Monte-Carlo “Naissance d’un Mythe”

Monte-Carlo “Naissance d’un Mythe” (Monte-Carlo “Birth of a Legend”) directed by Francois Freynet/written by Kate Krasuski

A drama/documentary in French with English sub-titles
52 minutes

This is the surprising storybook tale of the visionary creators of Monte-Carlo.

At the end of the nineteenth century, and in just 20 years, a simple plateau of farmland on the Mediterranean coast would become one of the world’s most celebrated destinations and a dazzling symbol of prosperity. This charming docu-drama reveals how two unknown entrepreneurs -- French financier, François Blanc and his beautiful young German wife, Marie Hensel Blanc -- founded the most famous of Monaco’s districts, Monte Carlo, which -- 160 years later -- still conjures images of magic and glamor!

 

This event is free.  Please enjoy the film here.

 

About the director: François Freynet

François Freynet has written and directed documentaries for French TV including France 2, France 3, France 5, and Groupe Canal Plus. In 1994, Freynet directed the series Les Amants du Siècle for Fréderic Mitterrand. Since then, his writer/director credits have included Les passagers du 20h02 (1997) and Des chiens en analyse (1999) as well as docu-dramas for Disney, the Disney Club, and Disney Parade TV shows, and the 52-minute documentary/drama Monte-Carlo, Birth of a Legend (2007). He established his company, Movies Productions in May 2008. Freynet is also a professor of screenwriting, a documentary judge, and a lecturer on filmmaking for the International Institute of Image and Sound near Paris.

About the writer: Kate Krasuski

With a background in public relations, Nice-based Kate Krasuski handles communications and PR for audio-visual productions, music concerts, and jazz festivals. She has been a booking agent for Harry Lapp Organization (Nice Jazz Festival, Jazz à Juan, Les Enfants de Django, Roy Hargrove, Ballets de Kazan, Tango Pasion, Sidney Bechet Memory All Stars, Porgy & Bess), AA Organisation (100 Violons Tziganes de Budapest, Rock The Ballet, Ain’t Misbehavin’), and Live Music International (Craig Adams & The Voices of New Orleans, Miss Jean Carpenter, Davell Crawford, Nicole Slake Jones, La Nuit du Gospel). In 2007, she co-wrote, with François Freynet, this 52-minute documentary/drama, Monte-Carlo, Birth of a Legend.

 

Related links:
Click here to learn more about the Embassy of Monaco in Washington, D.C.

Click here to discover some of Monaco’s surprising and inspiring international connections in 2021 – videos from Visit Monaco/Monaco Government Tourist Office

To return to the Francophonie site, click here.

Francois and Marie Blanc

The early days of Monte-Carlo

The “new” Casino de Monte-Carlo