River Seine. Ambitious young officer Antoine Jouin takes a lead in the investigation and frequently finds himself in danger. Meanwhile Meg Steinheil, the woman involved with the late president, is enlisted to spy on one of the main anti-Semitic groups.

I really enjoyed this French series; it nicely intertwines factual and fiction. Not being familiar with French history I couldn't always tell which was which; I knew of the infamous 'Dreyfus affair' but was surprised to read that the death of the president is also likely to be true! The combination of a murder mystery and political scheming leads to plenty of excitement; protagonists are frequently in extreme danger; sometimes from people they think they can trust. There is a great atmosphere created by the way the series is filmed; the cast does a solid job. As is often the case these days the series was preceded by a warning about offensive discriminatory language usually this means there will be the occasional racist term but here there are long anti-Semitic diatribes; these are necessary to show just how vile certain characters are but certainly shocked. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of dramas in a historical setting.

These comments are based on watching the series in French with English subtitles.

Wonderful production values in this immersive crime and politics serial set in la belle epoque Paris. Scene after scene is perfectly conceived and performed. Gruesome violence and antiSemitic bile are just about contained in this gothic universe. Unfortunately there are just too many characters, whose motivations are lost in the misty streets, secret dealings, mad passions and cunning plans at hand. Ultimately we are excluded because it is hard to know or care what is going on. We are just left to wonder how such ugliness seems so beautiful.

Positive it has a golden story. A beautiful cinematography and scenario, a substantial budget for a French production.

Alas, sometimes it has a wobbly plot although it doesn't get in the way overall. A good casting except the one who plays inspector Jouin who is really below the others and limits the series! Jérémie Laheurte isn't a bad actor at all - average at the best - yet he hasnt enough talent and acting skills to lead a big budget TV show like this one. Looking at its sucessuful British counterpart, Peaky Blinders or its American cousin, Boardwalk Empire. It takes a heavy actor level for carry a such a promising series.

The French producers could've hired some top francophone thespian like Matthias Schoenaerts or Gaspard Ulliel as the leading role actor.

Or others less known outside France like Pierre Niney, Niels Schneider or François Civil, they'd have more dramatic resources and screen presence to lead the show than Laheurte. Missed oportunity.

Pardon!

This is as much a historical documentary as peaky blinders or pennyworth. Except for the opening sequence, which is factually accurate.

By the end of the first episode, one wonders where the series is going. The authors appear to procrastinate: is it a romantic comedy, a drama, a police procedural, or a political thriller? The story lacks focus, and about 25% of the scenes appear to add no value - except for the odd atmospheric shots. The characters appear to be card-board cut-out tropes of goodies and baddies, complete with corrupt chauvinist cops.

The acting is average, at best, and I found myself yawning and looking at another screen quite a few times.

Production values are mostly good; except for any outdoors locations which are very limited. I enjoyed the lighting and camera work, but that is not sufficient to sustain interest throughout.

Watchable if you have low expectations, or if there is little else on.

6/10.

This is not on some trendy pay tv site,nor is it American so lots of people won't see it,won't feel need to watch it.

It started on BBC tv yesterday and I love it already.

I know a bit French history but the details of the story still require close attention.

No plot spoilers but it is a combination of police story and political/social history.

What with brexit and covid this series might be the closest I get to Paris for a while.

Super impressive dark grimy crime police thriller, definitely big budget with a lot of details paid to decor, streets, costumes, etc... It REALLY feels like you are in Paris in 1900.

The type of serie you know you have to go to sleep because it's late but you still watch one more episode because you can't resist, keeps you interested and excited all along.

10/10

Certainly well put together and worthy in many ways. But brutal and harsh, giving a true feeling as what it must have been to live in 19th century Paris.

However, much as I can live with the human brutality I did find the perceived treatment and abuse of animals difficult to watch, hence my lower score as I don't believe it was necessary to show this level of abuse.

Let's destroy one myth, there are no 'central characters'. There are are many central characters. Most based, quite accurately, on real people and, importantly, accurately portrayed real events. Of course there's dramatic licence with subplots etc especially on personal lives & the ordinary people who were involved. The audience that do not know anything about French history of that period, it will come as an uncomfortable revelation that real democracy sometimes isn't an easy process. Many parallels with what's happened in the UK recently, lies & manipulating ordinary people fo the gain of the rich scared of losing power & wealth. Especially blaming & targeting minorities & immigrants. Only in France they lost.

November 6, 2022 - I liked the first season of this series because of the acting, plot and production values. I am familiar with the "Dreyfus Affair" which is an important historical political event that is part of the first season's plot. I enjoyed the series overall, but I didn't really get invested in any of the characters. Except for the obvious villains, I had no feelings about any of the other characters. I watched the series on a streaming service that released the episodes on a weekly basis, though the whole season could have been released at once. This made it hard for me to follow some of the plot points. Further, it was difficult to concentrate on the acting because the audio was in French with English subtitles, which I found distracting. The series style seemed very bland and was almost like a fictional documentary of events in Paris over a given period of time. While I didn't find any of the scenes directed at a more mature audience offensive. I do think that some viewers will find that the production company giving the series a TV-14 rating a little misleading.

Extremely well documented. It's tough. It's rough. It's raw.it's not for sensible soul. It shows deepest and terrible human behaviors and acts including political strategy. I love when French are able to do such amazing series!!

I watched the first two episodes and found it enjoyable. Some reviewers comments reflect the cinematic effects and they are good. Several times there are scenes that reflect famous French paintings.

The story is decent and fits the Belle Epoch at the end of the third Republic. The characters are also good with actors finding their feet

Worth watching.

A police drama set in the days of the Dreyfuss affair, when anti-semites falsely charged a Jewish officer with treason, and beginning with the death of the French President in fellatio, might appear to be highly promising. But 'Paris Police 1900' is most disappointing: the Guardian called it 'stately', I would simply call it dull. I'm not certain why it doesn't quite work, but the lack of a single perspective from which the story is told makes it harder to follow what is going on, or care. Each policeman seems to have their own agenda, but it can be difficult to work out what these are; it's almost as if everyone is a minor character, but there's no-one to lead the story. And while the sets nicely reconstruct the Paris of 120 years ago, I didn't really get a sense of what, outside of the twists of the plot, would have felt normal to any of the numerous protagonists. Sadly it falls well short of a historic version of 'Spiral'.

A stunning historical crime drama - set in early 1900s Paris which mixes the meta-narratives of political turmoil, populist anti-semitism, police corruption, misogyny and murder against an ensemble of engaging, nuanced characters and some stunning set design and cinematography. A drama that doesn't shy away from the very seedy-side of turn of the century life, but which also captures the incredible technological and social change that was occurring at this time. The two lead police characters are of course the ultimate oil and water mix (hence the LA Confidential vibes) and the show also features strong female leads as well. A thoroughly binge-worthy drama that gets better with each episode. Tuning into season 2 now!

A really immersive series in a late 19th century Paris surprisingly not charming (as it is usually depicted) ! The director really did a good job in recreating the atmosphere of the city's dark side at that time (crimes, plots, violence). The acting is overall really good, and the scenario works very well.

I'm up to episode 4 & I find it intoxicating. Very dark but it moved at such a great pace & kept me enthralled. So original. The only massive reservation is the cruelty shown to animals. I guess that was a real rabbit they were skinning unfortunately and the killing of the other animals looked realistic and upset me. I really hope no animals were harmed but their inclusion in the series was unnecessary. Humans can look after themselves..animals, we must care for.

Well, I loved it. Dark and interesting. I didn't know much about Paris in 1900. Whether fact or fiction it is a good watch. Great twist at the end. Definitely recommend.

I admit that this series is very daring and inventive, especially for those craving for history matters, for people interested in facts never told before. This TV show is pulled by an awesome production design, supported by so many accurate details and problems which existed one hundred years ago. But this doesn't prevent the whole job to be messy, with no control of the story, a scheme where you have the feeling that are too much ingredients: crime, politics, drama, thriller, romance, comedy. The creator himself admitted to have insisted on the purpose to please ANYONE, to reach the largest audiences. I won't compare this strategy with CASA DEL PAPEL crap, though I perfectly could after all, but as I have already said, I hate this kind of point of view, reaching the largest audiences, because the result is not always the quality of the show. So, if you want to learn about French politics of the early 1900's, that OK, that's definitely for you. To summarize, that remains French on the shape, BUT not on the background, NOT on the message: to teach modern audiences what the politics of those years were.

Après l'excellente série « La garçonne » avec Laura Smet, Canal+ nous diffuse une série policière « Paris Police 1900 » enfin une autre série qui relève le niveau des productions Françaises.

An amazingly atmospheric series from start to finish. The French seem to excel at crime dramas, and this could be La Belle Epocque's answer to Engrenages (Spiral) if they do another series.

There wasn't a duff character or storyline in it; they perfectly captured both the gritty atmosphere and personal demeanor of the people and the time.

Absolutely fantastic.

All I can say, if you like Peaky Blinders, and there is zero doubt the producers and directors of this show certainly are influenced by the Blinders, this show is up there. Technically excellent, good direction, subtle but atmospheric musical score, good acting and wonderful script. What's not to like.

Even though the story was depressing and bleak, I am glad I watched this well done historical drama. The acting was impeccable, especially Jérémie Lahuerte as Antoine. I respect the art director's complete commitment to dark interiors and a sallow palette. Every single scene was perfectly despondent and moody.

The huge cast of characters and super complex plot was very difficult for me to follow. I watched many episodes twice and read the summaries on the MHZ blog to understand what was going on. I watched this in French with England subtitles.

I enjoyed learning about the facts and real life people that this plot was based on. After almost each episode I looked up the historical events.

The gruesome scenes were too much and I had to close my eyes for many of them.

If the atmosphere, the reconstruction are there, the plot is alas confused and sometimes even boring. If we add the unequal play of the actors, with a mono-expressive Jérémie Laheurte, the spectator ends by stalling and what could have been an excellent series, crumbles and loses its flavor. His mere presence in any scene, and there are many, is a burden impossible to overcome due to his inexpressiveness and lack of charisma that destroy everything in which he comes out, well below the level of his cast mates, among whom Évelyne Brochu stands out ( Orphan Black) as the courtesan / spy.

In the past year I have seen several dramas where scenes are almost pitch black. Even when I turn up the monitor as high as it will go. Then I read a lot of people also noticed this trend.

They said one director decided it was more dramatic to make scenes dark to cast a somber mood, well, monkey, monkey do.

Episode three is almost pitch black. I realize all they had in that period was gaslights and candles. But this is ridiculous.

The acting is excellent and the scripts true to the period as well as I can tell. They haven't tried to prettify life nor make it politically correct or woke. This getting to be a real problem.

Very high quality direction, acting, cinematography, editing etc. Could not be more important about relatively dimly known roots of European antisemitism and fascism. Good grasp of just how decadent and grubby things were at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. Antisemitism, misogyny and syphilis all rampant. Not at all for the squeamish. Current 21st century folks of a certain ilk will not like it at all - too bad. Very immersive in the politics and skullduggery of that time. Do such things ever change? Not much. Very interesting characters. As others have noted, this is one you'll have a hard time not bingeing non-stop.

Only saw the first episode, I'm liking it but it has to much violence against animals, everyone knows that a person that is killed in a show don't die and it's all fun with the make up and so on, for animals it's a stressful moment and I don't know what really happens to them.