The Borgias 1981 - Complete Mini Series on DVD

Runtime:50 min (10 episodes)

Released:1981

Summary

Historical story of the ruthless Rodrigo Borgia a man who intends to become Pope and who will not let anything stand in his way.

Borgia tells of violent crimes, subtle poisons, power, corruption, incest, (and) has, in the foreground, a beautiful, sinister and dangerous woman -Lucrezia Borgia.

The archetypal poisoner, the wicked woman.

That was the image Mark Shivas confesses drew him to the subject of the Borgia family' and was the inspiration for a lavish ten-part BBC costume drama starring Italian actor Adolfo Celi as Rodrigo Borgia, father of seven illegitimate offspring, the most famous of whom were his son Cesare Borgia (the basis of Machiavelli's ‘The Prince’) and daughter Lucrezia.

The facts surrounding the Borgias have always been clouded by rumour, propaganda and abuse although many feel that history has not been altogether completely accurate or particularly kind to them partly perhaps because they were Spanish and in a position of importance in Italy.

Rodrigo had become Vice-chancellor of the Church at the age of 28, appointed by his uncle, Pope Calixtus III.

Nepotistic appointments of this type were characteristic of the age and the position made him an extremely wealthy man.

On the death of Pope Innocent VIII there were three candidates for the holy seat and while there was never substantive proof of simony (the ecclesiastical crime of paying for offices or positions in the hierarchy of a church), the rumour was that Rodrigo Borgia succeeded in buying the largest number of votes.

Nevertheless, he was elected and assumed the name of Alexander VI.

But Rodrigo was surrounded by both treacherous allies and outright enemies.

Ferdinand I, King of Naples, allied himself with Florence, Milan, and Venice. He appealed to Spain for help but Spain turned him down anxious to stay on good terms with the papacy in order to obtain the title to the newly discovered continent of America.

Actor Alfred Burke, who played the role of Giulliano della Rovere, an enemy of the Borgias who was one of the other two cardinals who lost out on the papacy to Rodrigo, observed; 'They were all gangsters in their way.

One has to get rid of the idea of a churchman; one has to see them as political figures.

They all knew they were on the make; it was no secret-like big business or grand crime today.

In crude terms it was a matter of "Whatever I do, I have to get the better of you".'......................

Cast

• Oliver Cotton ...  Cesare Borgia (10 episodes, 1981)

•  Maurice O'Connell ...  Michelotto (10 episodes, 1981)

•  Louis Selwyn ...  Jofre Borgia (10 episodes, 1981)

•  Adolfo Celi ...  Rodrigo Borgia (9 episodes, 1981)

•  Anne-Louise Lambert ...  Lucrezia Borgia (9 episodes, 1981)

•  Ralph Nossek ...  Johann Burchard (9 episodes, 1981)

•  Eleanor David ...  Sancia (7 episodes, 1981)

•  Barbara Shelley ...  Vannozza Canale (7 episodes, 1981)

•  Alfred Burke ...  Giuliano della Rovere (6 episodes, 1981)

•  Kevin Lloyd ...  Ramiro (6 episodes, 1981)

•  Clive Merrison ...  Ascanio Sforza (6 episodes, 1981)

•  Martin Potter ...  Paolo Orsini (6 episodes, 1981)

•  Peter Benson ...  Gaspare Pato (5 episodes, 1981)

•  Nicholas Le Prevost ...  Baglioni (5 episodes, 1981)