In June 1944, when a severe storm threatens Project Overlord, the long planned-for Allied invasion of France against the Nazis, the High Command contacts a coven of weather witches in Normandy to somehow alter the path of the storm. With consequences both triumphant and tragic, The Elementals explores the themes of desperation, courage and sacrifice in the face of terrible tyranny. Magic combines with grit and determination to help propel one of the most significant battles of WWII. And in a twist, the story is not only dramatic, but personal, as well.
Director Maureen Hascoet’s grandparents on both sides were involved in the French Resistance, a group of freedom fighters which is often overlooked in many sweeping narratives of WWII. Hundreds of French men & women put their lives at risk every day for four years, moving information, weapons, and people across large distances. Le Chant des Résistants is the soundtrack to the core scene of the film, especially as it highlights what ordinary people sacrificed every day until Liberation.
The film opens on a scene in a monastery outside Bayeux, where the Tapestry has been deconstructed by a team of Nazi textile experts. Stitches through a microscope, backing removed and every inch sketched and photographed – the German team covers its 220 foot length in Hitler’s demented search for proof that the Norman conquerors were actually Aryans and early examples of the superiority of the German Aryan race. Hitler’s goal – to produce and exhibit the Tapestry as part of his propaganda campaign during his assault on England.
The action heats up when a stealth assignment comes from OAS to the French Underground – check on the status of the Tapestry. Our hero Gerard Blaisey visits the Norman chateau where it is stashed but is too late – the Nazis have already moved it to Paris, preparatory to a final journey to Germany. The thrilling conclusion – with days remaining before the liberation of Paris, the Tapestry nearly disappears from history as Hitler, sensing German defeat, gives instructions to blow up Paris. Based on real events, the remarkable true story of the most famous textile in the world, soon to be sent to London for the first time in almost 1,000 years.
La Tapisserie transports us to 11th-century England, just after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Its focus – the Bayeux Tapestry, a priceless historical and artistic artifact that has engaged viewers for almost 1,000 years. In this thrilling tale of courage amidst greed and brutality, the seamstresses and Tapestry designers shine, despite a Saxon world that has been turned on its headStealth agents for a Saxon perspective on the Invasion, Queen Edith, Lady Cynewyn, and Aelfgyva shape a narrative in direct opposition to their Norman overlords, at great risk to themselves.
Still up for debate – was it subterfuge or submission? You be the judge.
In the near-future world of More Perfect Union, two main countries have emerged after a devastating civil war has destroyed the United States: New Albion and the Confederacy.
New Albion is a female-centric society in which marriage is banished in favor of contracts while affording women complete control over their own bodies. Environmentally conscious and Earth-friendly, New Albion is egalitarian and inclusive, a little bit hippy, a little bit high tech.
The other country is ConFed, the Confederacy of old. In contrast to New Albion, ConFed is a bastion of male domination where most women have lost the right to vote, women’s reproductive rights are non-existent and life is very good for the very few.
Geva D’Avranches, daughter of William the Conqueror’s favorite Earl, Hugh D’Avranches, struggles to find her place in a Norman/Saxon world. She dreams of being Aethelflaed, Lady of Mercia, who shook off the restraints of her culture to do battle with the Saxons 200 years earlier. Alas, complications arise – a demanding father, an arranged marriage, and treacherous maneuvering at William Rufus’ Court, all obstacles to her dream of leading men in battle. Then the Battle of Anglesey Sound changes everything.
At the beginning of Angleterre in 1066, the Battle of Hastings changes the course of England forever. The Normans and Saxons, two warring cultures with different customs and languages, are very much at odds with each other even after the initial battle. And contrary to general perception, Hastings is the beginning of the struggle as England bursts with rebellion and resistance.
The story follows the romance of Thurstan, Grand Falconer to William the Conqueror, and Cynewyn of Drayton, a Mercian princess. It also follows Edith, former Queen of England, and Cynewyn’s involvement in the making of the Bayeux Tapestry, a cartoon of the Conquest in wool and linen. In the face of Norman propaganda and under the noses of the all-powerful royals and nobility, the women cunningly seek to preserve the true memory of the last Saxon king, Edith’s brother Harold.
The story opens on a wild ride through the New Forest where King William II has been killed by a hunting arrow. But every good assassination needs a scapegoat, and Henry has just the one: Geoffrey Ridel. Geva’s Way ends with Geoffrey dragged away in chains by Henry’s soldiers. Geva must act swiftly to counter this power move and save her husband’s life. With the help of her formidable father Hugh and his allies in the North of England, she works to outmaneuver Henry’s need for a public example and Ralph’s betrayal. Running alongside this struggle is the story of Lucy of Bolingbroke and Ralph Bassett. Once tied to Geva’s family through Cynewyn of Drayton, Ralph betrays their trust by arresting Geoffrey to appease Henry, trading loyalty for advancement. Lucy, who endures a series of political marriages designed to enrich her father and the King, is the wealthiest woman in England but among the least powerful over her own life. She has loved Ralph since childhood. They were parted when she was married at thirteen, separated for years by politics and circumstance. Their bond never fades. Across missed chances and dangerous loyalties, they continue to yearn for one another, until at last they find their way back together. Their love — like Geva and Geoffrey’s — becomes a human counterpoint to the brutality of the court, a reminder of what is at stake when power turns cruel.