
Cardinal Mazarin dies, leaving a power vacuum in which the young Louis asserts his intention to govern as well as rule. Mazarin's fiscal advisor, Colbert, warns against Fouquet, the Superintendant who has been systematically looting the treasury and wants to be prime minister. Fouquet believes Louis will soon tire of exercizing power and overplays his hand by offering a bribe to Louis' mistress to be his ally. She reports this to the king who arrests Fouquet. Louis and Colbert design a brilliant strategy to keep merchants making money, nobles in debt, the urban poor working and fed, and peasants untaxed.
Genres:

Jean-Marie Patte as Louis XIV

Raymond Jourdan as Jean Baptiste Colbert

Silvagni as Cardinal Mazarin

Katharina Renn as Anne d'Autriche

Dominique Vincent as Madame Du Plessis

Pierre Barrat as Nicolas Fouquet

Fernand Fabre as Michel Le Tellier

Françoise Ponty as Louise de la Vallière

Joëlle Laugeois as Marie-Thérèse

Maurice Barrier as D'Artagnan

André Dumas as Le Père Joly

François Mirante as M. de Brienne

Roger Guillo as L'apothicaire

Louis Raymond as Le premier médecin

Maurice Bourbon as Le deuxième médecin

Michel Ferre as M. de Gesvres

Guy Pintat as Le chef-cuisinier

Michelle Marquais as Mme de Motteville

Jean-Jacques Daubin as M. de Vardes

Georges Goubert as M. de Soyecourt

Pierre Pernet as Monsieur

Gilette Barbier as Pierrette Dufour

Jean Obé as Le Vau

Jacques Charby as L'assistant de Le Vau

Micheline Muc as Mlle de Pons

Michel Debrane as Le tailleur

François Bennard as L'Archevèque

Georges Spanelly as Seguier

Jean Soustre as M. de Guiche

Axel Ganz as L'Ambassadeur

Jean-Jacques Leconte as Le 1er Chambellan

Violette Marceau as Mlle de Chemerault

Paula Dehelly as Mme d'Elboeuf

Jacques Préboist as Mousquetaire

André Daguenet as Le patron marinier

Marc Fraiseau as Marinier

Pierre Frag as Marinier

Jean Coste as Marinier

Rita Maiden as Une paysanne

Jean-Claude Charnay as Messenger

Jacqueline Corot as Madame Henrietta

Hélène Manesse as The Naiad
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