BORGIA {BORGIA: FAITH AND FEAR}: 1492 {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this historical drama series set in Renaissance Italy about the notorious Borgia family and its patriarch, Pope Alexander VI. In this episode, set in March 1492, Italy is divided into ten warring kingdoms and faces invasion from outside threats. Cesare Borgia flogs himself in penance for a recent brawl, while elsewhere young Lucrezia is frightened to discover that she has "become a woman." At a meeting of the College of Cardinals, Rodrigo overrules della Rovere and urges Pope Innocent VIII to honor Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain by naming them the "most Catholic majesties." In Pisa, while studying at university alongside Cesare, Giovanni de Medici is shocked to receive a letter naming him a cardinal, and Rodrigo struggles to keep the peace between Rome's most important families. Lucrezia's mother Vannozza assures her that her "uncle" Rodrigo will soon arrange a fitting marriage for her, as her father is apparently dead. Rodrigo is brokenhearted to learn from Juan that his third son Pedro Luis has been murdered, and quickly dispatches Juan to retrieve Cesare from Pisa.
Now worried about the safety of the rest of his family, Rodrigo tells Vannozza that Lucrezia must come and live with him, though he refuses to openly acknowledge her as his daughter. Lucrezia meets her governess Adriana, Rodrigo's cousin, and attending Pedro Luis' funeral with her siblings. Rodrigo then meets with his "nephews" Cesare and Juan and tells them that they must distract their two rival families by turning them both against della Rovere. He sends Juan to the Orsinis and Cesare to the Colonnas, instructing them both to "poison their minds" against the other cardinal, though admits to his secretary Gacet that the task is also a test to see which son should be appointed the Duke of Gandia. Cesare quickly fails and offends the Colonnas with his hot temper, and so Rodrigo names Juan the new Duke. Cesare and Lucrezia discuss the Pope's bankruptcy, noting that he acquired a loan from the Medicis in exchange for naming Giovanni a cardinal, and Cesare resentfully heads back to Pisa to continue his religious studies. Elsewhere, Rodrigo continues his affair with the married and much young Giulia Farnese, though he is frustrated when she and Lucrezia begin to squabble. Tensions between the kingdoms rise as Cardinal Carafa and his party are robbed by Milanese thieves, and though Cesare and Juan avoid a fight with the Colonnas when challenged, Juan is soon caught in bed with the wife of Fabrizio Colonna.
Cesare complains to Rodrigo that he does not wish to be a priest, and Rodrigo wonders how best to "pacify his ambition." He then learns that Fabrizio has murdered his wife because of her indiscretion with Juan and fears that della Rovere will use the scandal against him. He attempts to mend fences between Giulia and Lucrezia, and then requests that Cesare be made Bishop of Valencia, to which della Rovere objects, citing his dubious parentage. Giovanni defends Cesare's character and Rodrigo is again successful, though he lambasts his two sons for creating enemies with their antics. He sends Gacet to Spain to convince King Ferdinand to grant Valencia to Cesare, sending along a fake certificate authenticating his birth. Cesare is made a bishop, though he broods to his mother that Juan still outranks him. Vannozza urges him to make good use of his power, though she refuses to directly admit that Rodrigo is his father, telling him that one must set love aside in the interest of ambition. Rodrigo announces to Lucrezia that he has selected a Spanish nobleman to be her husband, and Cesare ends up in a fight with Marcantonio Colonna after all and cuts off one of his fingers. Giovanni swears to Rodrigo that Cesare was acting defensively, however, and everyone is distracted by the news that Pope Innocent's health is declining.
Details
- NETWORK: Sky Italia
- DATE: July 10, 2011
- RUNNING TIME: 0:54:38
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 106979
- GENRE: Drama, historical
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, historical; Religion
- SERIES RUN: Sky Italia - TV series, 2011-2014
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Anne Thomopoulos … Executive Producer
- Steven Bawol … Executive Producer
- Takis Candilis … Executive Producer
- Klaus Zimmermann … Executive Producer
- Ferdinand Dohna … Executive Producer
- Barry Levinson … Executive Producer
- Tom Fontana … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Michael Schwarz … Producer
- Petr Moravec … Producer
- Aaron Seliquini … Co-Producer
- Oliver Hirschbiegel … Director
- Cyril Morin … Music by
- John Doman … Cast, Rodrigo Borgia
- Mark Ryder … Cast, Cesare Borgia
- Stanley Weber … Cast, Juan Borgia
- Isolda Dychauk … Cast, Lucrezia Borgia
- Marta Gastini … Cast, Giulia Farnese
- Diarmuid Noyes … Cast, Alessandro Farnese
- Andrea Sawatzki … Cast, Adriana De Mila
- Art Malik … Cast, Francesc Gacet
- Assumpta Serna … Cast, Vannozza Catanei
- John Bradley … Cast, Giovanni de Medici
- Sean Campion … Cast, Virginio Orsini
- Dejan Cukic … Cast, Giuliano della Rovere
- Karel Dobry … Cast, Giovanni Colonna
- Michael Fitzgerald … Cast, Oliviero Carafa
- Udo Kier … Cast, Pope Innocent VIII
- Jiri Madl … Cast, Francesco Remolino
- Victor Schefe … Cast, Johann Burchard
- Tereza Voriskova … Cast, Fiametta Michaelis
- Richard Southgate … Cast, Marcantonio Colonna
- Miroslav Taborsky … Cast, Gianbattista Orsini
- Marek Vasut … Cast, Fabrizio Colonna
- Michael Billington … Cast, Orsino Orsini Migliorati
- Stepan Coufal … Cast, Colonna Bravi
- Adam Misik … Cast, Goffredo Borgia
- Robert Polo … Cast, Carlo Canale
- Robert Russell … Cast, Professori Filippo Decio