How can we build a big family that is prosperous and prosperous? 2016's new British drama "Medici: Masters of Florence" may give us the answer. The film's perspective came to Italy in the 15th century, telling the story of the first three generations of the Medici family, the behind-the-scenes figures of the Renaissance. Although the play has only 8 episodes, the content is quite substantial: family, politics, diplomacy, religion and art are all shown in detail in the film. There are not many characters in the play, which means that to enjoy the work does not require much historical knowledge. The audience only needs to know that the main business of the Medici family is banking, and Florence is a commercial republic. A character in the film will appear in sequence, and there will not be a situation where a lot of new names suddenly appear at a big party (this is probably the most afraid of watching historical dramas). In addition, these few protagonists can easily be remembered by the audience because of their high appearance. Of course, it is also because, in the history of the Medici family, everyone is beautiful (there are paintings and sculptures handed down to prove it). For example, the protagonist Cosimo Medici is played by Richard Madden, who was famous for his previous role as Rob Stark in "Game of Thrones" (Game of Thrones). His melancholy eyes continue to be seen in "The Medici". The handsome actors are paired with the gorgeous costumes of the Renaissance period, making the characters closely integrated with the artistic atmosphere of the times. What makes me most happy is that the characters wear different clothes in different city-states, and these clothes, together with the local environment, form the cultural language of each city.
Besides the characters, another thing that soothes the audience's vision is the scene. Although it is said that as a British drama, the beauty on the screen does not seem to be a feature, but the display of some historical monuments has injected surprises into the film. From the Church of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence to the Pantheon in Rome, to the Brisbane City Hall in Venice, these wonders are not only external, but also accessible, and many key plots unfold here. Even the roads between the cities are enviably beautiful, and these shots seem to turn on the game Assassin's Creed. The difference is that these buildings on the screen are far more refined than those reproduced by the game engine. Many critics were disappointed with the movie version of Assassin's Creed this year, but the TV series has brought some intimacy to Assassin's Creed fans.
This is not only because of the familiar pictures and streets and the grandson of the protagonist Cosimo Medici who appeared as a supporting role in "Assassin's Creed", but also because the plot is similar to the plot of the game to a certain extent. Because their respective protagonists are from banker families, and they have also experienced the process of wandering between cities to find the truth (there is also a small surprise called "Easter Egg" in the film). But these intimacy ends here. Although there are fully armed soldiers everywhere in the film, there are only a handful of martial arts (but there are also some), which will not bring the audience a sense of killing in the game. But that doesn't mean the plot isn't intense enough, and at this point, the show is more like The Godfather. In terms of growth experience, Cosimo in the play is very similar to Michael, played by Al Pacino. They both lead their family out of the crisis, and the means used in this can be imagined. Even the structure of several paragraphs in the film is similar to that in "The Godfather" (for the fans of "The Godfather", it can be regarded as a few small "easter eggs"). Of course, the same rise and fall of the family, the same intrigue, the Mafia in the United States is one thing, and the banker in Florence has a different style. These bankers do not need to have cronies in the government, because they are members of the Senate themselves, and they also need to deal with matters from the religious side, and deal with troublesome issues such as aristocratic marriages. And more, different from the Corleone family also from Italy, the Medici family has also done a lot of work in art in addition to fighting and making money.
Just as talking about the Renaissance cannot do without the Medici family, talking about this family cannot avoid art. There are some famous artists in history in the film, and there are also some scenes in which they create. In addition to the plot directly related to art, painting, sculpture, architecture, and music are also integrated into every episode of the story. The art of communication can become a topic of love, and aesthetic differences can even be used as a reason to attack each other between political enemies. The Medici family room is adorned with huge oil paintings, and the protagonist's own hand-painted drafts are interspersed with the many documents. In this artistic atmosphere, it is almost difficult for the audience to play, the only possible point of play is that many Italian names in the play are still popular today, which will remind people of some celebrities today.
What is touching is that although the film emphasizes struggle and art, it does not ignore the emotional line. In fact, the love shown in the film is more interesting because of the particularity of its aristocratic marriage, and several female images portrayed in the film are always in the heart of the audience. In addition, cheese, wine, vegetables and other foods in the play are also very popular, at least they can make people hungry. But I can't say how much authenticity these include clothing, after all, it's not a documentary. There may be more adaptations of the plot. If you really want to understand life in the Renaissance era, or the Medici family itself, you can watch the 2008 documentary "The Medici Family: The Founders of Modern Art" (The Medici Family) Medici: Makers of Modern Art), and a longer, 4-part documentary from 2004, Medici: Godfathers to the Renaissance. Although it is longer than the former, it is still far from enough to tell a family with such a huge influence.
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