By Nathan Marliac, published in L’Éveil de Haute Loire on October 11, 2024
In the Haute-Loire region, this château hosted a film shoot
For a week in early October, the fortress of Bouzols, in Arsac-en-Velay, became a film set. A Swiss production depicted the youth of the Marquis de La Fayette in a 20-minute short film.
Silence on the set! For the whole of the first week of October, the Château de Bouzols was the scene of a bizarre spectacle. For five days, a Swiss production set up shop in the Vellave fortress to shoot several scenes from its screen adaptation of the Marquis de La Fayette’s youth. It’s the first time such an operation has been set up on the property of Jean-Louis Beaud de Brive, who was delighted to welcome the film crew to Bouzols. “It’s an opportunity that’s fallen from the sky! I heard that a director was looking for a location for a short film project, and Bouzols appealed to them!”
Scenes shot in Haute-Loire
After a number of discussions with the production team and on-the-spot location scouting, the Swiss filmmakers set their sights on the fortress overlooking the Coubon valley. A total of 18 technicians and 12 actors arrived at the fortress on October 30.
“It’s quite an organization, and there are a lot of people involved. It’s the first time I’ve hosted a film shoot at the château, and it’s an atmosphere I’ve never experienced before, which I’m delighted to discover. I had no reason to refuse such an opportunity to give Bouzols a higher profile!
Jean-Louis Beaud de Brive (Château owner)
And it has to be said, the site has a lot going for it.All director Serge Naef’s teams had to do was set up their equipment.The fortress’s “natural” backdrops were sufficient in themselves. “They shot scenes indoors and outdoors in the gardens. All in all, they shot about ten scenes in the castle. According to Jean-Louis Beaud de Brive, other shots were also filmed at Lac du Bouchet.
Lasting 20 minutes, the short film depicts the decision that was to change the destiny of the Marquis de La Fayette. In the “pink room” of the Château de Bouzols, a key scene in the plot was filmed, with the announcement of his departure for the Americas to his wife Adrienne. History would later record that the native of Haute-Loire played a key role in the insurgents’ victory over the English colonists during the War of Independence, which led to the birth of the United States of America. The “hero of two worlds” then returned to France to experience the Revolution from the inside, before a welcome retreat to his château in Chavaniac-Lafayette.
The film crew left the fortress last Saturday. Its Swiss director and producer, Serge Naef, hopes to release the short film at the end of the year.And he doesn’t yet know where it will be available.“It’s an afterthought. We’ll be starting discussions shortly, but for the moment, we don’t know.” Initially, the short film, shot for the most part in the Haute-Loire region, is expected to make the rounds of film festivals…
Read the article on the website l’Eveil