The Pillars of the Earth (2010– )

Set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart.

Stars:

Ian McShane, Matthew Macfadyen, Eddie Redmayne

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 4 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ian McShane	...	Waleran Bigod (8 episodes, 2010)
Matthew Macfadyen	...	Philip (8 episodes, 2010)
Eddie Redmayne	...	Jack (8 episodes, 2010)
Hayley Atwell	...	Aliena (8 episodes, 2010)
Sarah Parish	...	Regan Hamleigh (8 episodes, 2010)
Natalia Wörner	...	Ellen (8 episodes, 2010)
Anatole Taubman	...	Remigius (8 episodes, 2010)
John Pielmeier	...	Cuthbert (8 episodes, 2010)
Robert Bathurst	...	Percy Hamleigh (8 episodes, 2010)
Clive Wood	...	King Henry I (8 episodes, 2010)
Sam Claflin	...	Richard (8 episodes, 2010)
Liam Garrigan	...	Alfred (8 episodes, 2010)
David Oakes	...	William Hamleigh (8 episodes, 2010)
Tony Curran	...	Stephen (8 episodes, 2010)
Donald Sutherland	...	Bartholomew (8 episodes, 2010)
Alison Pill	...	Maud (8 episodes, 2010)
Gordon Pinsent	...	Archbishop (8 episodes, 2010)
László Áron	...	Architect (8 episodes, 2010)
Féodor Atkine	...	Abbot Suger (8 episodes, 2010)
Kelly Endresz-Banlaki	...	Princess (8 episodes, 2010)
Virág Bárány	...	Young Woman Whore (8 episodes, 2010)
David Bark-Jones	...	Francis (8 episodes, 2010)
Tamás Baross	...	Gabriel (8 episodes, 2010)
Oliver Bauer	...	Medieval Child (8 episodes, 2010)
Skye Bennett	...	Martha - young (8 episodes, 2010)
Freddie Boath	...	Henry - 15 years old (8 episodes, 2010)
Douglas Booth	...	Eustace - 15 years old (8 episodes, 2010)
Ottilia Borbáth	...	Townfolk #3 (8 episodes, 2010)
Jonathan Coy	...	Father Ralph (8 episodes, 2010)
Scott Curtis	...	Peasant (8 episodes, 2010)
Antal Czapkó	...	General (8 episodes, 2010)
Brooke Dean	...	Maud - 6 years old (8 episodes, 2010)
Matt Devere	...	Gloucester (8 episodes, 2010)
Kate Dickie	...	Agnes (8 episodes, 2010)
Lara Dzikowski	...	Townfolk #5 (8 episodes, 2010)
Gabriella Fon	...	Townfolk #1 (8 episodes, 2010)
Stu Gamble	...	Lad (8 episodes, 2010)
Kevin Griffiths	...	Lord #1 (8 episodes, 2010)
David Haderer	...	Robin Goodfellow (8 episodes, 2010)
Jody Halse	...	Johnny Eightpence (8 episodes, 2010)
Máté Haumann	...	Messenger #3 (8 episodes, 2010)
Jeremy Haward-Grau	...	Little Henry (8 episodes, 2010)
Emily Holt	...	Martha - older (8 episodes, 2010)
Péter Horkay	...	Steward (8 episodes, 2010)
Ákos Horváth	...	Simon Goodfellow (8 episodes, 2010)
Barna Illyés	...	Labourer (8 episodes, 2010)
Csaba Jakab	...	French Mason (8 episodes, 2010)
Sidney Johnston	...	Jonathan - 4-5 years old (8 episodes, 2010)
Mike Kelly	...	Messenger #2 (8 episodes, 2010)
Péter Kertész	...	Stephen's Physician (8 episodes, 2010)
Bernadett Kis	...	Midwife (8 episodes, 2010)
László Konter	...	Bishop (8 episodes, 2010)
Alexis Latham	...	One-armed Wool Man (8 episodes, 2010)
Antal Leisen	...	Townfolk #4 (8 episodes, 2010)
Peter Linka	...	Townsman (8 episodes, 2010)
Skye Lourie	...	Elizabeth (8 episodes, 2010)
Pál Makrai	...	French Master Builder (8 episodes, 2010)
Michael Mehlmann	...	Prior James (8 episodes, 2010)
George Mendel	...	Lord #2 (8 episodes, 2010)
Lisa Millett	...	Kate (8 episodes, 2010)
Piroska Molnár	...	Grandmama (8 episodes, 2010)
Ben O'Brien	...	Winchester Clerk (8 episodes, 2010)
Kende Orbán	...	Eustace - 4-5 years old (8 episodes, 2010)
Miklos Pavel	...	Sentry Edgar (8 episodes, 2010)
Mark Phelan	...	Otto (8 episodes, 2010)
Tibor Pintér	...	Shareburg (8 episodes, 2010)
John Rado	...	Sentry (8 episodes, 2010)
Kevin Rees	...	Jonathan - 30 years old (8 episodes, 2010)
Barnabás Réti	...	Brother Paul (8 episodes, 2010)
Richard Rifkin	...	Matthew (8 episodes, 2010)
András Sándor	...	Page (8 episodes, 2010)
Nicolas Sipek	...	Stephen's Fake Son - 4 years old (8 episodes, 2010)
Tibor Süle	...	Antoine (8 episodes, 2010)
Margaréta Szabó	...	Young Woman (8 episodes, 2010)
Tatiana Szalay	...	Gabriel's Mother (8 episodes, 2010)
Sándor Téri	...	Physician (8 episodes, 2010)
Dorian Thomas	...	Teenage Boy (8 episodes, 2010)
Geoffrey Thomas	...	Earl of Weymouth (8 episodes, 2010)
Zoltan Toth	...	Prince (8 episodes, 2010)
Zsófi Trecskó	...	French Peasant Woman (8 episodes, 2010)
Tamás Varga	...	Townfolk #2 (8 episodes, 2010)
András Várkonyi	...	Captain (8 episodes, 2010)
Zsolt Zágoni	...	Shiring Messenger #1 (8 episodes, 2010)
Marcell Závodi	...	Tommy - 9 years old (8 episodes, 2010)
Bianca Bauer	...	Medieval Child (8 episodes, 2010)
Rufus Sewell	...	Tom Builder (7 episodes, 2010)
Götz Otto	...	Walter (7 episodes, 2010)

Storyline

The Pillars of the Earth is set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart. In that time, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. Against the backdrop, love-stories entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, the sadistic Lord William, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone work and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age. Follett masterfully weaves these stories through political turmoil of 12th century England, creating a relevant and viable world for today's audience and for generations to come.

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Plot Keywords:

cathedral | england | 12th century | king | tv mini series | 

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Taglines:

Building the Monumental Television Event of 2010

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Germany Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 July 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los pilares de la Tierra

Filming Locations:

Tata, Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tandem Communications, Muse Entertainment Enterprises, Scott Free Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Donald Sutherland and Rufus Sewell have both played Norse king Fortinbras, in Hamlet at Elsinore and Hamlet, respectively.

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Goofs

Throughout the series, Stephen and Matilda are both referred to as "Majesty". English kings and queens did not use the title "Majesty" until the middle of the 16th century, nearly 400 years after the setting of this series

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Connections

Referenced in Richard Roeper & the Movies: Eat Pray Love (2010)

User Reviews

Epic novel brought grandly to the screen

I have read everything Ken Follett has written, but I pretty much had him pegged as a writer of extraordinarily readable suspense potboilers. Better than Stephen King, but no Cormac McCarthy. Then, in 1989 he unveiled "Pillars of the Earth" and I was stunned. Follett gave full rein to his incredibly vivid and compelling storytelling abilities. When I finished I was sad. I could no longer follow the adventures of these heroic and scheming English men and women in the the tumultuous 12th Century, a time of uncertainty over who should be on the throne.

I have now watched the first six episodes (available on Netflix for instant viewing) and am dying to see the final two when they come available. I didn't know what to expect, but I can declare myself fully satisfied.

What worried me most going in was the series was what the tone would be. Follett is a master of grand, operatic gestures. The mini-series captures that.

He also is far from shy about sex, barbarism and vulgarity. There's a scene when the monks put Ellen on trial as a witch that made my jaw drop. No F-bombs, but one startling c**t bomb. The incest theme between William and his mother is not explicitly shown, but very clear.

Occasionally, it's a bit "stagey" and the CGI is good, but not state of the art.

Still, "Pillars" is a triumph of epic storytelling.