''Mistral's Daughter'' is a 1984 American television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

, adapted from

Judith Krantz Judith Krantz (née Tarcher; January 9, 1928 – June 22, 2019) was a magazine writer and fashion editor who turned to fiction as she approached the age of 50. Her first novel '' Scruples'' (1978) quickly became a ''New York Times'' best-seller a ...

's 1982 bonkbuster novel of the same name.

Plot summary

In 1925, Jewish artist’s model Maggy Lunel (

Stefanie Powers Stefanie Powers (born November 2, 1942) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Hart on the mystery television series '' Hart to Hart'' (1979–1984), for which she received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards a ...

) arrives in Paris and overcomes her shyness by posing nude for struggling artist Julien Mistral (

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fiction ...

). She enrages the reigning artist model queen Kiki (Annie Jouzier) by replacing her as Montmartre's newest sensation. Paintings of her become an overnight success, and Mistral signs a contract with art dealer Adrien Avigdor ( Ian Richardson). His business is arranged by wealthy American heiress Kate Browning (

Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress ...

), who is in love with him. At an art gallery, Mistral sells a portrait of Maggy that he promised to her, prompting Maggy to leave him. Through good friend Paula Deslandes (

Stéphane Audran Stéphane Audran (born Colette Suzanne Dacheville; 8 November 1932 – 27 March 2018) was a French actress. She was known for her performances in award-winning films such as ''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' (1972) and ''Babette's Feast'' ...

) she is set up with banker Perry Kilkullen (

Timothy Dalton Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama '' The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence a ...

). Meanwhile, Mistral realizes he has lost his muse and moves to Provence with Kate, where he finds new inspiration. Mistral and Kate marry. Kilkullen is pressured by his lawyer to break off his affair with Maggy, because he is still married – though just on paper – to American Mary Jane (

Alexandra Stewart Alexandra Stewart (born June 10, 1939) is a Canadian actress. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, Stewart left for Paris, France, in 1958, to study art. Within a year, she made her film debut in '' Les Motards'', and has since then enjoyed a ste ...

). Kilkullen refuses, though, and unsuccessfully attempts to divorce Mary Jane when he finds out that Maggy is pregnant. By 1929, Maggy has given birth to an illegitimate child whom she calls Teddy. Stuck in America trying to get a divorce, Kilkullen invites Maggy and Teddy to live with him in New York City. Upon arrival, Maggy learns that Kilkullen has died in an accident. Broke, she attempts to sell her jewelry to Harry Klein (

Shane Rimmer Shane Rimmer (born Shane Lance Deacon; May 28, 1929 – March 29, 2019) was a Canadian actor and screenwriter who spent the majority of his career in the United Kingdom. The self-proclaimed "Rent-A-Yank" of the British entertainment industry, he ...

), who sets her up with dress designer Alberto Bianchi (

Victor Spinetti Vittorio Giorgio Andre "Victor" Spinetti (2 September 1929 – 19 June 2012) was a Welsh actor, author, poet, and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films ...

). She climbs her way to the top in New York's fashion industry and befriends several of the city's elite, such as socialite Lally Longbridge (

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

) and publisher Jason Darcy ( Robert Urich). Meanwhile, Kate loses her entire fortune at the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...

, and relocates to New York in attempt to sell Mistral's work in a new environment. The exposition is a success, though the elite quickly realize that Maggy has posed nude for Mistral. Mary Jane convinces Bianchi that the scandal could badly influence his company, prompting him to fire Maggy. With the money that she earns from selling her jewelry, she starts her own modeling agency. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

sweeps the world, Darcy is sent overseas and asks Maggy to elope before he leaves, but she rejects the idea. Kate moves into a house in Connecticut and tries to persuade Mistral and Avigdor to join her, but Mistral does not see any danger and is only invested in painting; Avigdor – who is Jewish – cannot leave his sick mother behind. Paula joins the resistance and promises to help Avigdor cross the border, but she is caught by the Nazis before she can. Nazi officer Schmidt (

Wolf Kahler Wolf Kahler (born 3 April 1940) is a German stage, film, television, and voice actor. Since 1975, he appeared in many English language US and UK television and film productions. One of his early roles was Kaiser Wilhelm II in Michael York's a ...

), who sympathizes with Mistral's work and therefore allows him to continue to work – sees portraits from Avigdor in Mistral's residence, and warns him not to help Jews. When all of Avigdor's friends are shot by the Nazis, he seeks refuge with Mistral, but Mistral refuses to help him in fear of being sent to a concentration camp as well. After the War, Kate moves back to France and gives birth to Mistral's daughter, Nadine. Back in America, Teddy (Stephanie Dunnam), now a young adult, has been kicked out of boarding school for accompanying male Harvard students, and expresses her desire to become an artist’s model as well. She is set up with photographer Melvin Allen Berg, whom she used to date, and they become romantically involved. She leaves him to go to France in order to pose for Mistral. Mistral is unsatisfied with his private life: he does not love Kate, he perceives his daughter Nadine as a mistake, and he flirts with other women in front of Kate, such as Nancy (

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress who also holds French citizenship. A five-time BAFTA Award and Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for '' Four Weddings ...

). He becomes infatuated with Teddy and courts her. When Teddy becomes pregnant, Mistral vows to leave Kate, but Kate refuses to grant him the divorce. Their daughter, Fauve, is considered illegitimate, and Teddy dies in a boating accident shortly after. Maggy takes Fauve to live with her in America. Sixteen years later, Fauve (

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (born 25 April 1963) is a French actress. She is the daughter of actor Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu and model Françoise Laurent. She made her screen debut in the 1983 comedy-drama film '' Surprise Party'', and in 1985 starr ...

) is sent to spend the summer with her father in Provence. He tries to help her with her painting skills, but she is more involved with dating Avigdor's son Eric (

Pierre Malet Pierre Malet (born 3 September 1955 in Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) is a French actor. He is the twin brother of Laurent Malet. Filmography * 1976 : '' Le Siècle des lumières'' (TV) : ''A page'' * 1976 : '' Comme un boomerang'' : ''Oth ...

) and reading about Jewish history and architecture. Fauve decides to remain in France to spend more time with Eric, much to Maggy's disdain. Mistral fears that Fauve will become estranged from him and decides to put her in his will (giving her one-third of his paintings) to keep her close. Kate is infuriated upon finding out and takes her revenge by telling Fauve about Mistral's collaborating actions during the War. She immediately leaves her father and returns to America, where she decides to work at her grandmother's company. Kate, who has found out a year previous that she was terminally ill, dies of lung cancer, and Mistral's health deteriorates as well. Nadine (Caroline Langrishe), who has felt neglected by him for most of her life, is assigned to take care of him, but she ignores her father's cry for help when he has an attack, causing him to die. Nadine is happy to finally get her hands on his will, and is furious when she finds out that Fauve is entitled to his most important pieces of work. Fauve travels to France and is introduced to Mistral's most impressive life work. Through a letter, she learns that Mistral has written a letter to the Synagogue in Cavaillon to beg for mercy. She rekindles her relationship with Eric and decides to follow her true passion of painting. The miniseries ends with Maggy accepting Darcy's marriage proposal.

Cast

;Starring *

as Magali 'Maggy' Lunel *

as Katherine 'Kate' Browning *

as Julien Mistral * Robert Urich as Jason Darcy *

as Perry Kilkullen *

as Paula Deslandes * Ian Richardson as Adrien Avigdor *Stephanie Dunnam as Theodora 'Teddy' Lunel *

Cotter Smith Joseph Cotter Smith (born May 29, 1949) is an American stage, film, and television actor. Early life He was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Madeline (née Cotter) and John Lewis Smith, Jr., who was a federal judge. He graduated from the ...

as Melvin 'Falk' Allenberg *

as Eric Avigdor *

as Fauve Mistral ;Co-starring *

as Mary Jane Kilkullen *

as Lally Longbridge *

Caroline Langrishe Caroline Langrishe (born 10 January 1958) is an English actress. Early life Born in London, Langrishe is the elder daughter of Patrick Nicholas Langrishe (1932–2022), of The Manor House, Sellindge, Kent, a Lieutenant in the 11th Hussars, late ...

as Nadine * Jonathan Hyde as Philippe, Nadine's husband * Angela Thorne as Nanny Butterfield *

as Major Schmidt *

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British character actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthu ...

as Cardinal *

Françoise Brion Françoise Brion (; born 29 January 1933) is a French film actress. She has appeared in 75 films since 1957. She starred in the 1963 film '' L'Immortelle'', which was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival. She was married to J ...

as Patricia Falkland *

as Harry Klein *

as Alberto Bianchi *Francine Olivier as Marthe *Alan Adair as Maxwell Browning *Sean O'Neil as Louis Fairmont *

Jean Claudio Jean Claudio (28 March 1927 – 11 January 1992) was a French actor. Biography He began his acting career in the cinema at the age of ten, playing the role of the Tsarevich, son of Tsar Nicolas II in The Imperial Tragedy. In 1938, at t ...

as Etienne Delage *

Jean-François Stévenin Jean-François Stévenin (; 23 April 194427 July 2021) was a French actor and filmmaker. He appeared in 150 films and television shows since 1968. He starred in the film '' Cold Moon'', which was entered into the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Film ...

as Dr. Beauvoir *

Pierre Vernier Pierre Vernier (19 August 1580 at Ornans, Franche-Comté (at that time ruled by the Spanish Habsburgs, now part of France) – 14 September 1637, same location) was a French mathematician and instrument-inventor. He was the inventor and epony ...

as Maitre Duclos *Robert Favard as Maitre Fresnais *

Jacques Balutin Jacques Balutin is a French actor.Christa Lang as Concierge *

as Nancy * Liliane Rovère as A Woman

Production

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

was originally offered the lead, but rejected it. By the time Pierre Malet joined the cast as Eric Avigdor, nobody was assigned to play Fauve yet. Malet suggested his girlfriend Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who thus assumed the role."Mistral's Dochter Is Française"
''

De Telegraaf ''De Telegraaf'' (; en, The Telegraph) is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper. Haro Kraak,Gaat Paul Jansen de crisis bij De Telegraaf oplossen?, ''de Volkskrant'', 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015. Paul Jansen has been the editor-in-chief s ...

'', September 26, 1985. By Thea Detiger. She received $100,000 for the role. The

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...

ic paintings featured in the film were actually the work of John Bratby, a member of the English provincial realist artist group known as the Kitchen Sink school, founded by Bratby in the late 1950s. The series’ theme song, performed instrumentally for the series, was later released by

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

singer

Nana Mouskouri Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri ( el, Ιωάννα "Νάνα" Μούσχουρη ) (born 13 October 1934) is a Greek singer. Over the span of her career, she has released over 200 albums in at least twelve languages, including Greek, French, English, Germ ...

, titled " Only Love". She also released a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

version, "L'Amour en Héritage" and a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

version, "Aber die Liebe bleibt". It has since been covered multiple times and became a major hit for

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

artist Sissel in a

version, called "Kjærlighet". Most of the production was filmed on location in France, over a period of 20 weeks. The entire production reportedly cost over $15 million.

Reception

Judith Krantz praised Leroy-Beaulieu for her portrayal of Fauve, going as far as predicting that she would become a great star. Reviewer of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised Lee Remick for portraying Kate "to fresh-faced clawing perfection".

Soundtrack

Charts

References

External links

* {{Kevin Connor 1984 American television series debuts 1984 American television series endings 1980s American television miniseries CBS original programming Television shows based on American novels Television shows set in France Television shows set in New York City Films directed by Kevin Connor Adaptations of works by Judith Krantz