You must understand that by the end of the 18th century (in the upper classes) really everybody in Europe up to and including Russia could speak French. French was only supplanted by English by the end of the 19th century, and, frankly, after 1918. It would be like an ambassador coming to see the American president of our day and not knowing a word of English.
@@charlesvanderhoog7056 no. he meant that the fortune of those who underestimate a man based upon their own arrogance usually get killed by Trump types
Louis: Doctor Franklin! You are the talk of Paris! Both your experience with science and with the ladies... Franklin: Day and Night, Sire, I'm hard at work.
In the 1970's version of "The Adams Chronicles", there was a much better representation of this exchange. The King addressed Mr. Adams in French and when he did not respond, an aide told the King that he didn't speak French. The King just bowed slightly and said "Welcome, Mr. Adams." I think that was closer to what happened. Yes, Adams was mortified that he couldn't speak French but the King didn't rub it in. He was happy to have the United States as an ally against the British.
Most likely, if it ever happened at all. Not only publically ridiculing a diplomat of a country you want do do business with would be a really dumb thing to do but also such reaction would be completely contradictory to Louis XVI's personality.
Franklin's presence must have greatly relieved Mr. Adam's awkwardness. All formalities aside, I'm just glad the French naval fleet was able and willing to help the Americans win the Battle of Yorktown.
Ah, I'd have to show them an empty pack of cigarettes, just get it across to them what I wanted, at a corner store. I was so glad to get back to Alberta. I could completely relate to Adams, in this scene. At least we treat them better, when they're here, than vice versa.
You didn't visit much of Québec...Depending on where you go, we are mostly bilingual and are polite and helpful. Usually it's the other way around when we go in Ontario or the western part of Canada, it's like we spoke Kilingon...guess it's too hard to learn uh...
It’s not that the King and Court were just lolz aDaMs DoNt SpEaK FrEnCh¿! French was the language of European diplomacy. To send a diplomat anywhere who didn’t speak French would have been considered on the same level of sending someone to cooking competition who’s only ever microwaved hot pockets. It’s more of a smack on America than Adams, as it makes the colonies appear an uneducated backwater.
They were considered an uneducated backwater country before Adams ever showed up. But you are right. This scene, I don't believe should be a slight on France at that time. There should have been a diplomat fluent in French. Franklin, although immensely popular there did not have that kind of fluency.
@@ryanbruh752 Well, a lot has changed. America has become a super power. So this type of thing does not happen in this way any more. But, as an American who speaks four languages, I wish more of us would do better to understand the culture of other countries.
King's Advisor: "Mister Franklin is accompanied by a Mister Adams." Louis XVI: "Do you come from Paris sir?" Adams: *smirk* Louis XVI: "You don't speak French?" King's Advisor: "Mister Adams doesn't speak a single word of French." Louis XVI: *laugh* "Not a word?!" Franklin: *nervous diplomat noises*
@@Anonymoususer44569 Louis and his entourage seems to be preparing to go somewhere, the streets of Paris perhaps? And he's asking Adams "Do you want to come (with us) to Paris, Sir?". Louis could either be colloquial in his speech, or the translation got wrong here when they wrote the dialogue. Asking a foreigner if he comes from your country's capitol seems a little weird :P
The comparison between Adams meeting Le Roi here and then meeting King George is very telling. The ostentatious, over stylised French Court with Franklin (who jokes about shagging day and night), compared with the British Monarch, alone in his throneroom talking openly about his feelings for the colonies and their independence. It really stands out for me
Louis XVI wanted to be like his great x3 grandfather but didn’t have the common sense, force of personality and wisdom of the Sun King. Part of why his absolutism failed
For the cultural masters of 18th-century Europe, the French were really barbaric. This makes me appreciate the British and (especially) the Dutch here even more.
@@AbrahamLincoln4 Woah! Take it easy, Mr President. President Adams didn't end up shot it the head and I vividly remember the killer crying "Sic semper tyrannis" afterwards. (To your name) No matter how few years it takes for you to lose yours, you ain't the President and neither your son will be. (To you)
Adams ended up learning French, and as he did realized that Franklin didn't really speak French (more an improvised "Franglish"). But everyone still hated Adams and still loved Franklin.
@@DavidAWA Franklin had a history with the French and indulged in the French way, sexually speaking, whereas Adams with his more Puritanical stance stuck out more as a foreigner. At least, this is my understanding of things
Franklin also played up a persona of being this rowdy American frontiersman with a simple but clever mind . By painting himself as this rural bumpkin he was able to often impress them with his intelligence, which he was intentionally conditioning them to not expect from him
The portrayal of Louis XVI might be the single most innacurate thing in this series. Even ignoring the fact that the guy portraying him looks absolutely nothing like Louis XVI. King Louis was notorious for being very shy and trying to be nice to everybody, even to those who clearly didn't respect him. If that situation ever happened, King Louis would probably be the last to laugh. He'd rather offer Adams a conversation in English - he spoke the language fluently since he was a teen.
During this time it was not uncommon for someone in the King/Queen's court to document everything they say. Sort of like an early stenographer. In Britain they have a library of books that simply document what the King/Queen said during their reign. In this same series we actually see some of this being used. When Adams meets with King George, the conversation during that scene is considered almost verbatim to what was really said. Anyway, I say all this because I wonder if King Louis' court did the same thing? Perhaps the "day and night I'm hard at work" joke was actually said.
@@JohnnyDeur not here, but in real life, monarchs most certainly did document everything, that is why napoleon is one of the most documented people on earth.
@@HydroSnips sometimes, but not always. There were many documents about various Irish states from 1000-1647 that were preserved until the move towards Irish independence in 1922, so there is a chance, anyway, that they were copied and preserved somewhere out there.
@@kentinson1670 He was Bostonian who learned French outside of France. Americans at the time were considered on the edge of civilization as far as Europeans were concerned. Ben Franklin even rocked it a little as this rugged Americanish was a novelty in that environment.
DO IT! While I have never sat down and learned one myself the benefits are immense! I suggest though one that truly interests you. Don’t study one say, Spanish just because its more convenient do so because you love Spanish/Mexican literature etc.
@@captaindestruction9332 ill probably do Spanish because thats part of my culutural background. I never learned because I grew up in a suburban area where nobody spoke it that much and so it wasnt a necessity
From personal experience that is not so hard . I writing to you in the language I first learned . My native tongue is danish . Then learned english and german … So I speak 3 languages …
He asked "*You don't speak French?" (maybe the accent was hard to catch). He was asking Adams directly, which was even worse because the King spoke and understood English, as did most upper class French people in the court. the requirement for anyone visiting France to speak French was half pride half arrogance thing for them). Then he was like "pas un mot?!" ("not a word?!" with the troll face).
I know that I'm picking nits at a 14-year-old series here (which I generally loved), but their stereotypically foppish and inaccurate depiction of the French court really irked me. Adams certainly clashed repeatedly with Vergennes, but the French foreign minister -- much less the shy and reserved Louis XVI -- never would have committed the diplomatic sleight of mocking him in public. The heavily-powdered face was also several decades out of fashion by the 1770s in favor of a more naturalistic look.
I was looking for that comment. And by the way despite the fact there are quite good costumes and wigs in the series, since 1750s most people had their own hair but not the wigs. Despite the fact, Adams wore wigs till late 1790s but Louis XVI wore his own hair. And my little observation on powder (according portraits). English are considered to be very conservative but many of them didn’t powdered their hair since 1780s. It was brand new fashion in the period. But the common part of the other Europeans did till 1790s when they finally cut their long hair but some of them still powdered it till early 1800s. So it seems unrealistic to see so much unpowdered hair in the whole series.
Well the show isn't about Louis, it's about Adams. He had the one audience with the king here to discuss the treaty, but then was sent elsewhere since he was unable to work in Louis' court without knowing French, is my guess. We don't see Louis or anything else he does because Adams part in that story is over.
A major point of Versailles was to restrict access to the monarch. In this scene, Adams and Franklin are admitted into the Petit Lever which is one of the principal times that an outsider would be able to have direct access to the monarch were they given the privelege. The fact that Adams embarasses himself to this extent in such an intimate manner with the king is intended to show his unreadiness for French society.
@@boozantine From my understanding, this was played somewhat for laughs, John Adams spoke French when he got to France, King Louis spoke English, too. There was no embarrassment, as John was basically a lawyer and spoke like one, his French got better the longer he was in France. It was Ben who was considered kind of backwater by the French upper class, he just ran with it.
He is a Absolute Divine Monarch, he grants you an audience, no different than King George. In reality, he was more involved, and John Adams did know French at this point. This stuff was mostly played for laughs.
The french king Louis XVI not only sent his navy, the most powerful in the world at that time, to help the american war of independence, but he gave de equivalent of today's 100 million USD to back it up, and a loan of 160 mill USD, which was never paid back. And by the way, Adams and Franklin were 5,5 and 5,7 in size. The king was 6,4, and strongly built. So much for gratitude and historical truth.
Just checked it: the actor playing the king Louis XVI is 5,7, the actor playing Ben Franklin is 6,7. By the way, the main reason the king was executed was that the debt was never paid back. B. Franklin was best buddy with the instigators of the french revolution, such as Voltaire, and just as them all a freemason himself, as was John Adams. The main objectives of freemasonry were, and still are, to take down the catholic church and the catholic kings. This revolution killed most nobility in France, but also 10% of its citizens, those not agreeing totally with its anti-christianity.
@@CapAnson12345 After 4 years of indifference, without Pearl harbor and the fear of the german acquiring the atomic bomb, the USA would never go to war. That's the cynical reality.
I thought the British Royal Navy was the most powerful navy in the world at the time? I think around this time it was split into the red, white, and blue squadrons. One squadron alone was more powerful than most national navies.
The king says "Dr Franklin...people talk a lot about you in Paris....science experiments..and ladies" and Franklin wittily replies: "Sire, day and night, I stay active"
Adams knew how to write and speak Ancient Greek and Latin, I knew that, yet this show is the first time I found out that he knew not one word of French.
He did know French, the show just was trying to emphasize that Adams was a fish out of water when it came to the Parisian courts. He was far better suited for diplomacy to England.
This is a very false and ridiculous portrayal of Louis XVI. He was very down to earth, very intelligent, was interested in practical things, and, for most of his life, was rather shy and modest. Marie Antoinette, when her teenage husband became king, said "God help us, for we shall reign too young!" And some of Louis' first actions were to reduce the spendings of the crown of the decadent Louis XV and redistribute to the poor. The portrayal of french monarchy as being devoid of any dignity, in this film, is dripping a sort of madness that surpasses everything that the jacobins could have invented in terms of propaganda.
I didn’t think this portrayal of Louis XV was so negative. His dress and makeup look ridiculous to modern viewers, but he is refined and polite to his guests. He’s not on screen long enough to say anything insane, but he does come across as a young man struggling to adopt the airs of a monarch. That’s how I interpreted it anyways.
But he is down to earth in this film, he is mingling with guests and doesn't act like small talk with his subjects is incredibly below him. Just compare how approachable he is compared to how they portrayed king george the 3rd.
At this time, Louis XVI has been reigning for a few years and is still in his early to mid twenties, so it makes sense to show him as playful, laughing, and full of life. I think the portrayal of French opulence was a decent setup for the later parts of the show when they reference the French Revolution
The foreign minister (Vergennes?)to the King really set John Adams up. If he didn’t mention Adams, King Louis would have went on his way and would have spared him the embarrassment. It’s been a couple years since I’ve seen the series, but I think Adams and the foreign minister didn’t get along too well so he didn’t pass on the opportunity to make Adams look like a clown.
That’s how it’s portrayed but to a degree, it was ludicrous for the Revolutionary government to have sent Adams. He tried learning g French but it was no use so how can a diplomat work successfully when he could even speak the language of the people he was trying to become allies with? Adams was a firebrand and straight to the point. The French art of diplomacy were parties, tradition, and ass kissing. Vergennes to an immediate dislike to him.
@@johannessanmiguel It kind of helped that the French were eager for revenge on Britain after the Seven Years' War and the rebellion in America was a means to an end.
Some of the founding fathers were very cultured and enjoyed the company of the French . Not only Ben Franklin but Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe Monroe spent time as a diplomat in both France and London Monroe's wife was instrumental in saving Lafayette's wife from the guillotine
Franklin dressed like Davy Crockett because he wanted to appeal to the French court's sense of adventure about the New World and spoke French well, albeit with an accent. Adams dressed in the latest fashions and couldn't speak a word.
If I could take this opportunity to thank the French for the creation of the bidet. Although I was always content with regular baths I do appreciate the awakening of added freshness. Merci.
@Nogent Second. Comapred to its environs, Versailles would've smelled quite nice. Flowers, incense, and candles were used and replaced regularly all over the palace. Maids would've been emptying chamber pots constantly and working tirelessly to perfume the palace.
@Nogent When it was first built in the 17th century, there were no toilet facilities despite hundreds, sometimes thousands of people being there. Under Louis XIV who built it the situation was chaotic - besides royalty, aristocrats and their servants, there were also workmen putting the finishing touches to some buildings, vendors selling produce to supply food to the palace, prostitutes and even thieves just outside the palace precincts waiting to ambush and rob people coming and going. People would go behind pillars or curtains and relieve themselves. With time the situation improved.
I studied American History in college, and this series made me want to learn more about the history of France. One of the biggest takeaways I had after watching a simplified video of it? The painful irony of the French Revolution is that after they cut off Louis XVI’s head, they were decapitating people for violating laws “against liberty”.
100s: Latin was the Universal Language 1700s: French was the Universal Language Today: English is the Universal Language Imagine if a scenario was like this happened today Some French guy meets with the US President US President: Vous ne parlez pas anglais ? VP: Y/N Doesn't Speak one word of English US President: "Laughs" Not A Word?
It would be considered unprofessional now to mock them. With modern tech and translation tools, you dont really need to lesrn other than to impress and flatter.
What this shows as well is the habit of the French court to engage in verbal jousting/banter ("bons mots"). The King keeps teasing his courtiers and of course expects a witty reply. He tells the Cardinal: "I thought we would never see him in the capital given all the sins that are committed here", Cardinal replies "sins follow me, sire". He tells the Count "you're late" to which he replies "your majesty woke up quite early today". Tells the Count: I heard you won big (playing cards). The count replies "never enough, Sire".
At this time Spanish was still up there probably even surpassing French. Probably because it's much closer to actual Latin both in structure and pronunciation, so it was an easier transition for anyone who knew Latin French didn't truly take off until Napolean.
@@dab0331 What are you talking about ? Due to Napoléon, a man which I admire by the way, french became more unpopular. The russian aristocrats who would only speak French refused to do so because of his invasion. The german population, who admired French culture stopped doing so when many of them died to defend France.
@@rockyspanos3709 it doesn't matter what a FEW aristocrats and one country think, French was still spoken because it was the most POWERFUL and influential at that time. A lot of nations HATE the USA yet they learn and speak English because we're the most powerful and have the influence of Hollywood. The French prior to Napoleon weren't nearly as revered as the Spanish. Spanish, not French, was the lingua franca of Europe and the Mediterranean. Then French. Then English. The 1700's was a TRASITIONARY phase where the Spanish were slowly losing their influence, but it didn't completely die off until Napoleon and his invasion of Spain. Lingua Francas are NOT popularity contests. They're the languages you use because you're most likely to use them in trade and travel. If the Spanish dominated the sea then OF COURSE you would learn Spanish in case you ran into a Spanish merchant or naval ship.
@@dab0331 " Spanish dominated the sea then OF COURSE you would learn Spanish in case you ran into a Spanish merchant or naval ship." You're right that it rendered the Spanish language into a Lingua Franca of trade or as the wiki puts it "global trade". This is not something I've denied, but with this logic, French would never be a Lingua Franca. Britain then ruled the waves, but French was much more known than English. French WAS the language of diplomacy before Napoleon, and the fact that the Russian gouvernment used it to conduct it self is NOT insignificant. Furthermore, what do you mean by saying " hates the USA " ? Europe is the continent that speaks it the best not counting of course the anglophonic nations, mainly because we drole over American culture and not solely because of the chance of meeting American ships which the commun man will never ever do. Statistically, the USA is a VERY popular country.
@@rockyspanos3709 My point is that just because the Tsars didn't like French because of Napoleon doesn't mean that French stopped being a lingua franca. In the same way that since some countries hate the USA, it doesn't mean English stopped being a lingua franca. Secondly, this idea that only Britain ruled the seas is incorrect. Britain was of the top 3, yes, but it was NOT the only superpower in the same way that only the modern US stands as the sole superpower after the fall of the USSR. Britain lost many sea battles to the Spanish and French even during this time period, and they love puffing up the myth of sole sea supremacy by citing things like the defeat of the Spanish Armada when it wasn't even a true defeat but rather a horrible storm that defeated them, AND the fact that the Spanish defeated the ENGLISH Armada which followed afterwards in an ACTUAL pitched battle. Like i said, the 1700's was a TRANSITIONARY phase where all 3 powers were fairly evenly matched, BUT the Spanish language still ruled supreme as the lingua franca because of its lingering 1600's dominance. The difference between England and France though is that no one had to PHYSICALLY travel THROUGH Britain in mainland Europe to do trade, nor did they have to really deal with Britain in the Mediterranean, which was mostly controlled by France and Spain. All 3 powers fought for their portions of the world. France had the middle half of the new world until they were defeated by the British, and that half was split between them and the Spanish, so they primarily ended up focusing on conquering the Mediterranean and North Africa. Spain was to busy with their VAST empire in the Americas and Philippines to bother with the Mediterranean too much. And England being the smaller power focused their efforts away from mainland Europe and instead bullied South Africa and India, because they find it easier to fight with 3rd world countries away from the interests of Spain and France, and focus on another portion of the world pie
C'est plaisant de voir que les acteurs "français" sont belle et bien de vrais français. A contrario d'une coutume trop rependus de nos jours, ou les réalisateurs pensent qu'apprendre quelque lignes à un acteur étranger est suffisant. En tant que français je trouve cette scène -plutôt- réaliste. Bien que je regrette qu'il s'agissent d'un français contemporains et non celui d'époque.
good scene, but it's not quite the image I have of Louis XVI. He would have been quite a young man, 24, but I think he would not have been so comfortable and commanding as king. He was always much more comfortable as a private person working on his locks. At court he would have been more stiff and a little awkward
I read a biography of him, and the author suggested he would have been far more comfortable being a private tutor or teacher, than a king. I think he's a very tragic figure
Well that's not all of it though. After the Battle of Yorktown which ended with the surrender of Cornwalis the British while at first forced determined to continue the fight. In fact when a siege fired was ordered George Washington was making preparations to begin to take New York City from British control (as losing New York was humiliating for him). However the war grew unpopular with the British public and an election was held in which the Tory government that was determined to continue fighting lost control of Parliament and the new Whig government ordered a siege fire and began peace negotiations. At the peace negotiations in Paris, France was ultimately cut out of the negotiations and got nothing out of the Treaty of Paris 1783. The French were upset about this as they felt that by aiding the U.S. War for Independence that they could regain some of what they lost in the Seven Years War (called the French and Indian War in the U.S.).
Adams wasn't a very shrewd diplomat; like in Hungary he tried to borrow money, and they were hesitant because he might not be able to pay it back; so he didn't even raise the interest-rate, by explaining the vast riches in America.
The words on the front façades of the palace shouldn't be there at this time. They were added by Napoleon III in the 19th century when he turned Versailles into a museum to "all the glories of France", hence the wording.
@@babyinuyasha That's great, but they could have edited the text out. It's a bit like filming a 19th century period drama in central London and including a WWII memorial in the background.
You would have thought that King Louis would be more concerned with domestic policy than in entertaining foreign dignitaries. After all the French people were rising up against him as he spoke
I’m coming to this comment to say the same thing about Obama/bush/Joe Biden and ppl still not understanding the trump presidency! But history awaits us!
The big problem with Louis was that, until the end relatively speaking, he believed that the discontent was more from the Parisians rather than the French as a whole. He overestimated the support he thought he enjoyed from the common folk in France.
For Adams, ambassador to France , to be unable to speak the International language of the time which was French, what’s more in France, really is a joke and if it wasn’t for Franklin, nobody would have ever cared about him.
As a French, I have no Idea why Louis XVI is so poorly portrayed in nearly every movie he's in, the man was very tall (1m92), and very intelligent, he loved science and geography, and he was a very compassionate guy, he deeply cared about his people and was not a brainless mean despot as he is often depicted. Historians today agree that he was a man of good intention who unfortunately got overwhelmed by the events surrounding him and his kingdom, and he most likely paid for the errors of his ancestors
I like the fact the king of France can take a joke. He respectfully understood that Adam’s didn’t speak his language and took it humorously instead of insulting. 1:44 “Sir, Mr Adam’s doesn’t speak a word of French.” “(Laughs) Not a word! (Proceeds to giggle and laugh)”
Wow...the past reflects the present so much. I understand the present even more...and I am just talking about Americans, not so much Europeans but I'm guessing it's still the same.
What is uniquely American about this is that after centuries of European conflict, the king of france is entertaining the son of a candlemaker and the son of a farmer.
I think the King, by long years of training and experience, wouldn't have laughed at an ambassador to his face, especially the ambassador of a country the French were hoping to enlist as an ally against Great Britain. It would have made France look like an uneducated backwater....oops!
You must understand that by the end of the 18th century (in the upper classes) really everybody in Europe up to and including Russia could speak French. French was only supplanted by English by the end of the 19th century, and, frankly, after 1918. It would be like an ambassador coming to see the American president of our day and not knowing a word of English.
The show played up the country bumpkin aspect of Adams here. He spoke French adequately irl.
@@histochronos You mean the show also had to appeal to the Trump-voting yokels in the fly-over states like Dakota and Kansas?
@@charlesvanderhoog7056 no. he meant that the fortune of those who underestimate a man based upon their own arrogance usually get killed by Trump types
@@charlesvanderhoog7056 This show came out in 2008 when Obama was elected.
Adams would have learned on the trip over, but he was chronically seasick the whole voyage.
Louis: Doctor Franklin! You are the talk of Paris! Both your experience with science and with the ladies...
Franklin: Day and Night, Sire, I'm hard at work.
Merci for the english translation!
Legendary retort lol
Jour et nuit, je m'active 🤣🤣🤣🤣
could you please translate, what does the king say here 1:98?
@@wronski11 "Mesdames et Messieurs, couvrez-vous" it means "ladies and gentlemen, please cover yourself" (as in put on your hats)
In the 1970's version of "The Adams Chronicles", there was a much better representation of this exchange. The King addressed Mr. Adams in French and when he did not respond, an aide told the King that he didn't speak French. The King just bowed slightly and said "Welcome, Mr. Adams." I think that was closer to what happened. Yes, Adams was mortified that he couldn't speak French but the King didn't rub it in. He was happy to have the United States as an ally against the British.
Most likely, if it ever happened at all. Not only publically ridiculing a diplomat of a country you want do do business with would be a really dumb thing to do but also such reaction would be completely contradictory to Louis XVI's personality.
The book this is based off of does have Louis XVI say ‘not a word’
@@kinggeorge7696yeah.
Franklin's presence must have greatly relieved Mr. Adam's awkwardness. All formalities aside, I'm just glad the French naval fleet was able and willing to help the Americans win the Battle of Yorktown.
Even if it cost him his head
The entire population of Quebec when you visit: "You don't speak French?"
Ils ont raison.
Ah, I'd have to show them an empty pack of cigarettes, just get it across to them what I wanted, at a corner store. I was so glad to get back to Alberta. I could completely relate to Adams, in this scene. At least we treat them better, when they're here, than vice versa.
You didn't visit much of Québec...Depending on where you go, we are mostly bilingual and are polite and helpful. Usually it's the other way around when we go in Ontario or the western part of Canada, it's like we spoke Kilingon...guess it's too hard to learn uh...
@@qnbits Ha bah... Si ton unique projet de vie, c'est donner ton cul à ton employeur...
I'm from Ontario
*Silence*
I'm from New York
"Ah Allo !"
😅
It’s not that the King and Court were just lolz aDaMs DoNt SpEaK FrEnCh¿! French was the language of European diplomacy. To send a diplomat anywhere who didn’t speak French would have been considered on the same level of sending someone to cooking competition who’s only ever microwaved hot pockets. It’s more of a smack on America than Adams, as it makes the colonies appear an uneducated backwater.
They were considered an uneducated backwater country before Adams ever showed up. But you are right. This scene, I don't believe should be a slight on France at that time. There should have been a diplomat fluent in French. Franklin, although immensely popular there did not have that kind of fluency.
heh. America and uneducated backwater lol
@@AbrahamLincoln4 nothings changed
Lol and we still don't speak French here for the most part 200 years later.
@@ryanbruh752 Well, a lot has changed. America has become a super power. So this type of thing does not happen in this way any more. But, as an American who speaks four languages, I wish more of us would do better to understand the culture of other countries.
King's Advisor: "Mister Franklin is accompanied by a Mister Adams."
Louis XVI: "Do you come from Paris sir?"
Adams: *smirk*
Louis XVI: "You don't speak French?"
King's Advisor: "Mister Adams doesn't speak a single word of French."
Louis XVI: *laugh* "Not a word?!"
Franklin: *nervous diplomat noises*
"Oh fuck..."
- Ben Franklin Paris 1778
Why would he ask if he's from Paris?
Would it be "Have you been to Paris, Mr Adams?"?
@@91rumpnisse Possibly, but Louis XVI says “Vous venez de Paris, monsieur?”, which means “Do you come from Paris?”
@@Anonymoususer44569 Louis and his entourage seems to be preparing to go somewhere, the streets of Paris perhaps? And he's asking Adams "Do you want to come (with us) to Paris, Sir?". Louis could either be colloquial in his speech, or the translation got wrong here when they wrote the dialogue. Asking a foreigner if he comes from your country's capitol seems a little weird :P
The comparison between Adams meeting Le Roi here and then meeting King George is very telling. The ostentatious, over stylised French Court with Franklin (who jokes about shagging day and night), compared with the British Monarch, alone in his throneroom talking openly about his feelings for the colonies and their independence. It really stands out for me
Louis XVI wanted to be like his great x3 grandfather but didn’t have the common sense, force of personality and wisdom of the Sun King. Part of why his absolutism failed
For the cultural masters of 18th-century Europe, the French were really barbaric. This makes me appreciate the British and (especially) the Dutch here even more.
@@burrator8291 ahhh louis the sun king, arguably the most well liked monarch since King of Kings, uniter of the latin west, daddy Charlemagne
Great analysis there. I agree with it.
and then the french revolution …
You'd think that Franklin would act as translator for that moment, to introduce John Adams to King Louis.
The king laughs, but it isn't John Adam's head on a basket later on in life.
And I don't remember John Adams waiting 7 years to lose his virginity to his already non-virgin wife.
@@AbrahamLincoln4 Woah! Take it easy, Mr President. President Adams didn't end up shot it the head and I vividly remember the killer crying "Sic semper tyrannis" afterwards. (To your name)
No matter how few years it takes for you to lose yours, you ain't the President and neither your son will be. (To you)
That would be the fat king Louis the 16th.
@@dragonel88 It was Louis the 18th that was grossly fat.
Hahahaha, true!
The fact that it took months to travel to France from America and he’s still never bothered to learn French
* 1 month
He spoke it competently as his time went by in France
Adams ended up learning French, and as he did realized that Franklin didn't really speak French (more an improvised "Franglish"). But everyone still hated Adams and still loved Franklin.
@@DavidAWA Franklin had a history with the French and indulged in the French way, sexually speaking, whereas Adams with his more Puritanical stance stuck out more as a foreigner. At least, this is my understanding of things
Franklin also played up a persona of being this rowdy American frontiersman with a simple but clever mind . By painting himself as this rural bumpkin he was able to often impress them with his intelligence, which he was intentionally conditioning them to not expect from him
I fuckin love how King Louis just props up and announces his leave and just takes off immediately after his non-interaction with John Adams!
🤣🤣🤣
literally me as a new student in a French class
Mon aussi
@@ASE_Avenue Et Moi il y a 6 ans, c'est un voyage!
Day and night, you're hard at work? :)
The portrayal of Louis XVI might be the single most innacurate thing in this series. Even ignoring the fact that the guy portraying him looks absolutely nothing like Louis XVI. King Louis was notorious for being very shy and trying to be nice to everybody, even to those who clearly didn't respect him. If that situation ever happened, King Louis would probably be the last to laugh. He'd rather offer Adams a conversation in English - he spoke the language fluently since he was a teen.
Too much creative liberty this series took.
During this time it was not uncommon for someone in the King/Queen's court to document everything they say. Sort of like an early stenographer. In Britain they have a library of books that simply document what the King/Queen said during their reign. In this same series we actually see some of this being used. When Adams meets with King George, the conversation during that scene is considered almost verbatim to what was really said. Anyway, I say all this because I wonder if King Louis' court did the same thing? Perhaps the "day and night I'm hard at work" joke was actually said.
I didn't see anyone writing anything when Adams met King Louis or King George
@@JohnnyDeur not here, but in real life, monarchs most certainly did document everything, that is why napoleon is one of the most documented people on earth.
If such records existed in Versailles they probably would have been lost/destroyed in the Revolution
@@HydroSnips sometimes, but not always. There were many documents about various Irish states from 1000-1647 that were preserved until the move towards Irish independence in 1922, so there is a chance, anyway, that they were copied and preserved somewhere out there.
@@ryanmumford5534 Man that must be a fascinating read even the mundane conversations.
Haha, what a funny guy, I hope He would have a long and happy life with loved ones...
Ya sadly he met the widow
Odd social media karma to farm.
Lmfao Franklins French accent 😂
We we, and whatnot😆
I'm not American nor French but Franklin's accent is wack
@@kentinson1670 Remember, Ben was a lover, not a linguist
Americans don’t give a shit.
@@kentinson1670 He was Bostonian who learned French outside of France. Americans at the time were considered on the edge of civilization as far as Europeans were concerned. Ben Franklin even rocked it a little as this rugged Americanish was a novelty in that environment.
This mini series inspires me to want to learn another language
DO IT! While I have never sat down and learned one myself the benefits are immense! I suggest though one that truly interests you. Don’t study one say, Spanish just because its more convenient do so because you love Spanish/Mexican literature etc.
@@captaindestruction9332 ill probably do Spanish because thats part of my culutural background. I never learned because I grew up in a suburban area where nobody spoke it that much and so it wasnt a necessity
From personal experience that is not so hard . I writing to you in the language I first learned . My native tongue is danish . Then learned english and german … So I speak 3 languages …
@The505Guys both . Learning it in School and watching german television …
"He don't speak French!?"
The ultimate burn.
For a diplomat in 18th century, yes, it kind of was
He asked "*You don't speak French?" (maybe the accent was hard to catch).
He was asking Adams directly, which was even worse because the King spoke and understood English, as did most upper class French people in the court. the requirement for anyone visiting France to speak French was half pride half arrogance thing for them).
Then he was like "pas un mot?!" ("not a word?!" with the troll face).
I know that I'm picking nits at a 14-year-old series here (which I generally loved), but their stereotypically foppish and inaccurate depiction of the French court really irked me. Adams certainly clashed repeatedly with Vergennes, but the French foreign minister -- much less the shy and reserved Louis XVI -- never would have committed the diplomatic sleight of mocking him in public. The heavily-powdered face was also several decades out of fashion by the 1770s in favor of a more naturalistic look.
nothing is out of fashion for a king, besides not everyone had a powdered face,
I was looking for that comment. And by the way despite the fact there are quite good costumes and wigs in the series, since 1750s most people had their own hair but not the wigs. Despite the fact, Adams wore wigs till late 1790s but Louis XVI wore his own hair. And my little observation on powder (according portraits). English are considered to be very conservative but many of them didn’t powdered their hair since 1780s. It was brand new fashion in the period. But the common part of the other Europeans did till 1790s when they finally cut their long hair but some of them still powdered it till early 1800s. So it seems unrealistic to see so much unpowdered hair in the whole series.
Ben Franklin actually did play up the mountain-man costume, largely since he was Ben Franklin
I swear Franklin is the same actor that portrayed General Cornwallis in The Patriot (2000)
It is, yes.
Same actor of 100 movies all over place, very famous. Patriot was quite bad literally
DAMN HIM! DAMN THAT MAN!
-The actor who portray as General Cornwallis and Benjamin Franklin xD
You don't have to swear, just look it up lol that info is online for everyone to see.
@@AndyP998 how dare you
I like how this is the only time you see him in the entire series, he’s THAT uninvolved in his actual job.
Well the show isn't about Louis, it's about Adams. He had the one audience with the king here to discuss the treaty, but then was sent elsewhere since he was unable to work in Louis' court without knowing French, is my guess. We don't see Louis or anything else he does because Adams part in that story is over.
A major point of Versailles was to restrict access to the monarch. In this scene, Adams and Franklin are admitted into the Petit Lever which is one of the principal times that an outsider would be able to have direct access to the monarch were they given the privelege. The fact that Adams embarasses himself to this extent in such an intimate manner with the king is intended to show his unreadiness for French society.
among fools: let him eat cake.
@@boozantine From my understanding, this was played somewhat for laughs, John Adams spoke French when he got to France, King Louis spoke English, too. There was no embarrassment, as John was basically a lawyer and spoke like one, his French got better the longer he was in France. It was Ben who was considered kind of backwater by the French upper class, he just ran with it.
He is a Absolute Divine Monarch, he grants you an audience, no different than King George. In reality, he was more involved, and John Adams did know French at this point. This stuff was mostly played for laughs.
The french king Louis XVI not only sent his navy, the most powerful in the world at that time, to help the american war of independence, but he gave de equivalent of today's 100 million USD to back it up, and a loan of 160 mill USD, which was never paid back. And by the way, Adams and Franklin were 5,5 and 5,7 in size. The king was 6,4, and strongly built. So much for gratitude and historical truth.
Just checked it: the actor playing the king Louis XVI is 5,7, the actor playing Ben Franklin is 6,7. By the way, the main reason the king was executed was that the debt was never paid back. B. Franklin was best buddy with the instigators of the french revolution, such as Voltaire, and just as them all a freemason himself, as was John Adams. The main objectives of freemasonry were, and still are, to take down the catholic church and the catholic kings. This revolution killed most nobility in France, but also 10% of its citizens, those not agreeing totally with its anti-christianity.
Oh I think we can count that debt as paid in full after WWII.
@@CapAnson12345 heard about the Marshal debt?
@@CapAnson12345 After 4 years of indifference, without Pearl harbor and the fear of the german acquiring the atomic bomb, the USA would never go to war. That's the cynical reality.
I thought the British Royal Navy was the most powerful navy in the world at the time? I think around this time it was split into the red, white, and blue squadrons. One squadron alone was more powerful than most national navies.
The kings actually a good actor
Damien Jouillerot
I just love how the show portrayed the flamboyancy of the Rococo movement, contrasted with the sombre and dark Flemish style later on in the episode.
stfu no one is impressed
The king says "Dr Franklin...people talk a lot about you in Paris....science experiments..and ladies" and Franklin wittily replies: "Sire, day and night, I stay active"
Adams knew how to write and speak Ancient Greek and Latin, I knew that, yet this show is the first time I found out that he knew not one word of French.
He did know French, the show just was trying to emphasize that Adams was a fish out of water when it came to the Parisian courts. He was far better suited for diplomacy to England.
@templars9806 Adams was a lawyer from the 1700s. That alone is proof he knew Latin. I'm certain he knew greek too. I don't even have to google it.
Watch the amazing French movie "La Révolution française" for a more accurate depiction of Louis.
Brilliant acting by the King. Faultless!
Indeed.
Damien Jouillerot
0:30
w i d e Adams
That should have been memed!
lmao
This is a very false and ridiculous portrayal of Louis XVI. He was very down to earth, very intelligent, was interested in practical things, and, for most of his life, was rather shy and modest. Marie Antoinette, when her teenage husband became king, said "God help us, for we shall reign too young!" And some of Louis' first actions were to reduce the spendings of the crown of the decadent Louis XV and redistribute to the poor.
The portrayal of french monarchy as being devoid of any dignity, in this film, is dripping a sort of madness that surpasses everything that the jacobins could have invented in terms of propaganda.
Good king at the wrong time. But this is cringe.
Hmm yeah, it's a shame. I guess they only cared about accuracy for the American part.
I didn’t think this portrayal of Louis XV was so negative. His dress and makeup look ridiculous to modern viewers, but he is refined and polite to his guests. He’s not on screen long enough to say anything insane, but he does come across as a young man struggling to adopt the airs of a monarch. That’s how I interpreted it anyways.
But he is down to earth in this film, he is mingling with guests and doesn't act like small talk with his subjects is incredibly below him. Just compare how approachable he is compared to how they portrayed king george the 3rd.
At this time, Louis XVI has been reigning for a few years and is still in his early to mid twenties, so it makes sense to show him as playful, laughing, and full of life. I think the portrayal of French opulence was a decent setup for the later parts of the show when they reference the French Revolution
1:55 Franklin's face LMAO
Dr Franklin’s facial expression at 1:55 is priceless 😅🤣
"ooooh"
Probably thinking the ladies that shall accompany me tonight will hear about this
The foreign minister (Vergennes?)to the King really set John Adams up. If he didn’t mention Adams, King Louis would have went on his way and would have spared him the embarrassment.
It’s been a couple years since I’ve seen the series, but I think Adams and the foreign minister didn’t get along too well so he didn’t pass on the opportunity to make Adams look like a clown.
That’s how it’s portrayed but to a degree, it was ludicrous for the Revolutionary government to have sent Adams. He tried learning g French but it was no use so how can a diplomat work successfully when he could even speak the language of the people he was trying to become allies with?
Adams was a firebrand and straight to the point. The French art of diplomacy were parties, tradition, and ass kissing. Vergennes to an immediate dislike to him.
Lol, making Adams look like a clown in front of the guy whose face is painted like one
Didn´t know this fact. I read some years ago, that early americans played European diplomacy cards very well!!
@@johannessanmiguel Adam was much more successful with the Dutch and English. Franklin was at home cougar hunting in Versailles.
@@johannessanmiguel It kind of helped that the French were eager for revenge on Britain after the Seven Years' War and the rebellion in America was a means to an end.
Feels like they were going for a "this ridiculousness in the face of the peoples plight was why the revolution was perfectly understandable".
The video that was deleted has returned to us.
Little did that king know; a Revolution of his countries own was on its way to his doorstep.
king’s not laughing now
Some of the founding fathers were very cultured and enjoyed the company of the French . Not only Ben Franklin but Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe
Monroe spent time as a diplomat in both France and London
Monroe's wife was instrumental in saving Lafayette's wife from the guillotine
Franklin dressed like Davy Crockett because he wanted to appeal to the French court's sense of adventure about the New World and spoke French well, albeit with an accent. Adams dressed in the latest fashions and couldn't speak a word.
If I could take this opportunity to thank the French for the creation of the bidet. Although I was always content with regular baths I do appreciate the awakening of added freshness.
Merci.
The stench of Versailles must have been overwhelming ... (-_-) ...
@Nogent Second. Comapred to its environs, Versailles would've smelled quite nice. Flowers, incense, and candles were used and replaced regularly all over the palace. Maids would've been emptying chamber pots constantly and working tirelessly to perfume the palace.
@Nogent When it was first built in the 17th century, there were no toilet facilities despite hundreds, sometimes thousands of people being there. Under Louis XIV who built it the situation was chaotic - besides royalty, aristocrats and their servants, there were also workmen putting the finishing touches to some buildings, vendors selling produce to supply food to the palace, prostitutes and even thieves just outside the palace precincts waiting to ambush and rob people coming and going. People would go behind pillars or curtains and relieve themselves. With time the situation improved.
I studied American History in college, and this series made me want to learn more about the history of France. One of the biggest takeaways I had after watching a simplified video of it? The painful irony of the French Revolution is that after they cut off Louis XVI’s head, they were decapitating people for violating laws “against liberty”.
sounds like "r"ussias birth of communism
And post-Revolution America continued slavery, denied the majority of its people the vote and committed genocide.
What is the name of the series??
@@theyogiic 'John Adams'. It's an HBO production I believe.
Franklin just lets his buddy get roasted and mocked without so much as a quick "he doesn't speak French." 😂😂😂😂
100s: Latin was the Universal Language
1700s: French was the Universal Language
Today: English is the Universal Language
Imagine if a scenario was like this happened today
Some French guy meets with the US President
US President: Vous ne parlez pas anglais ?
VP: Y/N Doesn't Speak one word of English
US President: "Laughs" Not A Word?
not a word? 😂😂😂🤣🤣😂🤣
It would be considered unprofessional now to mock them. With modern tech and translation tools, you dont really need to lesrn other than to impress and flatter.
Le chinois la prochaine ?
What this shows as well is the habit of the French court to engage in verbal jousting/banter ("bons mots"). The King keeps teasing his courtiers and of course expects a witty reply. He tells the Cardinal: "I thought we would never see him in the capital given all the sins that are committed here", Cardinal replies "sins follow me, sire". He tells the Count "you're late" to which he replies "your majesty woke up quite early today". Tells the Count: I heard you won big (playing cards). The count replies "never enough, Sire".
At Long last this is re-uploaded!
Benjamin Franklin absolutely could have acted as a translator
Whether you did laugh him off or not, we thank you for your crucial support, 👑 😊
PAS UN MOT?! 😂😂😂
At this time so called lingua franca was actually French, like Latin was before and English is now.
At this time Spanish was still up there probably even surpassing French. Probably because it's much closer to actual Latin both in structure and pronunciation, so it was an easier transition for anyone who knew Latin
French didn't truly take off until Napolean.
@@dab0331 What are you talking about ? Due to Napoléon, a man which I admire by the way, french became more unpopular. The russian aristocrats who would only speak French refused to do so because of his invasion. The german population, who admired French culture stopped doing so when many of them died to defend France.
@@rockyspanos3709 it doesn't matter what a FEW aristocrats and one country think, French was still spoken because it was the most POWERFUL and influential at that time.
A lot of nations HATE the USA yet they learn and speak English because we're the most powerful and have the influence of Hollywood.
The French prior to Napoleon weren't nearly as revered as the Spanish. Spanish, not French, was the lingua franca of Europe and the Mediterranean. Then French. Then English. The 1700's was a TRASITIONARY phase where the Spanish were slowly losing their influence, but it didn't completely die off until Napoleon and his invasion of Spain.
Lingua Francas are NOT popularity contests. They're the languages you use because you're most likely to use them in trade and travel. If the Spanish dominated the sea then OF COURSE you would learn Spanish in case you ran into a Spanish merchant or naval ship.
@@dab0331
" Spanish dominated the sea then OF COURSE you would learn Spanish in case you ran into a Spanish merchant or naval ship."
You're right that it rendered the Spanish language into a Lingua Franca of trade or as the wiki puts it "global trade". This is not something I've denied, but with this logic, French would never be a Lingua Franca. Britain then ruled the waves, but French was much more known than English.
French WAS the language of diplomacy before Napoleon, and the fact that the Russian gouvernment used it to conduct it self is NOT insignificant.
Furthermore, what do you mean by saying " hates the USA " ? Europe is the continent that speaks it the best not counting of course the anglophonic nations, mainly because we drole over American culture and not solely because of the chance of meeting American ships which the commun man will never ever do.
Statistically, the USA is a VERY popular country.
@@rockyspanos3709 My point is that just because the Tsars didn't like French because of Napoleon doesn't mean that French stopped being a lingua franca. In the same way that since some countries hate the USA, it doesn't mean English stopped being a lingua franca.
Secondly, this idea that only Britain ruled the seas is incorrect. Britain was of the top 3, yes, but it was NOT the only superpower in the same way that only the modern US stands as the sole superpower after the fall of the USSR.
Britain lost many sea battles to the Spanish and French even during this time period, and they love puffing up the myth of sole sea supremacy by citing things like the defeat of the Spanish Armada when it wasn't even a true defeat but rather a horrible storm that defeated them, AND the fact that the Spanish defeated the ENGLISH Armada which followed afterwards in an ACTUAL pitched battle.
Like i said, the 1700's was a TRANSITIONARY phase where all 3 powers were fairly evenly matched, BUT the Spanish language still ruled supreme as the lingua franca because of its lingering 1600's dominance.
The difference between England and France though is that no one had to PHYSICALLY travel THROUGH Britain in mainland Europe to do trade, nor did they have to really deal with Britain in the Mediterranean, which was mostly controlled by France and Spain.
All 3 powers fought for their portions of the world. France had the middle half of the new world until they were defeated by the British, and that half was split between them and the Spanish, so they primarily ended up focusing on conquering the Mediterranean and North Africa. Spain was to busy with their VAST empire in the Americas and Philippines to bother with the Mediterranean too much. And England being the smaller power focused their efforts away from mainland Europe and instead bullied South Africa and India, because they find it easier to fight with 3rd world countries away from the interests of Spain and France, and focus on another portion of the world pie
I thought Freemasons all knew each other
foreign diplomacy, communication and honest conversation is the way of the future,
C'est plaisant de voir que les acteurs "français" sont belle et bien de vrais français. A contrario d'une coutume trop rependus de nos jours, ou les réalisateurs pensent qu'apprendre quelque lignes à un acteur étranger est suffisant. En tant que français je trouve cette scène -plutôt- réaliste. Bien que je regrette qu'il s'agissent d'un français contemporains et non celui d'époque.
Et je veux vous demander, quoi seraient les diffèrences de prononciation ou grammaire de l'epoque? Le "r" trillé peut-être?
Me recuerda cuando veo películas ambientadas en los virreinatos de America pero con pronunciación moderna del español 😅
What is King Louis saying to the bishop in French? And what does he say when he’s putting his gloves on?
good scene, but it's not quite the image I have of Louis XVI. He would have been quite a young man, 24, but
I think he would not have been so comfortable and commanding as king. He was always much more comfortable
as a private person working on his locks. At court he would have been more stiff and a little awkward
I read a biography of him, and the author suggested he would have been far more comfortable being a private tutor or teacher, than a king. I think he's a very tragic figure
I didn't think the king was being rude, but he was certainly being dismissive and clearly himself knowing some English, could've made an effort.
But that's the whole point of acting. Being someone youre not.
@@Threshk He's talking about the character, not the actor
America was the best investment France ever made.
*if Franklin and Adams could have found better allies than the French from whom to borrow money to fund the war…they would have.*
@@jayjones722 that is true.
Well that's not all of it though. After the Battle of Yorktown which ended with the surrender of Cornwalis the British while at first forced determined to continue the fight. In fact when a siege fired was ordered George Washington was making preparations to begin to take New York City from British control (as losing New York was humiliating for him). However the war grew unpopular with the British public and an election was held in which the Tory government that was determined to continue fighting lost control of Parliament and the new Whig government ordered a siege fire and began peace negotiations. At the peace negotiations in Paris, France was ultimately cut out of the negotiations and got nothing out of the Treaty of Paris 1783. The French were upset about this as they felt that by aiding the U.S. War for Independence that they could regain some of what they lost in the Seven Years War (called the French and Indian War in the U.S.).
Adams wasn't a very shrewd diplomat; like in Hungary he tried to borrow money, and they were hesitant because he might not be able to pay it back; so he didn't even raise the interest-rate, by explaining the vast riches in America.
@@jayjones722 WIn-win!
1:52 when your parents make a joke and you need money
lol
In which Adams shows much less deference to the king who saved his country than he does later to the king who attempted to enslave it.
Which king attempted to enslave the United States? It was certainly not George III.
@@xavier01110 Yes, he OWNED the country. They were trying to steal it.
The Fr*nch are clowns, though.
This is like taking your daughter to see the king without enough points in Decorum.
"Hi King!"
"Who is this child?? Get her out of here!"
What series/movie is that whole thing coming from?
The words on the front façades of the palace shouldn't be there at this time. They were added by Napoleon III in the 19th century when he turned Versailles into a museum to "all the glories of France", hence the wording.
If I'm correct, they used the real palace for the set
@@babyinuyasha That's great, but they could have edited the text out. It's a bit like filming a 19th century period drama in central London and including a WWII memorial in the background.
Disappointing to find the King of France to be Ben Shapiro.
Facts don’t care about your peasant feelings.
You would have thought that King Louis would be more concerned with domestic policy than in entertaining foreign dignitaries. After all the French people were rising up against him as he spoke
Not until 1789
I’m coming to this comment to say the same thing about Obama/bush/Joe Biden and ppl still not understanding the trump presidency! But history awaits us!
@@cg-691 destruction of middle class while between bush/obama we invaded over 8 nations. LOL who cares?!? surely history wont!
The big problem with Louis was that, until the end relatively speaking, he believed that the discontent was more from the Parisians rather than the French as a whole. He overestimated the support he thought he enjoyed from the common folk in France.
@@declandonahue592 stop drinking the kool aid Trump's going to jail. Where he belongs.
The French king can laugh all he wants but we know how his story ends.
For Adams, ambassador to France , to be unable to speak the International language of the time which was French, what’s more in France, really is a joke and if it wasn’t for Franklin, nobody would have ever cared about him.
'Je m'appelle OMLET DU FROMAGE' eerrr fk it.
I can imagine the moment they realize "Wow we are working with the French, we really aren't British now"
Virgin non french speaker VS CHAD Fluent in english french King
As a French, I have no Idea why Louis XVI is so poorly portrayed in nearly every movie he's in, the man was very tall (1m92), and very intelligent, he loved science and geography, and he was a very compassionate guy, he deeply cared about his people and was not a brainless mean despot as he is often depicted. Historians today agree that he was a man of good intention who unfortunately got overwhelmed by the events surrounding him and his kingdom, and he most likely paid for the errors of his ancestors
@1:20 John Adams would have been able to converse in Latin as required by college education at that time.
I like the fact the king of France can take a joke. He respectfully understood that Adam’s didn’t speak his language and took it humorously instead of insulting.
1:44
“Sir, Mr Adam’s doesn’t speak a word of French.”
“(Laughs) Not a word! (Proceeds to giggle and laugh)”
I don't think this scene really existed, Adams could speak French. It was the lingua franca of the time, especially in diplomacy.
He learned French in France.
That Louis XVI was always losing his head over something!
He met the kid ruled by the powerful people around him for sure
Its good to be the king.
Little wonder the little king lost his head not long after this.
Aaaw the king is adorable
1:41 lol he speaking english
Me when I walk into a Mexican supermarket
I doubt they're the same high-handed about it if you no hablas español.
This was Louis XV or Louis XVI? (I always get these last lines of King Louis, Absolute Monarch, mixed up).
Wow...the past reflects the present so much. I understand the present even more...and I am just talking about Americans, not so much Europeans but I'm guessing it's still the same.
Conservatives: Men should not wear wigs, act effeminate or wear makeup
King Louis: Hold my Crown!!
I like how the French are wearing corpse paint
What is uniquely American about this is that after centuries of European conflict, the king of france is entertaining the son of a candlemaker and the son of a farmer.
Laugh it up baguette boy you've got a few years left before heads start to roll.
Why does it say in Wikipedia that John Adams was fluent in French?
I imagine an embarrassing incident like this probably motivated him to learn French
@@MrZackavelli So it was afterward that he became fluent. I thought one could only achieve fluency in another language during childhood.
I feel like Franklin would not have spoken with so thick an accent.
What movie is this from? It looks like it would be interesting to watch. Please let me know.
hbo John Adams
Seems to me that Ben Franklin could have warned Adams what he would encounter - and helped him out a bit.
Prussian King Frederick II was still the most badass of Kings.
Rugged, yet exemplary
I feel bad for Adams for his lack of French.. As well as I feel bad when someone is discriminated for not speak English...
Yes but during those times, french was official diplomatic language
The real Adams did pick up French pretty quickly.
I wonder if this is how non western/ Allied nations see America and our government staff.
Who cares what non-Western nations think?
Do u like French tarts?
Oui.
Bazamooo?🤨 BAZZAMMOOOO 😂🎉🤣
I think the King, by long years of training and experience, wouldn't have laughed at an ambassador to his face, especially the ambassador of a country the French were hoping to enlist as an ally against Great Britain. It would have made France look like an uneducated backwater....oops!
The king of France making a political blunder that costs him dearly? Hmm, well, nothing to lose your head over.
The usonians needed the french far more than the french needed the usa. In fact the french would be better off not helping at all
All those men are dressed nice but none of them hardly washed. Nasty
it's a myth
It didn't matter if he was able to speak French in that moment anyway. No business would have been spoken anyway.