The Borgias (1981 TV Series)
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - The Borgias (1981 TV Series)
OR:
The Borgias (1981 TV Series) on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

''The Borgias'' is a
British television Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection ...
drama serial produced by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 1981, in association with the Second Network of the Italian broadcaster
RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
. The series, produced by
Mark Shivas Mark Shivas (24 April 1938 – 11 October 2008) was a British television producer, film producer and executive. Shivas was born in Banstead in Surrey. His father was an English teacher; his mother was a librarian. He attended Whitgift School i ...
, was set in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
during the 15th century and told the story of
Rodrigo Borgia Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...
(played by
Adolfo Celi Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian ...
) – the future Pope
Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...
– and his family, including his son
Cesare Cesare, the Italian language, Italian version of the given name Caesar (title), Caesar, may refer to: Given name * Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria (1738–1794), an Italian philosopher and politician * Cesare Airaghi (1840–1896), Italian colonel ...
(
Oliver Cotton Oliver Charles Cotton (born 20 June 1944) is an English actor, comedian and playwright, known for his prolific work on stage, TV and film. He remains best known for his role as Cesare Borgia in the BBC's 1981 drama series '' The Borgias''. Early ...
) and daughter Lucrezia (
Anne Louise Lambert Anne-Louise Lambert (born 21 August 1955) (also credited as Anne Lambert) is an Australian actress whose acting career began with her role in ''Number 96'' in 1973. She is well known and quite popular since her role of Miranda in the Peter Wei ...
). The 10 episodes follow events from 1492 when Rodrigo is elected pope and concludes in 1507 with Cesare's violent death.


Reception

Intended to be a gripping historical melodrama in the same vein as the earlier BBC series, ''
I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Roma ...
'', and despite credible locations and excellent cinematography, the series was not a critical success. The BBC screened the series at the same time as ITV's lavish ''
Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...
'', and critics contrasted the high production values and stellar cast of ''Brideshead'' with ''The Borgias'' seeming focus on frequent graphic violence and nudity. The Sicilian-born actor
Adolfo Celi Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian ...
, well known to have a heavy Sicilian accent, is said to have had much difficulty enunciating his lines. His thickly-accented English proved difficult for viewers to follow. The series was released on DVD in the UK by
2 Entertain 2 Entertain (stylized as 2 , entertain) is a British video and music publisher founded in September 2004 by the merger of BBC Video and Video Collection International in 2004. Under CEO Richard Green, the company operated as a joint venture b ...
in 2016.


Cast


See also

*''
The Cleopatras ''The Cleopatras'' is a 1983 BBC Television eight-part historical drama serial. Written by Philip Mackie, it is set in Ancient Egypt during the latter part of the Ptolemaic Dynasty with an emphasis on the Cleopatras. Intended to be the '' I, ...
''


External links

* 1980s British drama television series 1981 British television series debuts 1981 British television series endings BBC television dramas British historical television series House of Borgia Television series set in the Renaissance Television series set in the 15th century Television series set in the 16th century Television shows set in Italy Television shows set in Vatican City Films about popes Cultural depictions of Cesare Borgia Cultural depictions of Lucrezia Borgia Cultural depictions of Pope Alexander VI English-language television shows {{BBC-tv-prog-stub