Isabel

I gave this 10/10 because I believe that it succeeded completely in its intent, which was presumably to faithfully recount, as dramatically as possible, the rise to power and reign of one of Europe's most important monarchs. At over 39 episodes and more than 2500 minutes in length it is of course hard to be perfect all the time and there are moments when the acting or the scenery is not at 100% what it normally is but that is a minor quibble. If there are a few dodgy displays of cheap CGI scenes then there are a 100 beautiful ones. If there are one or two actors who appear again in different roles, then do remember that this is a relatively small country(compared to the US) with a smaller budget but with an ambition no less than anything conceived in Hollywood.

Two things stand out: The story with its countless subplots which appear at a dizzying rate (especially for the non Spanish speaker), and secondly the acting. Michelle Jenner as Isabel is a beautiful queen, but she does a fantastic job bringing to life the complex personality, so distant from our own time but which ultimately succeeds in turning a backwater kingdom in the middle of the Iberian peninsula into a world empire. Rodolfo Sanchez as Fernando/Ferdinand is also inspired, but for me the two most memorable performances were from two other duos, one at the start and one at the end :Carillo/Pacheco in the first series with their plots and counter plots are pure drama while Juana/Felipe in the third and final series is tragedy in its most bewildering form. Irene Escolar as Juana "la loca" is probably the best of all. You haven't seen intense if you haven't seen Escolar's Juana.

One thing bugs me though: as a non Spaniard who fortunately understands Spanish, I am nevertheless sad that the DVD box set does not come with English subtitles. As a ruler Isabel is there, somewhere in the top 10 of great rulers/tyrants with Napoleon, Lincoln, Genghis, Caesar Augustus and Charlemagne and well ahead of the Tudors or the Borgia in terms of importance in world affairs. Lots of good things, and to be sure bad things: Inquisition, the Discovery of America, the granting of Human rights to the Indians(later ignored by the conquistadors who caused the death of millions) and the financial and legal reforms which laid the foundations of one the greatest empires in History and whose influence is still felt in that 500million speak Spanish today. With such an important person in history, surely someone in the Spanish state television would have the in-site to market this on a world wide basis.

Great series that spans 1474 to 1504 with flashbacks to earlier periods. I only have two minusses:

1. Although mostly accurate too bad the series unnecessarily diverts from histiorical facts. Fact: on 13 December 1474 Isabella was proclaimed Queen of Castile and León. Because her brother had named Isabella as his successor, when she ascended to the throne in 1474, there were already several plots against her.

• Then why does the series act like there is no formal successor?

2. The series isn't available with subtitles other than Spanish/Castellano. Not sure if the makers ran out of cash so they couln't pay translators or that they were sure no-one in the non-hispanic world would be interested in this great piece of history. It's a shame and a great loss.

The show is definitely entertaining. Good job on the scenes and settings. Great to see attempts at creating the atmosphere of palaces of the 15th century Peninsula and inclusion of monuments like Alhambra in some scenes.

The cast delivered an unequal performance through. Sometimes over-stressing an emotion. A bit too much dramatisation.

If you don't get bothered by lack of historical accuracy then you'll enjoy Isabel very much. However, in my case, I found the narrative leaning to one side only with Muslims being the villains and Jews the allies of the Catholic Kings who are often portrayed as merciful and generous. History tells us a different story: the Granada War was vicious. Innocent victims on both sides of the conflict. The Nasrids while they didn't share the same faith as the Catholics were just as Iberians. Both Muslims and Jews suffered a great deal during the war and afterwards. The list goes on.

All in all, it's a good entertaining show worth watching.

1400s ... Spain has The Catholic Monarchy ruling all over the Reign. The Queen, Isabel, with its faithful attitude over the catholicism, gets rid of all enemies of the country, fighting against them An Excellent Spanish production, proudly made by all Spanish actors, trying to recall one of the most spectacular war times in our country We still waiting for the second season, actually expected for 2013 fall Looking forward to you enjoy this Spanish production as I did. There is still some circunstances that has no popped up yet, because of the remains of the time. Further more, we expect to all the history that has been playing, continues as the previous episodes has been doing.

Great ambitious series based upon the reign of Queen Isabella I of Castile - with a solid statement for Gender Equality in the world.

Indeed, all those fine Ayatollahs in Iran - in particular my dear friend Ali Khamenei - should watch this series. So that a peaceful governmental transition can be implemented in Iran, where Basic Human Rights and Gender Equality can be manifested - and Persia can once again be the Pearl of the Orient, She is destined to be :)

This series also highlights magnificently that the Spanish people - and on a good day also the Portuguese - are people with a very sunny disposition, who remain positive in the face of adversity, and have also the ability to explore and discover new stuff - such as America, for example, to which Queen Isabella I of Castile contributed immensely :)

PS: Amid the current social and political upheaval in the world, it's imperative that everybody keeps a cool head and remains calm and positive in this very challenging and critical time, of manifesting Peace and Prosperity in the International Community.

We would like to remind all Citizens of the World, that the importance of belonging to humankind takes precedence over all the marks of distinction that may separate one person from another.

The thing that matters most is not that we have any particular cultural or national identity, or that we abide by any particular religious or philosophical conviction, but that we share with all humanity the highest values of the human race: Love, Cooperation and Compassion.