Fanspot
Castle of Montmirail (20th century)
From a powerful fortress ready to resist invasions, the knight Godefroy de Montmirail finds a small hotel whose owner is Jacques-Henri Jacquart (Christian Clavier), descendant of his squire. An affront.
The “Hardy” does not understand how his little great great great great great great granddaughter could have let his inheritance become such a poor home. Godefroy promptly tried to buy the place back, without much success. Failing that, he tries to find the enchanter’s grimoires, allowing him to return to his time.
It is not the castle of Montmirail, located in the Sarthe, but the one of Ermenonville that we see in the film.
Among the fans of this offbeat comedy is a certain Tom Cruise. Revealed by Première in 2018, Jean-Marie Poiré confided that “Tom Cruise thought that in Hollywood, producers didn’t take enough risks, whereas we dared to mix comedy, history, action… and even fantasy.” The director had met the interpreter of Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible in 1993.
Domaine Château Ermenonville
The castle of Ermenonville, today a luxury hotel, has its origins in the Middle Ages, under the Capetian dynasty.
The very first castle of Ermenonville was built in 987 at the time of Hugues Capet. Louis XI and Henri IV stayed there several times. The latter came to see his favorite, Gabrielle d’Estrées.
The transformation of the domain occurs in the XVIIIth century. The fortress became a residence, with many improvements. Wider windows, enlargement of the wings, demolition of the keep and some towers… Everything was done to bring the place into the Age of Enlightenment.
Amazed by the gardens, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) spent six weeks there in 1778 and died.
Ettore Bugatti (1881-1947), the famous automobile manufacturer, became the owner of the castle and the park in 1942. When the Bugatti factories were taken over by Hispano-Suiza, the castle was put up for sale, and over the decades it was used as a retirement home, a restaurant, and as the headquarters of a sect.
It was not until 1991 that the house became a hotel, which is still in operation today.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Discover all the places The Visitors on our map
By Damien Duarte
Passionné par la culture pop depuis son enfance, ses références vont de Donald Duck à Batman en passant par Marty McFly. Fantripper dans l'âme, voyager sur les traces de Ghostbusters, James Bond ou des héros de romans comme Cotton Malone fait partie d'un séjour idéal et réussi !