Medici

I rarely devote a whole post to a series, but I think this series warrants a small dedicated post because I keep thinking about it and I generally find that to be the hallmark of a good show.  (I may start doing this on the regular, as I do enjoy watching things on Netflix and amazon, and discussing them in some way).

 I recently watched the newly released Netflix original series, Medici: Masters of Florence.  I watched the whole series (8 episodes) over two or three nights.  I liked it so much that I started back over at the beginning to pick up some of the details I missed on the first go-round.  I'm currently in the middle of episode three or four.  The series deals with the Medici family in late 15th century Florence.  It particularly deals with the passing of power and control from one generation to another, and the themes of the story are about duty, loyalty, and family.  I think the central question of the show is whether it is better to do a bad thing in service of a greater good, or whether that bad thing will ultimately overcome the greater good.  The answer, in the end, is a mixed one.

The story is loosely based on the early history of the Medici family, particularly the period between 1410-1434.  The major plot points are historical, but the smaller details of the family relationships and some of the larger details appear to be fictional. I appreciated the way that the writers contextualized the era and got inside the worldview of the people in the story.  You see how Christianity inhabits the world these people live in, and informs their worldview in every respect.  I got a more visceral understanding why the medieval Popes were constantly meddling in the affairs of wider Europe.  I appreciate that the actors play the religious aspects without any irony (something I greatly appreciated in the series Rome).  As I've just finished reading Laurus, which is set in almost exactly the same time period (and part of which takes place in Italy), I had a better understanding of some of the things that were going on during the period in the wider world.  I studied medieval history quite seriously as an undergrad, but it's been a long time since I inhabited that world in my mind.

The main draw for me in this series was Richard Madden.  I love historical drama if it is done well, but I'll watch Richard Madden in almost anything. (I totally gave up on Game of Thrones after the Red Wedding--he was the only thing that kept me going with that series).  What I appreciate about him (as with so many of the actors and actresses I love) is that he is a very subtle actor, and really inhabits a character.  His face is very expressive, and he uses that quality to good effect in his work.  (He also has really really beautiful hands; my mother will understand!)  A lot of the story rests with him, as it is primarily told from his point of view (although it does toggle a bit between him and his wife).

Cosimo d'Medici is a man who holds his cards close to his chest.  He fears God, and wants to honor Him with his life, but he also wants to ensure that his family will stay strong and powerful in Florence for generations to come.  These two things come into conflict quite often as he is torn between his familial duties and his Christian duty.  He cherishes art and good form in architecture and wants to nurture these things in wider society. He is a flawed man, but not fatally so; he is willing to repent, to reconcile, to change, to receive God's mercy.  I particularly enjoyed the relationship with his wife, Contessina, and how that relationship changed (in different ways) over a long period of time.

There are several love scenes through out the show, but, as in Outlander, they are used to advance the story rather than as titillating filler.  Richard Madden masterfully uses those scenes to convey some important aspects of his character and to set up some plot points for later in the series.

I thought most of the rest of the cast was well done, and I liked the mix of Italian and English/Aussie actors.  Sad to say, the sore thumb in the group is Dustin Hoffman (despite the fact that he does somewhat resemble the actual Giovanni de Medici).  I don't really care for him as an actor to start with, but I was prepared to give it a try.  His accent and posture stand out in a mostly European cast
and I wished he'd fleshed out his character more.

Some reviewers really panned the actor playing Cosimo's son, Piero, but I actually thought he was spot-on.  Pierro isn't meant to be some stunning princeling; he's meant to be quite awkward and young, and the actor playing him does it well.  The real Piero was a sickly bedridden man who only ruled the Medici family for a brief period before succumbing to illness.  A robust actor would have been unbelievable for this character.

There were some Netflix reviewers who didn't like the series because of the supposedly "pop" soundtrack.  Some compared it to the abominable series Reign (that show was so bad, I couldn't even get through the pilot--the costuming was horrendous, the storytelling terrible, and the pop sound track extremely distracting).  It is true that the opening credits of Medici feature a rather pop-esque soundtrack that can be off-putting at first, but the actual drama itself is free of that.  I found the musical score quite lovely and fitted well with the overall story.

My main quibble with the show (and it is a minor one) is with the women's costuming.  I thought that the men were all wonderfully dressed for the period, and I particularly liked the palette that the costume designer used.  The women's costumes were visually stunning, and very beautiful (I really love the silhouette of the long vest over the long dress, buckled at the waist).  But there was nary a shift in sight!  It was pretty standard for women to wear a shift under their dresses throughout this period (and indeed, up through the early 20th century) because washing was so arduous, and it is much easier to change your linen shift every day or so than to hand wash a woolen or brocaded silk outer dress regularly.  I am curious now to research early 15th century Florentine clothing, so I suppose in that respect, it is a positive thing!  I also could have done without some of the modern-looking eye make-up on a few of the women, but I know that some of those kinds of decisions are often a trade-off between period accuracy and audience expectations; sometimes one has to be sacrificed for the other.

The series was shot on location in Italy (some of it in Florence itself) and the landscape is just gorgeous.  The cinematography is truly stunning; there is one particular long shot of the cathedral that is fantastic.  I've never had a great desire to visit Italy, but after watching this show, I think it needs to go on my list!  The director used a lot of close shots of different characters faces, particularly their eyes, and I thought the effect, combined with the sweeping landscapes made for a particularly good contrast.  I also loved the way that religious imagery was used throughout the show, and the interior cathedral scenes were marvelous not only for the beauty of the space, but for the quality of the scenes.

I hear that season two has been commissioned and will focus on Cosimo's grandson, Lorenzo; I'm eager to see the story the next season has to tell!