The drama from Neil Jordan will end its run with its June 16 episode, which will now serve as series finale, Showtime announced Wednesday. Borgias is one of the few remaining holdovers from Robert Greenblatt's era as head of Showtime. Who is the father of Lucrezia Borgia's baby? Named Lucrezia, the baby girl was the daughter of Vannozza Cattanei, a Roman woman noted for her beauty.
Nobody believed for one moment, however, that the child's father was Vannozza's husband, as Vannozza had been Borgia's favorite mistress for many years.
What killed King of Naples in Borgias? After the wedding the royal couple decided to leave Naples and moved to Somma-Vesuvius. Here the king was struck with an illness and died within a few days, on 7 September , a little over a year after his restoration. He was succeeded by his uncle Frederick, legitimate brother of his father, Alfonso II. What happened to the Borgias? In , Borgia withdrew from public life and turned to religion. It is speculated that her withdrawal was in response to the news that Rodrigo, her son by Alfonso of Aragon, had died.
On June 24, , ten days after giving birth to a stillborn girl, Borgia died at the age of What did Rodrigo Borgia die of? I think Borgia was better in terms of accuracy and reflecting the time, but The Borgias was better in settings and good costumes. So why did Juan get everything if he was the 2nd son of a commoner? His mistress was also active in the political affairs of the Vatican, which did not sit well with the traditionalists.
Sure they were corrupt, but they had their traditions. I agree Della Rovere was a generic oversimplified character, and they should have played more on his French allegiances. Della Rovere wanted the papacy and France supported him because they wanted to reclaim Naples, they just got outplayed and outbid by those that aligned themselves with Borgia, like Ascenio Szorza and the deep pockets of the Medici. I would like to have seen how it all played out, especially with their version of Della Rovere.
How he would have manipulated it for Piccolomini to be the next Pope, and then himself. I too wish there had been more of the series. But there will be more tales of Borgias in time… there always are. I agree with your assessment completely.
My only issue with BFF is the horrible acting. John Doman delivers his lines so horribly at times. I have only seen BFF. On Netflix. I was suffering withdrawal from Marco Polo, which me and wife watched bit seasons in two weeks. It is so gripping! And behold. Watched every episode in 3 weeks. And will watch again. For me, no expert in anything but my trade. In content and context. And I felt pain at finishing it.
But , it pulls you into these lives, times and Cesare has you rooting for his accomplishments, from his on spot cunning. The last episode brought tears for both their ending. I hope anyone here can refer any others on this excellent level? I find I have exactly the same perspective as ExUrbe; too much accuracy would make the story unwatchable. For me, the biggest inaccuracies I notice are the teeth. In NEARLY all these types of shows, teeth are 21st century white at a time when having any teeth left past the age 30 was remarkable.
Do I want to watch my heroes and heroines with nasty teeth? No, accuracy be damned. Our perception of attractiveness has changed, and I am not insulted when actors conform to modern definitions in order to relate how comely their characters were perceived by their contemporaries. The positives of both far outweigh negatives…which for me are all due to the medium itself.
I think his work is competent and dynamic. Somewhat reminiscent of another pair of Johns: Huston and Hurt. This article, and all the posts following have cleared up quite of a bit of my questions. I noticed immediately the question of which brother was older. I also questioned the pine cone in the square. Thanks for those tidbits. They do help bring flavor. I have enjoyed many other series and mini-series from this period, and surrounding periods.
But also other historical periods…but for the same reasons Rome Spartacus Camelot Vikings. I think neither Borgia or The Borgias are over-the-top in regards to sex and violence. Contrarily, I would say that I prefer those elements being included somewhat graphically…as an historical lesson. I had not even considered the inverted logging saw as a method of torture until I saw it here. If the camera were to pan away and just include some sounds of anguish, it would be left to the imagination of the viewer, which has an entirely 21st century view of torture.
These types of scenes are not taken to the lengths of graphic horror movies or pornography…though viewer discretion is advised. So, if you are offended by the explicitness of these scenes, you are free to exercise your discretion and choose another show that fits within your values.
Xena must have lived to be years old to interact with the characters she meets. I still watch because I became a fan of Lucy Lawless after watching Spartacus series. Forget the fact that they paint Leonardo as a swash-buckling action hero.
I am an Italian from Rome and I must really say that The Borgias series have made the Roman and Napoletan atmosphere way more spectacular, credential, stronger than Borgia series where you cant feel that real Roman air and urbanism. And one other major element that I felt was very poor in Borgia series where chosen faces for the historical figures. I study art all my life and I am well educated about the looks of people from that period. Plus here and there you can also hear accents in The Borgias, not only in Borgia.
But I dont agree that you should compare historicity of these both series, ofcourse The Borgias have many fictional moments, but that is a necessity, even in the great HBO series Rome they had to put some fictional stories to have a certain linear structure of the story, because in history you cant never follow ones persons story but seeing many other elements at once and that makes the view very confusing in a video.
Maybe Iam criticizing Borgia series too harshly but I just feel that they miss the overall energy of people and Rome and possibly its mostly about the chosen actors that dont convince me and they have a lack of energy in their roles. Which is a shame and paradox when most of the actors in Borgia are Europeans. I played as extras soldier in Borgia in the Pragues studio and I saw that most soldiers were Czech people and using czechs as Romans is like using a scandinavian man as an African man, they are soo different in their mentallity that not even acting would be that convincing.
American would do much better as an Italian than a czech person. Its about the energy thats all wrong. Thank you very much for such an informative post! It was eloquent, witty and extremely interesting. I thought it was very good. I thought it was pretty good, not outstanding but not poor either. I think it was very understated and controlled. That made me feel a little rocky in the first episodes, which may be what is making some people feel uncomfortable with the acting? Once I got used to it I thought the acting was above par for TV.
Thank you for your informative article. I must say that I was a huge fan of the Showtime series. And I understand that was such a large budget comes better actors, costumes, sets, writers etc. But the acting on BFF is some of the worst I have ever seen. I have looked at the series often for the last three years trying to get past the first 20 minutes of episode one season one. I always find myself turning it off due to frustration with the poor acting.
So today I stopped watching episode one and moved onto the second one. I have to tell you even though they may have elaborated more on history etc. The acting just sucks. But I will try based on your review. Keep blogging. I first watched the Showtime Borgia when it came out.
I just discovered the European version and find it far superior than the SHO version. I too enjoy history and found that the European version was more accurate, and believable. I was surprised however that the European version suggests that Juan was dispatched by his sister…. Finally I have been binge watching the European version often viewing 8 hours at time….
Thanks Netflix. Having watched The Borgias religiously as new episodes were released on Sky Atlantic I can safely say that it gave me just the tasting I needed to spark an interest into the threats, debauchery, and everything else that goes with the delights of the Renaissance period. It was only recently, after finally cracking down on picking up the history books again, I realised that my craving for more was still not satiated, and after a search on Netflix — it seems I have indeed been sated!
One thing I will say though, is thank you for confirmation of my suspicions regarding the differences between the two shows, as well as clearing up some questions of my own! I like the Euro one better. The shooting is very dark, which may put some people off, especially in season 1. I think they were trying to get the feel of the time, with no electric light, but not sure it makes for the best TV.
But despite that, the story and development were far better. The script was also far superior, although a bit wordy at times. The sets were less fancy, but felt more realistic, so you felt like you were in the time period, which is more unto me than a fancy, perfect set. The acting was good, too, better than the American version, I found. Parts of the show are funny. In season 1 of the Euro version, Cesare is like a tortured teenager, not sexy, etc.
But his character development is much better, and he gets more attractive starting in season 2. Thanks for the blog. Just finished all 38 episodes and loved every minute….. Thanks to all with such interesting input!
However, the story and characters are completely different. I think the Showtime one is a bit wishy washy to be honest. The BBC one is more in keeping to what I had read about the family, whereas this later version I did not recognise much at all and was a tad disappointed. Oliver Cotton makes a superb Cesare in my opinion and well worth watching.
Oh my. What an incoherent stream of consciousness here. D Have you even read the article you comment on? At least you could have googled how to write the name of Giulia Farnese properly…. Tastes may differ, surely. Because you know, any single episode of this series contains more true historical facts, characters and details than all 3 seasons of The Borgias put together. Why do you waste hours of your life watching anything you cannot neither understand nor enjoy, and then make yourselves ridiculous by writing absurd and ignorant comments?
Oh, please deliver me from this terrible oppressive marriage, help me Cesare. The two men duel, DUEL! Oh, you killed mu husband, you murdered him! Go be a nun you stupid woman, I am sick of your moaning! I do remember being frustrated by that subplot myself. It just felt very ahistorical, not the actions or reactions either a Renaissance man or a Renaissance woman would take or have in such a situation. I had hoped they would make her more active and in control of her life.
Loved the analysis. I am just finishing up the first season of Borgias: Faith and Fear. His performance is like an American Pope. Thats quite an assumption youve got there mate.
I, for one, am certainly not american. I was reading the Wikipedia article on Carlo Gesualdo, and was reminded of the example you used here about Orsini killing his wife when he finds her in the arms of another man, and how this was considered a perfectly acceptable reaction by the mores of the time. The court found him innocent of any crime. Within 4 years he had married again, this time the niece of the Duke of Ferrara.
The accent was totally jarring, as was the delivery. I wanted to like it. I enjoyed knowing that there would be more of the historical characters featured. Sumana Harihareswara said:. But the key stories, and how history influences the characters and situations, ring true to me. I loved the in-depth descriptions you give here along with your personal reasoning, all well stated.
The idea that for all of our past, humans have been cordial and honorable and even sexually inactive but tender when it happens all seemed ludicrous to me so I for one prefer a more realistic telling of past events and lifestyles even if some depictions are too difficult for me to watch. Thank you again for not just stating which is a bit more historically realistic of the two mentioned shows but also for fully explaining the reasoning behind your statements so that people cam clearly see which wpuld be better suited for their personal tastes, your writing is superb and I hope to read many more enlightening posts from you.
As far as the negative comments some have made, a Queen using the floor as a toilet for example, it clearly shows those who respond with personal attacks or obvious outrage are just taking life too personally, who cares is a Queen or a President or whomever in the past relieved themselves in a hallway or their reasoning for doing so, it has no bearing on how good a leader someone was or what their country fought through to get where they are in the world, as we all know, most kingdoms and countries and leaders of all past generations have likely done if not historically proven horrific things to others including ,any of their own citizenship.
Sky Simone said:. The contrast in the 2 shows is massive. Not relevant to my compare, but a comment all the same, the cast of the Showtime version are much more attractive. Actors playing Cesare and Lucrezia are absolutely stunning. The guy playing Cesare in the Netflix version is hideous.. How are we to know which is more historically accurate?
It seems a LOT of the teachings or writings on Lucrezia are based on rumors.. Was she sleeping with her father? Was she sleeping with her brother?
Showtime presents Lucrezia as an absolute whore, making out with her father, climbing into his bed, and having professed incestuous love for her brother Cesare.
The foreign version has more detail and information about the election of this pope, whereas the Showtime version glossed over this and I thought it began with him already being pope? So far in the foreign version there has been nothing of the noblelady that became a nun. Lucrezia has also expressed that she wants to be a nun. Showtime he is a violent rapist, and she claims he never consumated the marriage to get an annulment.
The netflix version he is a kind man who loves her, and his first wife died but he cannot get it up. I am trying to figure out if Cesare really had a son he sacrificed to get his dad elected, or if at least there were rumors that he did, or if it is totally made up by the show… anyone know?
Yet somehow, I find myself binging it. Leni said:. I really love this blog entry. The way you describe both series is entertaining as well as informative. I read this article a few years ago, and some of the comments about how to adapt history into something watchers can relate true was truly influencial for me. I would love to make this article available in my language. Would it be ok for me to translate and publish your article for non profit of course with proper credits to you and a link to your website?
Best regards, Kal. Click here to cancel reply. Search for: Search. Here are two sample scenes that demonstrate what I mean: Borgia: Faith and Fear, episode 1. Be shocked! Even Borgias. There are other age-heirarchy-related differences as well. Not a safe seat. Brotherly resentment brewing in the Showtime version. But what about historical accuracy?
See this real Renaissance portrait of a wealthy lady? And this is in the south, centuries later. The Showtime version of Lucrezia Borgia, her childlike innocence successfully communicated by this lovely pink gown, which she never would have worn because weak dyes are for the poor. Communication can be more important than accuracy. Both series show off their renditions of Old St. Marius Gedminas said: AM. These posts are amazing!
Please, never stop blogging. Lewis said: PM. Bob said: PM. Kat Slonaker said: PM. Rose said: AM. I agree! The Pope sounds like he is from Chicago. Paul Joldersma said: PM. I literally laughed out loud. Devan said: PM. Ex Urbe said: AM. Victoria said: PM. Ex Urbe said: PM. Lisa A. Penree said: AM. They toyed with real theories much more than their competition. There was plenty of material left I think he just was tired of the show.
But Netflix gave Julia spunk and humor and also stayed true to her age. And to this day the conversation between Lucrezia and Julia during their first meeting stands out more in the Showtime version.
Same for Lucrezia. I think both actresses are lovely. Grainger is stunning and plays up young manipulative girl quite well, but ultimately her character devolves into the more salacious rumors and becomes a kind of alternate Julia, where her ethereal beauty is used for nefarious deeds.
She was beautiful and full of lust and ambition, but also became a respected woman and a formidable figure like Julia. The Netflix version had more fun with his hubris and his true accomplishments off and on the battlefield. You truly get the sense that this man shaped the world around him.
Showtime knew what they had with Caterina. Honestly that woman could and should have her own show. And they also struck gold with the actor they cast as Micheletto, and they had more fun with their villains less gray areas despite this being a show about a notorious crime family. But I never mustered up the same amount of emotion for most of the secondary characters in Showtime as I did in the Netflix version Alessandro Farnese is great like you said, and Vanozza and della Rovere in particular evoked strong responses.
During the pre-production phase the two teams, realizing they both wanted to tackle the same story at the same time, met up and shared their visions for a unified Borgia project. Unfortunately, Showtime had a very different agenda than Netflix, so all of the splendor and commercial gravitas went to the historically weaker show.
Hence the sex, gore, and peak into the juxtaposition of faith and sin, bursting creativity and strict social structure. But, for lack of a better word, the costumes in Netflix are more real. When I think of Showtime I recall individual costumes, sumptuous settings, like my mind has lit on a moving painting. But if someone told me tomorrow I needed to prepare myself to go back in time and I could choose one show for research?
I loved reading your take on both shows! The accent John Doman did not bother me one bit, well maybe a little, but as an ESL person I was more worried about it being a period piece more so than a piece of showmanship hence Showtime being behind it. I could go on and on about Cesare in Netflix, but I do not want this comment to become a Fifty Shades of Grey analogy. Again, thank you for your well versed comparison of the shows, it makes me feel glad that I watched the one I watched.
The Borgias featuring Jeremy Iron was so painful to watch. Its got the gloss but it ends there. I agree. I found some merit in the Showtime version, mostly because of the younger cast and gloss, but I hands down prefer the European version. I hear ya. John Doman definitely had limited range, and I know at first his American dialect was off putting. I do think seeing him broach the character revealed just how ill suited Jeremy Irons was to the role, though. Irons is a talented actor, but Doman fit the role better in terms of physical presence and historicity.
I never bought Irons and the world created around him was sumptuous but ultimately hollow. And as someone who loved Holliday Grainger, I have to agree that Isolda really made the role her own.
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