Marie de Bourgogne et Maximilien

Showtime/Starz has given viewers a refreshing and rewarding experience in running the limited series "Maximilian" this spring, an insightful exploration of Fifteenth Century European history, concentrating on France, Germany, Austria and Hungary. At the time, France consisted of somewhat independent provinces, as did Germany, the greatest part of Germany known as the Holy Roman Empire. This focus on these countries is a refreshing change from the usual concentration on British history that we're offered in the category of Old World history.

Also refreshing is the absence of melodramatic soap histrionics characteristic in Hollywood productions. If the actors in "Maximilian" at times seemed too stone-faced, the viewer must take into account the behavior standards of royals and aristocrats both in previous centuries and in modern times. This does not mean there is a lack of emotional expression, just that it is more tempered, allowing for some highly charged scenes at pivot points along the way.

There is some frankly presented nudity and the brutality of the times, but not overly graphic. One nude scene in particular provides one of the most hilarious scenes in the world of cinema.

It was particularly rewarding to see this series in German and French with subtitles, much to be preferred over dubbing. Amazingly, the characters all communicated with one another across language barriers, each speaking in his/her native language, while seeming to understand one another perfectly.

I highly recommend "Maximilian." Don't pass this one up.

The most prominent feeling I'm left with after watching this show, is that the screenwriters really rushed through it. There I was invested in the story of Mary, Maximilian, friends and foes at the start. The pace was going well enough, but especially after they get married plot-lines aren't fleshed out enough to continue and increase the impact of events that should be feeding my interest and emotions. Such a tragic thing too as the cast was good, but very underused because the script is half baked. What should have been two seasons at least was wrapped in just six episodes that end up being mostly forgetable when it had so much more potential.

On a positive note, I must commend the costumes. They are just fantastic, and I loved to see the court garments. The actresses for Mary and her step mother are beautiful and I loved seeing them on screen. Maximilian's actor is also wonderful. The casting was well done, and the sets and scenes all felt authentic. They did well with the material they got, I just wish the story had more meat. It would have been a more impactful series.

If you're a man-child thats into grown men dressed up in rubber costumes and waving their hands for - this aint for you. But if you're into grown men dressed up in era costumes and armor, waving their swords - this is for you. Shot in german and french languages, tells a relatively accurate story, all actors play superb, director doesnt think you're an idiot and lets a lot of nuissances to do the talking. Best Ive seen in years and I dont even speak german or french.

If this production was filmed in English, it would have been an internationally acclaimed historical drama. Yet, if it was filmed in English, it would have lost its charm and intensity.

As someone fluent in French and German, it is an odd sensation to listen to characters speaking to each other in different languages. It is an interesting artistic choice which does reflect the multilingual aspect of European courts in this period.

The gritty: it is sumptuous, tense, murderous, and sexy. There are no elves or dwarves or fictional kingdoms: this is real life and history, naked and brutal.

If you are a cinephile, you should watch this.

Costumes are fantastic. Locations are fantastic. Casting is fantastic. Acting is really good. Period is wonderful, too few movies from the rennaisance. That it is made of German history is super good. Story is good. The people in history depicted are super interesting. And political correctness is kept in check.

However. Storytelling is extremely inefficient. Every scene is more than twice as long as it needs to be. This series can take 10 minutes to just say person x sent a letter to person y. I am watching this on my computer so I can fix it by setting speed to x 2. But its really a shame since everything else with this miniseries is so good.