Borgia - The Complete First Series

With several versions concerning the notorious European papal family on the market, one is spoiled for choice. This version by Oliver Hirschbiegel (Downfall) has it all – from impressive costumes to opulent settings, from more twists than a labyrinth to, well, some dodgy accents!

Produced by the award-winning creator of OZ, Tom Fontana, and the writing team behind The Wire, this 13 episodes historical romp focuses more on the human interaction (make that lust, incest, violence and murder) as opposed to major political plot lines (make that intrigue, violence, murder, faith and redemption). Though of course, there’s plenty of politics, too.

Set in the last decade of the 15th century, this French-German Renaissance drama charters a crumbling archaic Rome against the rising era of enlightenment – the age of Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Botticelli.
But it was also the age of Machiavelli, a time of extreme lawlessness and depravity. Corruption was still present on a regular basis, as were brutal executions. Warning: this series contains GRAPHICALLY depicted scenes of executions – making the 15 Cert somewhat of a surprise.

At the heart of this world order was the Vatican, and at its centre was a Spanish cardinal whose quest for power would eventually propel him to become Pope Alexander VI: Rodrigo Borgia (John Doman). His ruthless reign – backed by his clan – would eventually hold sway over the entire world.

Equally ruthless and ambitious were his four children – Juan (Stanley Weber), an idle and unscrupulous predator; Cesare (Mark Ryder), a troubled soul torn between the Catholic faith and his violent nature; Goffredo (Adam Misik), an innocent child; and above all his illegitimate daughter Lucrezia (Isolda Dychauk), a young girl discovering the power of female sexuality. Of all the Borgias, it is Lucrezia who gained lasting notoriety.

The series chronicles the rise to power of Rodrigo Borgia and his clan, and we learn that although deeply devoted to his faith, he was anything but opposed to the pleasures of the flesh. In each of the 13 episodes, the plotting and conspiracies of Rodrigo’s fellow cardinals and representatives take a different turn. Particularly impressive is Art Malik as Francesc Gacet, Rodrigo’s lifelong friend as concierge. Another piece of inspired casting is Udo Kier – cult icon of oh so many 70’s exploitation films – in the role of Pope Innocent VIII. How is that for audacity!

However, it’s the fierce sibling rivalries that set a hundred sub-plots in motion, and while the entire cast delivers decent acting it’s really John Dorman as Rodrigo who is the undisputed star here.
Things are not helped by the fact that especially Mark Ryder as Cesare looks about as Spanish as Charlton Heston’s ‘Mike Vargas’ in Touch Of Evil, while Stanley Weber as his brother Juan is much more believable in the looks department. Another peculiarity is all the different accents which, for whatever the reason, are not dubbed to give the impression of a unified language/accent. As a result, we get to hear Isolda Dychauk speak with a distinct German accent (not very convincing when you play Lucrezia Borgia), while actor Mark Ryder originates from Northern Ireland - thus his Cesare speaks with accent-free English. In between, we have Czech accents, Italian accents, French accents… take your pick. Then again, the series was shot in the Czech Republic, so that explains some of the Czech accents.
For every plus point, there is a minus point to the series. While the cinematography is stunning and the costumes lush, the dialogue more often than not lacks the finesse and antique feel one might expect. “Don’t give me this crap” and a liberal use of the F-word are just two examples of dialogue that was without doubt not in circulation during the 15th century, let alone used by a papal family!

Borgia – The Complete Season 1 comes as a four disc DVD and Blu-ray set, but it’s only the Blu-ray version that contains the following bonus material: ‘Behind the scenes – Secreats of Borgia’ and ‘Borgia Diaries (Cast interviews).