world without end

Thanks to Star Movies I found World Without End.  Nadaanan ko lang sya while channel surfing one night, kaso nasa last part na pala.  Kaya hanap agad online at yon nga, kagabi kinumpleto kong panoorin ang 8 episodes na 45 minutes each.  Umaga na naman akong natulog.  Pero sulit na sulit ang puyat dahil maganda.  If not, I would have dropped it at the first few frames.  At hindi ako sisipagin na mag-review dito sa DS.

It’s a Tv adaptation of Ken Follett’s novel of the same title.  Na ewan naman kung bakit hindi na lang ginawang pelikula dahil sa laki ng story, ng cast, production values at haba ng kwento, pwedeng tatlong movies ang kalalabasan. 

It’s one epic story of 14^th century England – particularly a place called Kingsbridge where, in the usual Follett’s genius, kings and queens, bishops and priors, builders and lovers, peasants and witches were all woven into one intricate story of love, deceit, greed, scheming, war and death.

Continuation daw ito ng kwento ng The Pillars of the Earth, an earlier novel by Follett na ginawan din ng Tv version at sa Star Movies ko rin napanood.  Pero according to what I read online, kung ang Pillars daw ay malapit sa Follett novel ang kinalabasan ng tv adaptation, ito raw WWE ay malayo.  I wouldn’t know dahil hindi ko nabasa ang mga book. 

Basta ang alam ko, I was impressed by both Tv adaptations no matter how faithful it remained to the original material or not.  At kung napa-hanga ako ng Pillars, mas napa-bilib ako dito sa WWE.  Mas malawak ang kwento, mas maraming characters at mas malupit ang mga twist na hindi mo aasahan each episode.  

At the heart of the tale is the love story between Caris, a young medical practitioner-accused of black magic-turned nun-turned prior-then back to being just a peasant girl,  and Merthin, a brilliant young builder which is the equivalent of an architect (or engineer) in our present times.  For the bigger part of the story akala mo hindi sila magkakatuluyan dahil kung ano-ano na ang pinagdaanan ng love story nila.  But because it’s a love story, sila pa rin syempre sa huli.

Kwento rin ito ng power struggle at agawan sa korona amongst King Edward II, his wife Queen Isabella and their son King Edward III who led England to war with France in what is now known as The Hundred Years War na totoo namang nangyari sa English history.

Then there’s the story of Petranilla, a scheming widow played by Cynthia Nixon whose role here was a total departure from her Miranda character in Sex & the City.  You’ll hate her cunning dito sa istorya as she kills and orchestrates her way para maging importanteng mga tao ang dalawa nyang anak.  She almost had it – one became an Earl and the other a Bishop – two powerful men in the society during those years.  But they are both wicked just like their mother kaya may retribution sa dulo ng kwento.

And, in Follett’s tradition, kontrabidang-kontrabida ang simbahan dito.  Bishops and Priors wielding and abusing enormous powers borrowed from the cloak, the crucifix and the bible.  I don’t know how the Catholic church took it pero sa Pillars pa lang sila na ang isa sa mga kontrabida sa kwento ni Follett.

Idagdag mo pa ang istorya ni Sir Thomas Langley, a knight who sought refuge in the priory and became a monk.  Na later ay na-inlove sa isang kapwa monk din.  At si Caris as a nun na may eksena ng lesbianism with another nun.  If Follett or the writer who did the Tv adaptation intends to raise some eyebrows, he must have succeeded. 

With a 46$ million budget, nagawa ni Michael Caton-Jones na itawid ang malaking istorya on-screen. It was one huge project na kung hindi magaling ang director ay sasabog ang produkto. 

Of course magaling sigurado ang team niya, particularly the editors dahil walang sayang na eksena sa 6-hr running time noong buong series. Wala ding lumaylay na continuity.  At walang unresolved issues or characters na magtatanong ka kung anong nangyari pagdating ng ending.

His schedule masters and production coordinators must have had some sleepless nights.  Sa dami ng cast – central characters pa lang na more than 10 yata, plus minor roles not less than 30, plus the hundreds of bit players – managing their schedule must be a nightmare.

Medyo may sabit lang ang writer (John Pielmeier) dahil may mga dialog na napapa-isip ako kung talagang ginagamit na noong mga panahong yon.  I think i’ve heard a few lines here and there na parang contemporary ang dating instead of good old 14^th century.

Shot in Hungary, Slovakia and Austria, ang ganda-gandang lumabas ng cinematography so kudos to whoever is behind those cameras. At syempre, ang buong production team – from the set designers, propsmen, costume department – dahil nagmukhang authentic medieval England ang setting. 

Overall, it’s one good show you must watch kung katulad kita na mahilig sa mga kwento ng medieval England.  Ang maganda nito, kahit 6 hours yong buong kwento, you can watch it in parts.  Pwede mong gawing parang soap na susubaybayan mo ng 8 days.  But in my case, hindi ko tinantanan.  Ayaw ko kasing mabitin kaya ang ending, puyat.  But it’s all worth it i’m telling you.