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So, I just spent $20 on pay-per-view to watch Pillars of the Earth, a historical drama set during the Anarchy, when King Stephen and Empress Matilda were trying to claim authority over England. I'm pretty sure the history, as presented in the miniseries, isn't very accurate, but since most of the story focuses on events in and around the fictional town of Kingsbridge, I don't suppose it really matters.
That said, I have to admit to a certain degree of disappointment with this miniseries. The acting felt flat and I never felt any particular empathy with any of the characters until the very end, when we meet the unfortunate child-bride of William Hamleigh. The characters are pretty much one-note depictions.
The story moves along at an uneven pace, at least to my mind. Granted, the producers were trying to cover 40 years in a six hour miniseries, but they could have managed it much better.
The biggest disappointments in this series were the performances of Donald Sutherland as Earl Bartholemew and Matthew Macfadyn as Prior Philip. I feel they were badly misused.
All in all, on the Melworks Scale of Media Love, I'd have to give Pillars of the Earth, a mere 3 out of 10. It was an ambitious project, but poorly executed, and I wouldn't want anyone else to go out of their way to see it.
That said, I have to admit to a certain degree of disappointment with this miniseries. The acting felt flat and I never felt any particular empathy with any of the characters until the very end, when we meet the unfortunate child-bride of William Hamleigh. The characters are pretty much one-note depictions.
The story moves along at an uneven pace, at least to my mind. Granted, the producers were trying to cover 40 years in a six hour miniseries, but they could have managed it much better.
The biggest disappointments in this series were the performances of Donald Sutherland as Earl Bartholemew and Matthew Macfadyn as Prior Philip. I feel they were badly misused.
All in all, on the Melworks Scale of Media Love, I'd have to give Pillars of the Earth, a mere 3 out of 10. It was an ambitious project, but poorly executed, and I wouldn't want anyone else to go out of their way to see it.
