It’s necessary watch Lorant Deutsch run in the streets of Bayeux, from one monument to another in the medieval city. “He’s all in,” laughs Loïc Jamin, the deputy mayor for tourism and the city’s attractiveness. Launched in 2018, his video chronicle À tout berzingue, on YouTube, tells the history of the cities of France. “I set myself the mission of touring the cities of France in 15 years. We did around 80,” says the actor and author, who “came to see the Bayeux Tapestry in 2004” and confides that he was just as “stunned and captivated” by the piece during the filming of his video at the end of June/ beginning of July.
VIDEO. The history of Bayeux seen by Lorànt Deutsch
Upon arrival, a 30-minute historic walk, the longest of all. “The idea of À tout berzingue is to go back in time in a balanced way, covering the different eras, from antiquity to the Second World War, which left a strong mark here,” explains Lorant Deutsch. After having shared “one, two, three and four coffees” with the local interlocutors, as he enjoys it, the author confides “that we could have made a saga”. This is how he details some Roman remains from a time when Bayeux was called Augustodurum, before running to tell the links between the city and the Vikings, a gateway to recount its rich medieval past. The cathedral, but also, therefore, the Tapestry, which the “history smuggler” is particularly delighted to find.
“We are happy with the result”
The large page devoted to this section of History does not obscure the rest. One of the vocations of this column, which caught the eye of Bayeux’s elected officials. “Today, people know about the Tapestry and the landing beaches on the coast. We really want them to come for Bayeux, says Loïc Jamin. We had seen Loránt’s work and contacted him to come and shoot. We are happy with the result.” This openness to other historical facets of the city is verified, for example, by the actor’s stop at the Bayeux lace conservatory, where craftsmen perpetuate this refined know-how.
The video begins and ends with the Second World War, to complete a vast overview, illustrated by numerous images of vestiges and emblematic sites of the town. Loránt Deutsch affirms his approach: “The idea is to show what there is to see! Bayeux was not bombed and remained an old medieval Norman town, a nice surprise.” With several tens of thousands of views since publication on September 10, this issue of À tout berzingue received a very good response, to the delight of Loïc Jamin: “The video shows old Bayeux and the quality of life. Its offbeat tone also allows it to reach another audience, to inspire a French clientele.” While the Calvadosian city can be discovered in images, Lorànt Deutsch and his brother have already set off again on the roads of France, in the footsteps of other stories, in other cities… At full speed.