There is a Great Wall of ice, under-maintained, which protects the 7 kingdoms from unspeakable horrors to the north. Below the wall there are 7 kingdoms vying to possess a throne usurped by a wrongful heir in a setting as authentically medieval as it is cruel and power mad. And across the Narrow Sea, the heirs of the last rightful king gather an army of barbarians to bring them home. Let the Game begin!
This TV series, which has been more successful for HBO internationally than
The Sopranos: The Complete Series
, is based upon the cycle of books in A Song of Ice and Fire. The TV series takes its name from the first book, and each season is planned to represent one book from the cycle of 7 total (two yet unwritten). Unlike a TV series like The Sopranos, this means you may already know what to expect when you sit down to watch. If TV is your first look at this story, you're missing much - my analogy is watching a sports game without knowing the players by jersey number. You will still enjoy the game but your viewing will be casual. The books are ripping good so I recommend them as well.
The novels in this cycle:
A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One
,
A Clash of Kings [Book #2 A Song of Ice and Fire] (HARDCOVER)
,
A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) By George R. R. Martin
,
A Feast for Crows. Book 4 of Ice and Fire
and
A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five
have all been praised as a realistic character-driven fantasy story.
The biggest problem the TV series has is with recording the passage of time. Each episode goes over events without a set period of time delineated. Time varies from scene to scene and episode to episode. Ravens can fly only so fast, of course. Perhaps this matters most to people who have not read the book. As the novel has been serialized for TV, the typical plodding minutiae of follow-along soap opera is removed. (This series makes the case for the old 26-episode per season schedule from TV's Golden Age.) Another limitation to the medium is the TV budget, averaging to a whopping $6 million per episode. That's not much money, however, for epic cinematic storytelling. So, do not expect to trade soap opera pacing for lots of
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)
set piece battle sequences. (George R. R. Martin, the story's author, has been contracted by HBO to write the season 2 episode with the big battle so that may underline the limitations that even the author will have to struggle with for TV.)
And those are the two main negatives in my review of content. The story is epic, sweeping, exciting and intellectual. It is to fantasy writing what
The Great Gatsby
is to the American novel, and the TV series faithfully translates the work from one medium to the other within its given limitations.
I had the privilege to view the first two episodes in a cinema recently and I noticed things on the big silver screen I had not on the idiot box. The cinematography is brilliant. The writing bears repeatedly scrutiny as much is packed between the lines and within the lines than what is typical for TV. The writing is laser superb. I also think the episodes I viewed were extended cuts, which I will be looking for along with the many extras released on the Internet, in the official DVD release.
Episode # - Title - Internet Run Time (in minutes) opening to closing credits:
01 - Winter is Coming - 61.35
02 - The Kingsroad - 55.15
03 - Lord Snow - 57.12
04 - Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things - 55.36
05 - The Wolf and The Lion - 54.14
06 - A Golden Crown - 52.34
07 - You Win or You Die - 57.56
08 - The Pointy End (scripted by the novelist) - 58.08
09 - Baelor - 56.14
10 - Fire And Blood - 52.35
On the topic of gratuitous sex and nudity, I did not find any. However, by watching this series, the uninitiated viewer will learn that women do not leap from bed clinging to bed sheets and men's genitalia bounce when running. You won't see any labia. One character operates a franchise of whorehouses where the women are not Julia Roberts but more like skilled factory girls. There is the use of the word fcuk, and it is very
The Oxford English Dictionary (20 Volume Set) (Vols 1-20)
usage correct. No one fades to unconscious black at a pure kiss before bedding time. Now, while I think that has more artistic merit than brutish demonstrations, I do think the brutish demonstrations serve their place here. It sets a tone that our civilized mores have robbed from us.
In the mid-15th century, girls younger than 10 were married off; impregnated by 13; and old maids by 16. The act of copulation was to please men and male Gods. The man was rare who was concerned with whether the woman had her climax before he was finished. Women were chattel who could not possess property or power. Oaths were contracts of blood. Lawyers wielded axes... All this stuff that we have forgotten is definitely alive in this series as an accurate reflection of its time. Now, all that medieval framework laid, I must say the women are far from helpless furniture and the characters shine brighter among the darkness of their time.
So it comes down to what you want to focus on while watching; and Parental Guidance is not so much a suggestion as it is an opportunity for parents with this series.
Your mileage may vary, of course. But for those who expect Cyrano de Bergerac courtly love making, I recommend the purchase of
Ivanhoe
instead of Game of Thrones. Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe was another inspiration for the author after all.
== My Original Review to be Deleted After I Complete My Review of the DVDs ==
First, it needs to be said that the DVD has not yet been packaged or released. So if you are reading these reviews on the DVD set now, even before they're released, you're reading about something else. When it is released, I will give my opinion on the package so you can make an informed decision about the product. If you're a fan of the series, undoubtedly like myself you have already decided to buy it even if the DVDs are pressed cardboard and sold in flimsy sleeves. So this review will be for the rest of those people merely interested and looking for a good purchase experience.
The novels in this series, A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One, A Clash of Kings [Book #2 A Song of Ice and Fire] (HARDCOVER), A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) By George R. R. Martin, A Feast for Crows. Book 4 of Ice and Fire and A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five have all been praised as a realistic character-driven fantasy story favourably compared with the actual historical event of England's War of the Roses.
You don't need to attend conventions and dress as an Elf to thoroughly enjoy this story and get caught up. But to be sure, some of these characters are driven by the most feral ambitions and base passions. How much sex, violence and betrayal you can stomach is served up by the characters who practice it - not audience expectations. These are not 21st century emos. These are authentic period characters.
So far I can only comment on the running time of each show televised thus far in the hope that HBO will release the DVD without edits and with the many extras that are already available on the InterWebz. I have been watching these shows on the Web and have not owned a television since before HBO was available, so I cannot comment if these shows run with commercial interrupts. (They do not on the Web.)
Here are the shows, by title, and with their Internet run times:
Episode # - Title - Run Time (in minutes) opening to closing credits.
01 - Winter is Coming - 61.35
02 - The Kingsroad - 55.15
03 - Lord Snow - 57.12
04 - Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things - 55.36
05 - The Wolf and The Lion - 54.14
06 - A Golden Crown - 52.34
07 - You Win or You Die - 57.56
08 - The Pointy End (scripted by the novelist) - 58.08
09 - Baelor - unaired at this time
10 - Fire And Blood - unaired at this time
I will check the run times when I receive my pre-ordered DVD set. I not only expect the run times to match but I also expect to have the extras already available on the Web, including commentary, and, perhaps, even a glimpse at season 2 in packaging that is stylish, protective and enduring.
I fully intend to write a review on the packaging of this series when it's released. HBO starts out with a 5-star rating at this point based upon the strength of its series ability to engage me.
If you have not read the novel it is based on, and if you like good reads, do yourself a favour and buy it A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One. If you are a fan of the book and have not seen the series, then do so! But expect TV not a novel. The adaptation is good, in my opinion, but it is an adaptation of the novel not the story you were watching in your mind's eye.
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