Dumas's novel, upon which this mini-series in based, is a 181 chapter romantic tragedy, in 9 volumes, following true events in 1799 Naples, about the ousting of the Bourbon monarchy by the French, and then the triumphant and bloody return to power of the Bourbons. For the plot, Dumas took the real and tragic case of 34-year-old Luisa, lover of a number of men, but accidental informer, and turned her into a virtuous 21 year-old virgin illegitimate daughter of a murdered prince. Luisa falls in love with a created revolutionary character called Salvato. If you sing the Abba song 'Fernando' and replace Fernando with 'Salvato', you'll get the general plot.
A significant part of the Dumas novel plot takes place on or around ships of Nelson's fleet (including the death of a young Bourbon prince - which explains much of the reaction of the Bourbons). Much hinges on Nelson's breach of an armistice signed by Cardinal Ruffo and all the other powers present (including the British) at the end of the short lived French-backed puppet Parthenopean Republic in Naples, and the hanging of Neapolitan Admiral Cariccolo by Nelson. All of this is missing from this mini-series/film, which is a shame, given the lavish budget and expensive sets / period costumes. Nelson is set up in the film for this breach of trust through clever manipulation by Lady Hamilton and Queen Caroline of Naples (supposedly in a lesbian relationship), but the film/series never delivers Nelson's fatal blow, which makes the plotting seem pointless.The breach of the armistice is dealt with in a few frames, then leads directly to wholesale executions of the republicans of Naples, ultimately poor Luisa (although the ending is slightly more upbeat than the novel). Big, sweeping, epic novels are hard to adapt to film, and a mini-series offers a way of achieving a screen adaptation, if handled well. Given the resources, and the good casting, this could have been done so much better.
This review is of the English language version of the film.
A significant part of the Dumas novel plot takes place on or around ships of Nelson's fleet (including the death of a young Bourbon prince - which explains much of the reaction of the Bourbons). Much hinges on Nelson's breach of an armistice signed by Cardinal Ruffo and all the other powers present (including the British) at the end of the short lived French-backed puppet Parthenopean Republic in Naples, and the hanging of Neapolitan Admiral Cariccolo by Nelson. All of this is missing from this mini-series/film, which is a shame, given the lavish budget and expensive sets / period costumes. Nelson is set up in the film for this breach of trust through clever manipulation by Lady Hamilton and Queen Caroline of Naples (supposedly in a lesbian relationship), but the film/series never delivers Nelson's fatal blow, which makes the plotting seem pointless.The breach of the armistice is dealt with in a few frames, then leads directly to wholesale executions of the republicans of Naples, ultimately poor Luisa (although the ending is slightly more upbeat than the novel). Big, sweeping, epic novels are hard to adapt to film, and a mini-series offers a way of achieving a screen adaptation, if handled well. Given the resources, and the good casting, this could have been done so much better.
This review is of the English language version of the film.