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Introducing Fred
Another week and we have some more reviews. Today, we have a special guest reviewer. He's my friend Fred Chiaventone. Who is he? Well, Fred's a novelist, screenwriter, military historian, consultant, retired cavalry officer and Professor Emeritus for International Security Affairs at the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College. He was a consultant on Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil. His first novel was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. But above all, he's a really cool guy. I got him a copy of Borgia and he gladly agreed to review it. Don't worry though, it won't be the last report from him...
Borgia Script Review
“Let me say first that Borgia will likely puncture the hopes of a number of 'A-List' actresses who initially came forward in hopes of securing the juicy role of the famous -- or infamous, depending on one’s viewpoint -- Lucrezia Borgia who first appears in this screenplay as a somewhat precocious teenager and who never reaches her majority on-screen. The dilemma for Neil Jordan, of course, will be to find a young actress who can truly do justice to this very intriguing and multi-layered character. When the project first surfaced a few years back Lucrezia was thought to be the focus of the story but now that script has evolved somewhat and three characters are pivotal to the telling of the story – Lucrezia, of course, but also her father Rodrigo who becomes Pope Alexander VI, and her grasping and manipulative brother Cesare. Cesare is indeed the "eminence grise" in this piece, a member of the Church hierarchy, he is very obviously uncomfortable in his appointed role for much of the story. A devilishly handsome man he is by turns ambitious, grasping, devious, and without scruples in the accomplishment of his ends. It is only appropriate that the writer Niccolo Machiavelli appears with some frequency in the screenplay as a wary acquaintance to and commentator on the young Cesare. When Cesare is finally able to shed his priestly garb for the armor of the battlefield his transition to monster is more than apparent.
Alexander VI, initially known as Rodrigo Borgia, if anything gets a better showing in the script than is probably his due. Shown as grasping and ambitious – a power player eager to increase the fortunes of his family whatever the costs – a number of his transgressions are left for the viewer to infer, for example some of the more excessive and degenerate parties hosted by him and recorded in lugubrious detail by a German priest who was the official recorder for the Vatican. It should be sufficient for the viewer to note that Cesare and Lucrezia are his children and ponder the inferred disconnect with Church policy. A clever and ruthless man he finds himself, over the course of the story, outdone by and at the mercy of Cesare's machinations. But, whatever his ills, it is difficult to feel sorry for this very oily character. The parallels with Mario Puzo’s book The Godfather are inescapable and it is curious to note that Puzo’s posthumously released novel "The Borgia' examines the peccadilloes of this Renaissance family through the same lens that he used on the infamous Corleones.
Lucrezia’s other brother Juan plays much the same role as does 'Fredo' in the original Godfather - a 'wanna be' player who cannot pull it off. He likes the perks that come with his office of gonfaliere (a military leader) but has not got the intestinal fortitude to make a go of it on the battlefield... and there is plenty of battle to go around. As Jordan makes clear in his screenplay, 16th Century Italy was not necessarily a healthy place to be if one was caught in the path of one of the many warring armies which used the country as a playground at this time. Old feuds or vendettas are hashed out with sword, torch, dagger and garotte at the expense not only of the principals but of anyone who happens to share the same city with them. If done well, some of the scenes of battle, siege, and plunder will be nothing less than horrifying – especially when one considers that many of these actions were taken with the full sanction of the Holy Mother Church. Let’s hope for a budget which allows Mr. Jordan the ability to paint a picture of this malevolent period on the large screen.
I should take a moment to point out here a couple of the very interesting sub-plots which run throughout this story; one, of course is the implied incestuous relationship between Cesare and his little sister Lucrezia. While never indulged on-screen there is a palpable tension between these two principals which is associated only with lovers. To say that there is more to this relationship than meets the eye is simply an understatement. It goes without saying that much of the success of the filmed version will depend upon the chemistry – a dangerous balancing act which will be difficult to portray -- which exists between those who are chosen to play the roles of siblings Lucrezia and Cesare. Cesare is a great role for a dashing young actor and Lucrezia is a nightmare for a young actress – truly the most challenging role in the film. I do not envy Mr. Jordan his task of finding just the right girl/woman for the part. She will have to be one heck of a good actress, very bright, and very convincing. Another sub-plot of interest is the relationship between Cesare and the assassin Michelletto who is drawn into Cesare’s sphere of influence when caught by the latter attempting to poison both Rodrigo and Cesare at a dinner hosted by Cardinal Della Rovere. A nasty, subtle presence, his role evokes that of the assassin retained by Catherine de Medici in Queen Margot and underscores the depths to which Cesare will plunge without scruple. To the amoral character of Cesare the end indeed justifies the means. Another player in the drama is the radical figure of Savanarola -- for lack of a better description, a radical fundamentalist clergyman disgusted by the excesses of Rome and pledged to the reform of the Church (the original Bonfire of the Vanities is undertaken by Savanarola in Florence). His histrionic fanatic makes an interesting counterpoint to the cool and manipulative Cesare.
Finally, Lucrezia, who was nominally the subject of an earlier concept of the story, follows a strange and disturbing arc through the course of the tale – from the guileless pawn of power politicians to a dangerous and deadly 'player' who seems to have aged and matured by decades over the course of a mere couple of years. Initially appearing as a rather Chekovian figure – a detached observer of events – she becomes pivotal to the resolution of the tale. If Jordan can find the actress who can convincingly portray this metamorphosis of character the film Borgia will be a tour de force and thus well worth the wait of its torturous developmental years. I for one hope Jordan can pull it off. The man’s got my vote. For yet another view of this project, I urge the reader to refer to an earlier and wonderfully incisive report by STAX (IGN Film Force), who also saw the Corleone (or The Godfather) connection in his review of the same version of the script. I join STAX in hoping that this film will be a keeper.”
(Review sent by Frederick J. Chiaventone.)
Stay tuned...
That's all folks...
Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
