Top Historical Series

One of the things I'm most passionate about is history. So I am an avid follower of historical films and series but I am very picky when it comes to liking them. I guess watching Xena as a child raised my standards! No offense to those who do actually like the names I'm about to mention but films like 300: Rise of an Empire (the second movie) or series like Reign which are incredibly historically inaccurate just don't cut it for me. Yes, yes I know that no film or series can be completely historically accurate but you know what I mean. So here we go:

1) The Tudors

IMDb: 8.2
Seasons: 4

For those of you who don't know your English history. Henry VIII is the Tudor king in need of an heir. He's married to the Spanish Princess Katherine of Aragon and their only living child is the Princess Mary. Henry VIII spots Mary Boleyn one day and takes her on as his mistress but it is her sister Anne that makes him cut ties with the Vatican and become head of his own church: The Church of England. This series focuses on the raging politics of the time and includes the stories of people such as Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell.

Anne Boleyn has been debated since she first appeared in court with many contradicting opinions on her motivations and personality but I do like this interpretation of her. The transformation of all the characters as they grow old is amazing... it takes you a moment to readjust to seeing their normal faces again in other shows or in photos. Costume and hair are beautiful and impressive.

2) Peaky Blinders

IMDb: 8.7
Seasons: 2

This series is about the mafia in Birmingham after the WWI. The Shelby brothers are a mafia gang known as the Peaky Blinders because they sow razor blades onto their hats and then use them when taking care of their business... They go about their daily lives when a box of guns goes missing and a new Chief of Police is sent to Birmingham to try and find them. The Peaky Blinders are immediate suspects but do they actually have them? Have they bitten off more than they can chew?

I really enjoyed this series because it gives you a real sense of the tension people felt after the war and with the rise of Communism and the IRA. You have characters suffering from serious PTSD and others determined to get better working conditions and power for the unions and all through this you have strong female characters who refuse to be pushed back to the sidelines because the men are back from war. Don't be fooled by the topic, this is not an action packed series. It focuses mainly on the characters and the situations they are in rather than constant beatings, killings and other mafia related violence. I loved the cinematography and the general mood of this series. There's one shot that has stayed with me since I saw it and its this: they're walking into a gun battle, in slow motion of course but the camera is a high level shot on a puddle. We see the men walk slowly towards the puddle through its reflection until their feet reach the water. Then the camera slowly tilts up as the men continue walking towards the camera in slowmo. Argh, beautiful... I really want to be able to devote time to watching it so I'm saving season two for the holidays!

3) Vikings

IMDb: 8.6
Seasons: 2 (3 to be released in 2015)

Wow, wow, wow... Ragnar Lothbrok is a farmer in Scandinavia but he is also a Viking. Vikings spend their summers raiding towns and villages in nearby countries but they have now plundered about all they can from the places they already know of. Ragnar is adamant that there are other countries to be discovered but receives little support. He convinces a small band of men to come with him against the orders of their Earl and they land on the shores of England. This success is only the beginning of Ragnar's rise and I can't wait to see what happens in the new series!

I've been fascinated with Vikings for as long as I can remember but there are surprisingly few documentaries about them and little on the internet. I was really excited when I saw the trailer for season one and I was NOT let down! I love how they incorporated information about Viking culture into a flowing scenario so you feel like you're learning but not watching a documentary. Another great factor are the female characters. Lagertha (Ragnar's wife) is based on the Norse myth of Lagertha the Shield Maiden which Ragnar actually tells to his children as a bedtime story at one point of the series. Lagertha is strong, not just mentally but physically as well and can hold her own on the battle field. Siggy is the Earl's wife and has traits we would stereo-typically associate with male characters: she's full of ambition for herself. She wants wealth, power and prestige and she's not afraid to play whatever games she needs to be satisfied. She has no other motivation but herself. This series is also a wonderful reminder of the way women in Europe were treated at the time and we see this through their raiding trips to England and are reminded of it when we see the comparison to the Viking women.

4) Spartacus

IMDb: 8.7
Seasons: 3 (Plus Spartacus: God's of the Arena)

This is the story of a man captured and then sent to the arena for defying a Roman general. He survives his execution and is then sold off as a slave to be trained as a gladiator. His only ambition is to find his wife and so he refuses to be trained. His new master, Batiatus, convinces him to train by promising to find his wife and have her brought to him but Spartacus must win in the arena in order to pay for her freedom. This series follows Spartacus' rise to fame and what he decides to do with his new-found glory.

OK, before I go on let's just put a few things out there. Season one came out in a time when CGI wasn't that great so things like the stadium look a little like something out of PES but go easy on them. Another thing I have to say is that this series has a certain style and in that style are certain special effects which not everyone might like e.g. blood splattering BUT there's no point fighting it. This series is what it is and we have to appreciate it for that. I don't think the effects are bad but if you found the blood effects in 300 far fetched then you're going to have a bad time...

Now that's over and done with, I have to admit to having a soft spot for any sort of rebellion story. This is one of the series you watch knowing the ending but get nervous watching anyway. There is a great flow in the story and great acting. The wording could put a few people off but I think it helps add character and emphasizes the style of the series. Costume and hair are great but let's face it, most people don't watch for the costumes. Sex scenes ahoy! As you get in any series or film with a lot of violence so watch well away from little eyes. After season one there is a change in the actor of Spartacus because he passes away. This is a sad situation in itself and maybe I'm being biased but No. 2 doesn't cut it for me. Credits for Liam McIntyre for taking on a character already established in peoples' minds and then trying to make him your own but I just loved Whitfield.


5) Da Vinci's Deamons

IMDb: 8.1
Seasons: 2 (3 to be released in 2015)

OK, OK... Please don't kill me for my earlier rant. I know this is far from historically accurate but I enjoy it. This series focuses on Da Vinci's life and asks what would have happened if he had had the opportunity to bring some of his more advanced designs into life. I love the costumes, set designs, characters and the fact that he builds a submarine in medieval Europe. The characters' motivations are deep and layered. Leonardo is dealing with the burden of his super genius in a strictly religious world but he's also dealing with the fact that he is a bastard and his father does not approve of him or anything he does. Another one of my weaknesses in a story is the antagonist you cannot hate! Riario works for the Vatican and so an enemy of Da Vinci by default and we hate him when we meet him first but then... we learn his story and in the words of a social worker, then quoted by Andrew Stanton: "There is no one you couldn't learn to love after you've learnt their story." Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... and Riario turns out to be beautiful. Casting for this character is critical and just looking at a picture of Blake Ritson (Riario) passes on a sense of melancholy and loss.

These are my top five for now but I'll definitely keep things updated or maybe even go on to make a top ten list. We'll see. I also watched Black Sail which I liked because of the concept of pirates and life at sea but it didn't prove to be very memorable. Let me know if you have any suggestions on a series for me to devote my life to! I'm always looking for more.

References:
imdb.com (obviously) :)

Film Analysis of Brokeback Mountain – Directed by Ang Lee

Warning ladies and gentlemen, this is a long one!

This is a beautiful film about the love that grows between two men in a time when same sex relationships just didn't happen. This is not an action movie, so do not expect thrilling climaxes or high speed racing. This is great movie to sit down in a quiet moment and see the world through a different perspective. It gives you the opportunity to question why people have to be miserable in order to conform to society. 

*Spoiler Alert ON*

Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) are two cowboys looking for work in the early sixties. They are hired to look after sheep on Brokeback Mountain and after a night of heavy drinking discover a new side to themselves. But things, especially in movies, can never be that simple. Ennis has a fiancée waiting for him and marries her when he makes it home. Jack moves to Texas and marries the beautiful and rich Lureen Newsome. Both of them have children but years later Jack Twist visits Ennis and tries to convince him to leave everything behind.

Ennis admits to a childhood incident which involves the torture and murder of a man suspected of homosexuality and refuses Jack’s offer. The two see each other during infrequent fishing trips.

Both their marriages fall apart and Ennis eventually gets a divorce. When Jack hears of the news he returns with the hope of a new life with Ennis but is refused once more. Jack comforts himself with male prostitutes and Ennis attempts another relationship with a waitress.

A while later Ennis is returned a postcard he sent to Jack with the word “Deceased” stamped on it. Ennis is informed by Lureen that Jack was killed by an exploding tire and the viewer sees images of Jack being beaten by several men.

Ennis goes to Jack’s family to complete Jack’s wish of his ashes being scattered on Brokeback Mountain but is refused. Jack’s mother allows Ennis to take two shirts, one is his own which he believed he’d lost on the mountain and is covered by the shirt Jack took with him. A while later his daughter comes to him to ask for his blessing for her marriage. He asks whether her fiancé loves her and she says that he does. When she leaves Ennis opens the door of his closet to show the two shirts, Jack’s now covered by Ennis’ shirt, and a postcard of Brokeback Mountain. He says “Jack I swear...” but is unable to finish the sentence.

The film opens to an image of a vast mountain area, through this dark image, a truck passes. We then follow the truck as it stops and one man, Ennis Del Mar, jumps out. This image not only introduces the main character but the scenery which is in, itself, a character. The emptiness of land symbolizes the loneliness of the main characters and is the place where this loneliness will only continue. The picture is dark and cold from the early morning and this represents the background from which our characters immerge. 

The opening sequence is of our two main characters meeting, even if they do not immediately talk to each other, and of their application to a job. Their boss in unkind, obnoxious and is forcing them to do something illegal. During this opening sequence we understand more of the world this film is set in which is unfriendly, vast, cruel and lonely. During the exposition, this only becomes more apparent as our characters begin to tell us of their pasts. Jack Twist comes from a cold family with an overbearing father and Ennis Del Mar is an orphan who was brought up by his older brother and sister who kicked him out when they got married.

We see the two set up camp and then part for their jobs, the only time they have human contact is when Jack returns for food. The rest of their days are spent in boring isolation with the presence of the ever present overbearing mountain. The point of first attack can be disputed as during the opening sequence we see Jack stealing glances at Ennis and his desire to talk to him but Ennis is oblivious. From this the audience can understand that there will be more behind their story but it is when Ennis smiles slightly at Jack’s determination to stay on the horse that is trying to throw him off and when the two stare at camp or the mountain depending on where they are stationed that we feel that the point of first attack has occurred. In my opinion this point in the film cannot be singled to one event but must include the entire opening sequence and exposition and then later their discussion where we understand the problem of their relationship when Ennis says that it was only a one time occurrence.

The inciting incident can also not be pinpointed to one event. The two experience incredible loneliness and have felt pressured throughout their entire lives. They make attempts to keep the only human contact they have pleasant which causes them to grow founder for each other. The night of heavy drinking and then Jack’s advances can be shown or determined as the inciting incident but I see it more as a catalyst and a conclusion of factors that include: childhood traumas, pressure, boredom, loneliness and a growing familiarity. Before the change in their relationship they move the campsite. This is a metaphor and a clue about the change to come and it is from this campsite that they will return to their former lives.

The morning after their first night together is filled with symbolism. Ennis returns to the mountain to find one of the sheep has been killed by a coyote, this he sees as the price for his actions and the “lamb” or sheep is often associated with innocence which is apt as it was Ennis’ first intimate relationship with anyone. This can also be interoperated as the evilness he’s sees in what he has done and the physical representation of the of Ennis’ inner conflict. Jack washes his clothes in the freezing water as though trying to wash the memories away but in his reaction we do not pay as much attention to his conflicts but that he washes himself clean and that he submits to the feelings his holds for Ennis.

Our main character, Ennis Del Mar makes his decision to continue the relationship with Jack Twist by returning to the tent and spending the night with Jack instead of going back to the mountain and looking after the sheep which is the plot point one in the film structure. He has pushed his original plan, to make money and to marry his fiancée Alma from thought and has decided to risk his job in order to spend the night with Jack. The next morning provides the first pinch point which is their boss calling in on them to bring news of Jack’s sick uncle and discovering them. From his conversation with Jack we understand that, though they have found seclusion from the rest of the world in the mountain that one day they will have to return to it.

The film quickly meets the midpoint when they find out that they must bring the sheep down from the mountain. Ennis refuses to accept that they can be together in the real world because of a traumatic event in his childhood and decides to return to his original plan of marrying Alma.

The second pinch point occurs when after the two have set up separate lives and created families, Jack visits Ennis and they rekindle their romance. We are led to believe that the two can continue with their normal lives but live a secret one with each other through their fishing trips. We are filled with a false sense of security in their relationship and in their lives. It is throughout this time frame that both their marriages deteriorate and Ennis gets a divorce. He sees Jack as the cause of all his problems and through his internal conflicts he works the courage to confront Jack which is the plot point two in the film structure.

The fight scene continues to become the climax of the film with both characters pushed to the breaking points by their relationship. Jack is no longer satisfied by their trips and continues to want to create a new life with Ennis but comforts himself with male prostitutes when he is refused. Ennis believes that Jack has caused all of his problems and “made him this way” instead of accepting that it that it was his feelings towards Jack that pushed Ennis’ wife away. Neither character is able to finish their relationship with the other despite their needs and inner conflicts which then gives way to the resolution. Ennis continues his confrontation when he sees the waitress he attempted to have a relationship with in a cafe. She represents the new life he could have had and a salvation from the pressure brought on by his relationship with Jack. He shies away from admitting to any emotions he might have had for her and says that he “Was probably no fun anyway”.

The resolution is Jack’s death; with this Ennis is freed of his conflicting feelings and desires and Jack is free of the torment of not being able to see Ennis. Through losing him, Ennis is able to come to terms with his emotions towards Jack.

In the ending, Ennis’ daughter Alma, comes to him to ask for his blessing to get married. Through asking whether her fiancé loves her, we recognize his desire is for her to be loved and be with the one she loves. When she departs he looks at the shirts he retrieved from Jack’s house and says “Jack, I swear...” but is unable to finish the sentence. From this we understand that he has accepted the fact that he loved Jack, even if he is unable to voice it and that he has moved on from his inner conflicts. The shirts are a symbol of this. When he first found them in Jack’s house, his shirt was inside Jack’s but in the ending scene Jack’s shirt is inside Ennis’; this is a representation of their love. Up until this point the instigator and the one more open with his desires had always been Jack but through his loss Ennis has accepted that he too had feelings and now his love is protecting the memory of Jack.

The film ends with Ennis’ final confession of his love for Jack and with the closing of his wardrobe. The shot consists of half of Ennis’ wardrobe and a view of his window. This then fades to black. Within this shot the viewer is left in the world that Ennis now has and will continue to live and in a sense brings closure to the film without there being much action or a complete sense of catharsis because we have come to understand how Ennis will survive with the loss of Jack and that he is no longer tormented by his inner conflicts. 

Jack Twist’s death is left ambiguous. When Ennis talks to Lureen on the phone the viewer sees images of Jack being beaten to death by several men. This and Lureen’s emotionless retail of the event lead the watcher to immediately assume that she found out about their relationship and she had Jack killed but Jack points out during one of their fishing trips that Lureen had completely detached from him and was emotionless. From this statement and the fact that she told Ennis of Jack’s last wishes, the watcher to wonders if she had any knowledge of Jack being beaten up. We then remember the uneasy relationship between Jack and Lureen’s father and begin to believe that her father found out about his relationship with Ennis and other men and had Jack killed. But we then remember Ennis’ traumatic childhood event, which was the torture and murder of a man suspected of homosexuality and the idea that Ennis’ father killed the man and the audience wonders whether Ennis created the whole scenario in his head and that Jack really did die in the fashion that his wife explained to him. The resolution is open to interoperation and it is through this that it is most memorable but after much deliberation I have decided that Ennis’ imagination got the better of him. 

The film is mostly in Ennis’ POV but there are constant intervals of Jack’s POV and occasionally other sub characters. We see the story through Ennis’ POV but it is through Jack’s that we understand Jack’s motivation and his own inner struggles. We see how he is unhappy with his marriage and unable to lose the memory of Ennis. We see how he attempts to get rid of his needs by going to Mexico and finding male prostitutes and we understand that the relationship has its toll on both characters. If we were to only see through Ennis’ POV then we would assume that Jack was not struggling with his own needs and feelings and that the entire situation was easy for him to handle.

Both characters are motivated by unhappy childhoods and marriages. Jack is motivated by the need to feel loved by a male figure because of the coldness of his father and Ennis is motivated by his need to belong somewhere which stems from a childhood of being orphaned, his sister moving out to get married and then his brother kicking him out when he got married. They struggle to find a place where they can satisfy these needs and become happy.

The main obstacle for the two of them is the society they live in which does not accept homosexuality. It would not be appropriate for them to live in the same house and this fear is narrated over and over again by Ennis’ speech and actions. We first understand it when he tells us of the event in his childhood and then when he asks Jack if he ever felt that the people on the streets were looking at him like “they knew”. This then causes him to hide within another relationship with a waitress but he is unsuccessful and they drift apart. This is also retold when Jack’s father explains to Ennis that Jack had always told them that he would come back to the ranch with his friend Ennis and that they would help his father run it, he then tells Ennis that Jack changed his mind and started talking about another fellow who was going to come and help. It is the emotion on his face and the look in his eyes that tell the audience that Jack’s father knew about his son’s relationship and did not approve to the extent that he does not allow Ennis to scatter Jack’s ashes on Brokeback Mountain. We also see it when Jack tries to get the same job on the mountain a year later but the owner of the sheep refuses him and then goes on the explain that he knew what they were doing up there and that he would not hire him.

The obstacle of homophobia caused great tension within the watchers when it was first released. Hollywood was accused of “pushing an agenda” and was attacked by the media. On Fox News Radio jokes were made about it hours after the announcement of Heath Ledger’s death and I believe that puts the film into context. It is a film about pushing boundaries and creating awareness and to say that it Hollywood was “pushing an agenda” would have to be said about more recent films which include 12 Years a Slave. Both topics, racism and homophobia, continue to be an issue to this day and we can understand the motivation for the film mainly through the reactions it received. It not only addressed the topic but showed a wider audience the general opinion of the public on the issue and brought awareness of it.