Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance (2004– )

Stars:

Ross King, Mario Biagioli, Jerry Brotton

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ross King	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2004)

Storyline

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS [us]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 February 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Empires: Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance

Filming Locations:

Tuscany, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

£500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DeVillier Donegan Enterprizes, Lion Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

220 min 220 min (4 parts)

Color:

Color (TV prints)

User Reviews

Average treatment of a fascinating topic.

The Medici family dynasty ruled one little corner of Italy for over two centuries. How it came to define the course of western civilization is a story of immense complexity, and this series attempts to tell it in everyday language.

The production can't seem to make up its mind whether to be a history lesson or a well-told story, and that is both its strength and its weakness. Fortunately the characters in the story are of such overwhelming interest that it doesn't really matter which approach the production takes, the student of history will find here a treasure trove.

Any given fifteen-minute segment of the production could easily be produced as its own freestanding film, and this is as much a comment on the potency of this family and community as it is on the film that has been created to describe it. I found it all spellbinding, and am heading now to my public library to follow up with my own reading. That's a pretty good recommendation for a film of modest production values.