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kamreadsandrecsWhen I decided to convert this blog into a review blog, I didn't ever think that I would be reviewing a television series. At the time I thought this was reasonable, since I wasn't totally, utterly devoted to any particular television series at the time. I might say that I have favorite TV shows, of course, but it's not as if I am slavishly devoted to them. I'm more of a "watch when I can" kind of girl.
All of that has changed recently, however, with The Borgias, the latest miniseries by Showtime, who gave us the decadent historical epic The Tudors.
Those who know me personally also know that I am a huge Renaissance nut. I am not, however, indiscriminately in love with the period: I prefer that rather narrow window of time from the middle of the 15th century to the early years of the 16th. This was the time of Lorenzo Il Magnifico and Leonardo da Vinci. It was the time of the Spanish Reconquista, and the very beginning of the Inquisition. And most of all, this was the time of the Borgias.
A lot's been written about the Borgias, both historical and fictional - though in truth, many contemporary scholars are having a difficult time deciding which is which, because a lot of material written by contemporaries and immediately after could just as easily be propaganda against them. But whatever material the historians think is true is as dramatic and colorful as anything fiction can come up with. It takes a great effort, I think, to make the Borgias uninteresting.
Fortunately, Neil Jordan, creator, writer, and director of The Borgias, seems to understand this well enough. So far, the first three episodes of this series have struck an excellent balance between fact (or what Jordan has chosen to accept as fact) and fiction. A perfect example of this comes in the form of readings from Johann Burchard's records while he was working at the Vatican. In essence, he made elaborate lists of items and money that the Pope acquired or gave away during his term, and his records (still accessible today - if you can read Latin, of course) definitely informed, to a certain degree, Jordan's interpretation of certain events. These readings are often done in scenes when Burchard himself (played by Simon McBurney) is present, writing things down in his record.
But for all that Jordan appears to be sticking close to history at the moment (or what he's chosen to accept as history), there is also a lot of room for drama, and Jordan does not let those moments pass by. In fact, it is these character interactions, more than the history, perhaps, that make the show so wonderful. We all know the bone-dry facts; what we want to know about are the motivations and behind-the-scenes events that led to those facts. Thankfully, Jordan has staged and written them absolutely beautifully.
Of course, none of this would come about without incredible actors, and The Borgias has one of the finest (and prettiest!) casts I have seen yet. At the head of the cast list is Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia/Pope Alexander VI. While the rest of the cast looks as if the casting director had taken paintings of the historical figures and used them as a reference (something I can appreciate, honestly), Irons is one of those who doesn't look like he was cast out of a painting. A quick Wiki search will show that the original Rodrigo Borgia did not look in the least like Irons. But does this matter? It does not, at all. What Irons has is gravitas and charisma - things that Rodrigo himself would likely have had, and like Rodrigo, he has them in spades. These things are far more important than an exact lookalike, especially for such a crucial role. Irons has the acting chops to pull off Rodrigo's character, and that, in the end, is what truly matters.
Next on this list are Francois Arnaud, who plays Cesare, and Holliday Grainger, who plays Lucrezia. These two are almost carbon copies of the paintings of the characters they portray, but it is their acting skill that really makes them into the characters they play. Arnaud, for instance, has an intensity that suits Cesare, and Grainger portrays Lucrezia with a sweetness of personality that makes her easy to love. And of course, these two have a chemistry that is absolutely combustible - a clear indication of the possible direction that Jordan plans to take the story about these two having had an incestuous relationship. At this early stage, it is still uncertain if they will or will not, but there is definitely enough material there to hint that it might.
The other Borgia siblings haven't played a very large role as of yet; in fact, I missed the presence of Gioffre, played by Aidan Alexander, in the third episode. Juan, played by David Oakes, is hard to miss - mostly because he's damn annoying. From the first episode I had the urge to strangle him, because he is, quite simply, a jerk. Of course, this might be because I'm biased to Cesare in all of this, but the way Juan is portrayed in this miniseries is very unlovable. The third episode, in particular, only highlights how much of a jerk he is.
While the above three mentioned actors play the most important roles in the series so far, there are many others who are also fantastic in their performances, though they do not often have the spotlight. For instance, Lotte Verbeek, who plays Giulia Farnese, Rodrigo's latest mistress, strikes an interesting balance between lover of the Pope and, so it would seem, Lucrezia's mentor. While the relationship between Verbeek's Giulia and Irons's Rodrigo is easy enough to appreciate, it is her moments with Grainger's Lucrezia that are absolutely electric. The tension between them is fascinating and uncomfortable at the same time; it's hard to decide whether to thank her for teaching Lucrezia about the world, or be suspicious about her motives.
And then there is Michelotto (or Micheletto in the show), played by Sean Harris. He is a hard man to read, and there are times when you have to wonder, when he interacts with Cesare, if he really is to be trusted. His face is almost blank, and it's hard to read what he's thinking. I don't know if this is a flaw of acting on Harris's part, but if it isn't, then he's playing Micheletto in a very, very interesting fashion. He claims loyalty to Cesare, and his actions seem to indicate that, but is he really that loyal? Again, this could be an indication where Jordan plans to take the relationship between Micheletto and Cesare towards the end, but it is still too early to be sure.
Production-wise, this series is absolutely beautiful. Then again, Showtime has a reputation to uphold: after The Tudors most everyone will be expecting something equally lavish, or more lavish, and The Borgias certainly delivers. The costumes are a joy to look at, with all the glamor and decadence associated with the Renaissance. While I wish there was a bit more art on display (mention is made of Leonardo in the third episode, and Pinturicchio is a minor character in his own right), there really is nothing to complain about right now. Everything is as beautiful and gorgeous as it should be.
All in all, this series is absolutely captivating, and so far, has not hit any sour notes in my book. In fact it's better than The Tudors, particularly since it is far more historically accurate, and does not lean on sex scenes every other scene to keep the story going. Not to say that there aren't any sex scenes in The Borgias, because there are. But it's not like they happen in every episode.
There's still so much more to tell, so much more to look forward to. And though I, like any history buff, already knows how this is going to end, The Borgias is still one of the best, most beautiful rides to that ending I've ever seen yet.
All of that has changed recently, however, with The Borgias, the latest miniseries by Showtime, who gave us the decadent historical epic The Tudors.
Those who know me personally also know that I am a huge Renaissance nut. I am not, however, indiscriminately in love with the period: I prefer that rather narrow window of time from the middle of the 15th century to the early years of the 16th. This was the time of Lorenzo Il Magnifico and Leonardo da Vinci. It was the time of the Spanish Reconquista, and the very beginning of the Inquisition. And most of all, this was the time of the Borgias.
A lot's been written about the Borgias, both historical and fictional - though in truth, many contemporary scholars are having a difficult time deciding which is which, because a lot of material written by contemporaries and immediately after could just as easily be propaganda against them. But whatever material the historians think is true is as dramatic and colorful as anything fiction can come up with. It takes a great effort, I think, to make the Borgias uninteresting.
Fortunately, Neil Jordan, creator, writer, and director of The Borgias, seems to understand this well enough. So far, the first three episodes of this series have struck an excellent balance between fact (or what Jordan has chosen to accept as fact) and fiction. A perfect example of this comes in the form of readings from Johann Burchard's records while he was working at the Vatican. In essence, he made elaborate lists of items and money that the Pope acquired or gave away during his term, and his records (still accessible today - if you can read Latin, of course) definitely informed, to a certain degree, Jordan's interpretation of certain events. These readings are often done in scenes when Burchard himself (played by Simon McBurney) is present, writing things down in his record.
But for all that Jordan appears to be sticking close to history at the moment (or what he's chosen to accept as history), there is also a lot of room for drama, and Jordan does not let those moments pass by. In fact, it is these character interactions, more than the history, perhaps, that make the show so wonderful. We all know the bone-dry facts; what we want to know about are the motivations and behind-the-scenes events that led to those facts. Thankfully, Jordan has staged and written them absolutely beautifully.
Of course, none of this would come about without incredible actors, and The Borgias has one of the finest (and prettiest!) casts I have seen yet. At the head of the cast list is Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia/Pope Alexander VI. While the rest of the cast looks as if the casting director had taken paintings of the historical figures and used them as a reference (something I can appreciate, honestly), Irons is one of those who doesn't look like he was cast out of a painting. A quick Wiki search will show that the original Rodrigo Borgia did not look in the least like Irons. But does this matter? It does not, at all. What Irons has is gravitas and charisma - things that Rodrigo himself would likely have had, and like Rodrigo, he has them in spades. These things are far more important than an exact lookalike, especially for such a crucial role. Irons has the acting chops to pull off Rodrigo's character, and that, in the end, is what truly matters.
Next on this list are Francois Arnaud, who plays Cesare, and Holliday Grainger, who plays Lucrezia. These two are almost carbon copies of the paintings of the characters they portray, but it is their acting skill that really makes them into the characters they play. Arnaud, for instance, has an intensity that suits Cesare, and Grainger portrays Lucrezia with a sweetness of personality that makes her easy to love. And of course, these two have a chemistry that is absolutely combustible - a clear indication of the possible direction that Jordan plans to take the story about these two having had an incestuous relationship. At this early stage, it is still uncertain if they will or will not, but there is definitely enough material there to hint that it might.
The other Borgia siblings haven't played a very large role as of yet; in fact, I missed the presence of Gioffre, played by Aidan Alexander, in the third episode. Juan, played by David Oakes, is hard to miss - mostly because he's damn annoying. From the first episode I had the urge to strangle him, because he is, quite simply, a jerk. Of course, this might be because I'm biased to Cesare in all of this, but the way Juan is portrayed in this miniseries is very unlovable. The third episode, in particular, only highlights how much of a jerk he is.
While the above three mentioned actors play the most important roles in the series so far, there are many others who are also fantastic in their performances, though they do not often have the spotlight. For instance, Lotte Verbeek, who plays Giulia Farnese, Rodrigo's latest mistress, strikes an interesting balance between lover of the Pope and, so it would seem, Lucrezia's mentor. While the relationship between Verbeek's Giulia and Irons's Rodrigo is easy enough to appreciate, it is her moments with Grainger's Lucrezia that are absolutely electric. The tension between them is fascinating and uncomfortable at the same time; it's hard to decide whether to thank her for teaching Lucrezia about the world, or be suspicious about her motives.
And then there is Michelotto (or Micheletto in the show), played by Sean Harris. He is a hard man to read, and there are times when you have to wonder, when he interacts with Cesare, if he really is to be trusted. His face is almost blank, and it's hard to read what he's thinking. I don't know if this is a flaw of acting on Harris's part, but if it isn't, then he's playing Micheletto in a very, very interesting fashion. He claims loyalty to Cesare, and his actions seem to indicate that, but is he really that loyal? Again, this could be an indication where Jordan plans to take the relationship between Micheletto and Cesare towards the end, but it is still too early to be sure.
Production-wise, this series is absolutely beautiful. Then again, Showtime has a reputation to uphold: after The Tudors most everyone will be expecting something equally lavish, or more lavish, and The Borgias certainly delivers. The costumes are a joy to look at, with all the glamor and decadence associated with the Renaissance. While I wish there was a bit more art on display (mention is made of Leonardo in the third episode, and Pinturicchio is a minor character in his own right), there really is nothing to complain about right now. Everything is as beautiful and gorgeous as it should be.
All in all, this series is absolutely captivating, and so far, has not hit any sour notes in my book. In fact it's better than The Tudors, particularly since it is far more historically accurate, and does not lean on sex scenes every other scene to keep the story going. Not to say that there aren't any sex scenes in The Borgias, because there are. But it's not like they happen in every episode.
There's still so much more to tell, so much more to look forward to. And though I, like any history buff, already knows how this is going to end, The Borgias is still one of the best, most beautiful rides to that ending I've ever seen yet.
