•
Rating:
In America, they have always been vigilant about those products capable of becoming "cinematically prolific." Over the years, an industrial amount of literary masterpieces, legends, and anything that could become appealing to the general public through the seventh art have been brought to the big screen.
Fantasy has been one of the most popular genres: Ervin Howard, Tolkien, Clive Lewis, and many others have come back into vogue thanks to the adaptations their most famous works have undergone. Missing from this call was George Raymond Richard Martin, known for his raw and provocative fantasy, which gained him some notoriety with "A Song of Ice and Fire." HBO, a well-known U.S. television network especially famous for its TV series, took advantage of this role; among those series worth mentioning (just to stick with recent ones) are "Band of Brothers," "The Pacific," "Boardwalk Empire," "Deadwood," and "The Walking Dead," though many others also deserve attention. HBO's products have always been well received by critics, and "Game of Thrones" was happily endorsed, eventually becoming a genuine cinematic phenomenon that reignited interest in fantasy in the United States.
"Game of Thrones" arrived in Italy in November 2011 and was broadcast on the private network Sky. Naturally, it was advertised properly, perhaps even excessively, so much so that many (including yours truly) expected the usual hoopla filled with dragons and various nonsense, which now seems indispensable for productions of this type. Fortunately, the final result is of an entirely different caliber.
"Game of Thrones" (taking its name directly from the first book the series is based on; the other is "A Clash of Kings") was split into 10 episodes, each with a duration of around 50 minutes. The cast does not feature particularly prominent names (which is not negative); the only one with a certain background is Sean Bean (playing Eddard Stark), known for bringing Boromir to life in Peter Jackson's triple epic.
Four different filmmakers were chosen for direction: in order, Tim Van Patten, Brian Kirk, Daniel Minahan, and Alan Taylor. What positively characterizes this HBO series is its distance from the technological digressions and spectacularization typical of the Hollywood system. The battles are almost completely pared down, while the focus is on the various subplots, intrigues, and power. It would be trivial and convoluted to talk about and cite all the various characters: an aspect I instead wish to highlight is the simplicity with which this product was created. It has nothing in common with "The Lord of the Rings," as many have erroneously claimed. "Game of Thrones" is more "real," more tied to the Middle Ages and much less to Tolkien's legendary fantasy. The various directors do not hesitate to show the filth of George R. R. Martin and often dwell on a world made of whores, incest, and the fight for survival and power. It is precisely in this characteristic that "Game of Thrones"' innovative charge lies: showing what man is willing to do to achieve command, to feel superior to everyone else. Every action that takes place in the 10 episodes is done with the intention of overpowering one another. In this way, honor slowly gives way to suspicion, and to betrayal...
Beyond misleading judgments and prejudices, "Game of Thrones" is a well-oiled mechanism that perhaps will not leave many themes to ponder, but still gives substance and body to a genre too inflated by "modernity."
Loading comments slowly
