Retro Film Review: The Borgia (Los Borgia, 2006)
Catholic Church is having serious PR problems, but they appear trivial with those that plagued the said institution more than half millennia ago. Historical personality with such problems are traditionally associated is Pope Alexander VI, whose papacy, which lasted from 1491 till 1503, is the subject of The Borgias, 2006 Spanish historical film directed by Antonio Hernández.
The plot describes how the ambitious Spanish cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (played by Lluis Homar), after being elected pope, focused more on political than religious matters, treating his papacy as a family business. Although as a priest he was not permitted to have a family, he sought to create a dynasty from his illegitimate children that would eventually unite the fragmented and war-torn Italy of his time. Of his four children, son Cesare (played by Sergio Peris-Mencheta) excelled the most, initially appointed cardinal by his father, who later realised that Cesare's talents were better suited for secular and military pursuits. In contrast, his daughter Lucrezia (played by Maria Valverde) was less enthusiastic about the family business, being forced into political marriages that often ended in bloodshed.
The Borgias are now synonymous with the worst aspects of the Italian Renaissance and the Catholic Church during a time before Protestant competition compelled it clean its act. Screenwriter and director Hernandez, in his film, produced with a decent budget and at times impressively reconstructing Italy five centuries ago, largely adheres to historical facts, depicting the Borgias as a sort of aristocratic mafia. However, the film omits the juiciest details—such as speculations about incest or Lucrezia's alleged career of poisoner —likely because Hernandez concluded that those stories were more propaganda from the Borgia family’s enemies than reflections of actual events.
Despite all this, The Borgia is quite an engaging film, primarily due to the strong performances, especially from Lluís Homar as the pope, who despite his notoriety, was far from atypical pope of his era. Peris-Mencheta's portrayal of Cesare, on the other hand, goes over the top as embodiment if machismo. The film's greatest flaw, however, is its incompleteness, given that despite a runtime of two and a half hours, it feels like a truncated TV series.
Some of those flaws weren’t present in The Borgias," 1981 BBC miniseries that presented the notorious family in more comprehensive manner. This Spanish film was released alongside The Conclave, a Canadian film set in 1458 and starring Manuel Fullola as young Rodrigo Borgia, which can be viewed as some sort of prequel to Hernandez’s work. Five years later the same subject was covered by two competing high profile TV series - The Borgias, created by Neil Jordan, and Borgia, created by Tom Fontana.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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