The Borgias: The Complete First Season

 

 

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I thought The Borgias was excellent. I would give it four and a half stars only because I agree with the criticism that there are too many gratuitous sex scenes. We get the idea already, the pope had a mistress, Cesare and Juan were sleeping with their brother's wife, etc.

From the first episode, with its long shots of processions and so on, I realized The Borgias would be boring for people not interested in the period or at least with history in general, but if one is interested in either I don't see how you couldn't enjoy it. The sets and wardrobes are amazing. The production is lavish. The acting is great. The casting is good. Jeremy Irons is superb--the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) changes in his expressions indicate his thoughts, mood and burden. His is a very convincing, though not very spiritual, Alexander Sextus. Cesare's performance is excellent and the portrayal is refreshingly sympathetic, yet still nuanced. All the performances manage to exhibit economically the psychology of the people. The dialogue, formal language and diction are compelling and entertaining (love all the conditional tenses).

I would wish they could have followed history a little more closely but understand the need for compression, and nine episodes for two years is already generous. I've read a lot on the period but this helped me to get some things that didn't sink in from reading books, like just how monumental the invasion of Charles VIII was for the Italian psyche. How it inspired Alexander to increase the power of the papal states. How it affected the thought of Machiavelli and others. How it helped give birth to the balance-of-power concept. The series also conveys how much the Borgias were looked down on due to their Spanish roots and how the children had to deal with the stigma not only of being illegitimate but also of being the children of a courtesan. The movie also makes it sink in how long Cesare was a cardinal--and how much he hated it--before he became the infamous Duke Valentino.

Looking forward to the next season.

There are many small historical inaccuracies for the sake of compression and drama. One I would like to point out is that it was Lodovico il Moro of Milan who proposed to Charles VIII that he assert his rights to the kingdom of Naples; Ludovico did so because he was worried that King Ferrante of Naples might assert the rights of Ludovico's nephew to the dukedom of Milan; it is, however, also true that della Rovere went into exile in France due to his hatred and fear of the Borgias and further encouraged Charles VIII to invade Italy.

The old French King (Charles VIII) is a great character but was actually only twenty-four at the time.

Also Machiavelli did not become Florentine Secretary until 4 years after the French invasion, at which time Florence was a republic.

Lucrezia was only thirteen when she married Giovanni Sforza.

The title of the series, The Borgia's - the complete series one, holds the promise of at least one other season to come; I for one, welcome the continuation of this series.

I found the story engaging, the acting superb and the period costumes and settings, engrossing.

Given the historical record represented, one wonder how the Catholic church ever survived. While this is only the story of the Borgia's, several other Bishops of Rome, over the centuries, were just as loose in keeping faith with God's 10 commandments.

In my opinion, this is excellent viewing, very graphic in areas, not for the squeamish, or those that are shocked by open sexuality; the series is definitely meant for a mature audience.

Im a history major, but am not actually familiar with this story in detail. Nevertheless I am happy with the show. Quite good. A nice new Sopranos.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific acting and very entertaining
I didn't catch any of The Borgias on TV, however, I thought I'd purchase the first season after reading many good reviews. Watched the entire season in one sitting. Read more

Published 3 months ago by kate

5.0 out of 5 stars entertainment
great entertainment value without the commercials Fast forwarded credits between segments or take a coffee break . Basically covers drama and action movies . Read more

Published 4 months ago by deomedes

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Boght it for $3 (1st show on itunes) and was hooked. Bought the whole season.
This is something I will want to watch over again so I will surely buy season 1 in... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Stefan Landry

5.0 out of 5 stars Never Bored with The Borgias
Excellently produced and acted series about the Renaissance Borgias. Though the writers guess at the thoughts of the main figures and sometimes the connection of events, no doubt... Read more

Published 7 months ago by JCS

5.0 out of 5 stars Sumptuous and good fun
This gorgeous soap is riveting thanks to Jeremy Irons in the lead. I also love the rest of the cast like Joanne Whalley and Colm Feore. Read more

Published 8 months ago by lotara

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow...What a Series
I must say....sat down to watch the 1st epsiode and was so hooked on it couldn't wait till the next week. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Jasmine's Mom

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic new series
The Borgias is absolutely fabulous. The acting is top-notch from everyone. We all know that Jeremy Irons is a great actor and now we also know that François Arnaud (Cesare) and... Read more

Published 10 months ago by DBilodeau

1.0 out of 5 stars Very hard to get into.
The Borgias - The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]
I didn't find it engaging at all, in fact I was quite disappointed by this series, considering Jeremy Irons is in it.

Published 10 months ago by Mark Twain

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