King Henry (Clive Wood) is becoming increasingly desperate since his life is getting shorter and he has no rightful heir to the throne. His daughter Maud (Alison Pill) has a son and one day will inherit the throne, but Stephen, Henry’s nephew, who is favored by the church jumps ahead to claim the throne sparking a civil war. As the pieces start to fall, allies and of the true heiress and the newly appointed king begin to form and the long battle for the throne begins. Meanwhile, a poor stonemason, Tom Builder (Rufus Sewell), and his family along with Jack Jackson (Eddie Redmayne) are looking to build a new cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge. Prior Philip (Matthew Macfadyen) is overseeing the project at the same time budding heads with bishop Waleran (Ian McShane) in order to continue with the construction. The series of events that follow are filled with deceit and backstabbing in the never ending struggle for power.
The Pillars of the Earth is based on a novel by Ken Follett and is directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. The story is based on the natural human nature. Throughout the show’s eight (8) episodes the filmmakers seek to explore each and every character on every side of the spectrum from the measly peasant in Tom to the highest most powerful person in the land in King Stephen. Our very basic nature is shown as the show is progressing with power struggles, war, religion, love affairs, etc. The show simply explores all the aspects of life in the middle age.
This series is exceptional by all means as far as a regular cable television show. Everything that surrounds the story, characters, production set, wardrobe, etc. is well done and well executed. It seems the planning prior to the start of filming was well thought out because everything came out incredible. However, not everything about the show was great. The story had some noticeable flaws throughout that prevented it from being great. The story was only 8 episodes long so there was plenty rushing, sometimes some episodes were great full of great content, but then other episodes were dull. Parts of the show were rushed just to fill in the time gaps in order to connect the story together. The Pillars of the Earth was a good series overall.
The Pillars of the Earth arrives on Blu-ray with a MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 1.78:1. Sony’s transfer is exceptional, one of the years’ best looking TV series. Colors are well reproduced with greens, reds, and blues being bright and vivid. Black levels are deep and inky and no noticeable crushing is detected. Detailing is excellent throughout capturing all the nuances in the knights’ armor and chainmail, or the dirty terrains of Kingsbridge, and the texture of the character’s close up shots. There are a few issues that prevent the show from being perfect like some aliasing, but it is very minimal that the majority of viewers will quickly dismiss.
The Pillars of the Earth arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. If you are worried that Sony might go the way of other studios and forget about lossless track in the TV show, well you are safe because Pillars of the Earth sounds incredible. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout and has no problem reproduction. The dialogue never gets overwhelmed with intense scenes and is always well centered. The surrounds are used for ambience and atmospherics throughout the show that helps to create a more engrossing experience. The bass is used effectively for support. Pillars of the Earth sounds better than expected.
The Making of “The Pillars of the Earth” – This featurette is found on disc one and close to 30 minutes in length. This features the cast and crew discussing the production, the cast, the story, etc. It’s a great lengthy piece.
Visual Effects Progression – This featurette is found on disc two. This piece features an overview on the visual effects that were added to the show on various scenes.
Main Titles Progression – This featurette is found on disc three. This piece features a look inside the production studio and allows the viewers to see how the show is made.
Trailers – Nowhere Boy, Welcome to the Rileys, Damages: Season One, and The Bridge on the River Kwai.
BD-Live Functionality
The Pillars of the Earth is surprisingly a good show. From the beginning shot to the end we got the feeling that it meant to be something big. The ambition behind the filmmakers was demonstrated throughout the incredible production that is “The Pillars of the Earth”. However, the story at times felt like it was dragging unnecessarily, while other times it was full of great content. At the end of the day, it is a great show with a great production, and great filmmakers. The Blu-ray features great video and audio transfers that other shows should envy. The supplements are lackluster, except for the making of which is really good. The Pillars of the Earth is recommended for any TV lovers.
