Borgia – Faith and Fear, Season One

I think that it is fair to say that the first thing that we think of or comes to mind when we hear the name Borgia, is evil and intrigue, or something along those lines. Their story is fascinating and it keeps coming back from time to time. In recent years, for example, we had the films “Los Borgia” (2006), from Spain, and Lucrezia Borgia (2002), from Italy. More fascinating, however, is that two TV series were done in 2011 about this unforgettable family, one of them being the riveting and highly addictive “Borgia – Faith and Fear,” a no holds barred look at the rise (so far) of what has been referred to as history’s first crime family. Or, as the DVD’s jacket indicates: “Before the Mafia, there was the Borgia.”

Created by veteran writer/producer Tom Fontana, the 3-disc DVD set is divided in twelve one-hour exciting episodes helmed by different directors, all maintaining the essence of Fontana’s vision. It stars an international cast that includes John Doman as Rodrigo Borgia -- the head of the family and future Pope Alexander VI --, as well as Isolda Dychauk as Lucrezia Borgia, Mark Ryder as Cesare Borgia, and Stanley Weber as Juan Borgia. The series also includes Art Malik as Francesc Gacet, the Pope’s closest advisor; Assumpta Serna as Vannozza Catanei’s, the mother of the young Borgias; and Marta Gastini as Giulia Farnese, the Pope’s in-house lover.

The story starts in 1492, when Italy is divided into ten kingdoms, with the Papal States at its center, ruled by Pope Innocent VIII. Rome, on the other hand, is divided into three territories: Orsini, Colonna, and Borgia. At this point, Rodrigo Borgia is a Cardinal with ambition of replacing Pope Innocent VIII when he dies. Rodrigo sends his sons Cesare and Juan to manipulate the Colonnas and the Orsinis, trying to clear the way for himself in the future, telling his sons wisdom snippets like, “Sleeping with another man’s wife must be based on her husband’s lack of character, not the woman’s lust,” and “Before beating a man senseless, learn his family’s history – the Colonnas invented vendetta,” or “The value of a human life, is worth far less than its weight in gold!” Under these conditions the rest of the episodes begin to take shape, and we see Rodrigo Borgia playing politics (internal and geographical) in Rome, so that he can become the next Pope, facing fierce opposition from Cardinal Guiliano Della Rovere (Dejan Cukic) and Cardinal Sforza (Christian McKay, who magnificently steals his scenes). Of course, after much politicking and backstabbing, Rodrigo Borgia becomes Alexander VI, urging Sforza to say, “Let the word go forth: the throne of Saint Peter can be had for two pieces of marzipan,” and another cardinal to add, “We have fallen into the mouth of the wolf; he will swallow us all.” And, although Rodrigo swears that he wants to forge a new church, “pure and honest,” and fight corruption, he will learn – if he didn’t already know – that the alliances and favors that made him a Pope, are alliances and favors that need to be paid… with interests and more. The rest of the episodes deal with all the issues that the Borgias, as a whole, have to deal with to stay at the top, to protect themselves and Rome.

I have no doubts that “Borgia – Faith and Fear” will be compared with Showtime’s “The Borgias,” starring Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, which premiered about the same time. And that is fair, because you will have your preferences and will try to see which one is better. Having viewed both series, all I can say is that they both basically narrate the same story, with few points in common and different production values. In the end, it is the true historians which will affirm which one is the one closer to the facts. However, I do prefer “Borgia – Faith and Fear,” mostly because of its shocking and right-to-the-gut narrative, the so-called trade marks that Tom Fontana injects into the series, namely great dialogue, brutal and graphic violence, and abundant nudity (male and female). After all, these are the traits that come to mind when we read about the Borgias. The other series is soft compared to “Borgia – Faith and Fear,” and, as it has been said elsewhere, with good editing it can probably be shown on regular TV. The 3-disc DVD edition, in addition to the twelve episodes, also includes a making-of documentary. (France/Germany, 2011, color, 690 minutes plus additional material). Reviewed on February 29, 2012. Lionsgate

Cinema e Medioevo is a website displaying chronologically Borgia filmography.

To purchase DVD, click here or on image above.