The Maidens' Conspiracy (2006) User Reviews

Big commercial production. Luscious and dumb.

[rasecz · 4/10 · 7 February 2007]

War between Constantinopolis and the Turks; a good looking Christian warrior and lustful damsels; and castle intrigues. Good elements for an adventure and love story. Package this with a rich production, luscious imagery, elaborate carnivalesque costumes, and famous actors. Sounds good? Alas, this titanic effort meets its iceberg in the form of dumb and Disneyesque bombastic dialog. The intellectual level is that of children, though young teens may find pleasure in the action. I could tolerate such dumbing down for just an hour. A wasted evening.

I felt sad for Giancarlo Gianini, an actor for which I have great admiration. To see him in such a wreck! I guess the pay must have been good. He redeemed himself when, after one bit of shaggy-dog dialog, he looks askance at the perpetrator of the utterance with a disgust filled sneer. Yes, Giancarlo, that the way I felt throughout the time I endured this albatross.

It could have been better

[dcldan · 5/10 · 19 April 2006]

Well, the story is based on the book "Tirant lo Blanc", written by Joanot Martorell in XIV century. Tirant is the best knight of Aragon Kingdom and must go to Constantinople to help the Emperor to fight against the Turkeys. There, he will fall in love with little princess Carmesina and will fight in the war. Unfortunately, things will not happen as our lovers like, as politics are between them. The movie is well done, the task of clothes and photography is very good, as the choice of actors and their acting. Unfortunately, as the movie focuses only in the bed aspects of court's live, the vision of the story is very partial (the story is not bad, but I think the director could have taken more profit of it), and, in addition, the war scenes are horrible. This is possibly due to lack of money, but, used to see Hollywood wars, the effect is terrible and disgusting. The material (the main book) is good, as the director, but the result could have been much better. I expected more of the director Vicente Aranda.

Nothing except Costumes

[Birgezgin · 4/10 · 8 April 2009]

I have looked for a long time for this movie. But a great disappointment. Story has nothing with historical facts. Acting is terrible. During war scenes it is not possible to understand what is happening. Beauty of Esther Nubiola doesn't help to much. OK, costumes are very nice but not according to the tradition of that time.This movie can be much shorter then 122 minutes. I accept that a movie is not a history book, facts can be changed according to the point of the director but there should be a respect to the history. Or at the beginning it should be clearly indicated that the facts have nothing to do with the history. Movie is based on a story of 15th century but it is shot in 21th century. The director has forgotten this .

Exciting story that's lovely to look at

[Charlot47 · 3 August 2012]

Magnificent costumes, dramatic locations, stirring music and elaborate sets for a tale of bravery and treachery, sex romps and romance among the lost splendours of Byzantium, under attack from the Turks in the 1400s.

The handsome and gallant knight Tirant (Casper Zafer), placed in charge of the armies of the Emperor (Giancarlo Giannini), hopes also to win his lovely daughter Carmesina (Esther Nubiola), who is willing in theory but hesitant in practice. The ladies of the court are full of wiles, both political and sexual, and a faction want to give her to the Turkish sultan (Rafael Amargo).

So the scene is set for battles under arms, battles of plot and counter-plot and many amorous battles around and in beds, involving lots of nudity and lively sex. Even the sardonic Empress (Jane Asher, who must have been pushing pension age but still looks lovely) strips off and seduces a handsome young squire (Sid Mitchell), muttering to her mirror that he could be her grandson.

Why isn't everybody entranced by the lush spectacle and adventurous story? I think the main reason is that to the ears of English speakers both the actual dialogue and the delivery of the dubbed speech often does not convince. Sometimes it is mock-medieval, which is very dangerous to write unless one's touch is perfect, and sometimes just uninspired. Ironically, it might work better in Spanish with subtitles.

Rotten pleasure of my life

[joelsegarra · 3/10 · 23 April 2006]

Oh boy! What a shameful experience. Stakes were high with this one. Four fine actresses on a 'Dangerous liaisons' type of film but somehow in the process everything witty and entertaining contained in this great novel of the 15h century was lost in translation.

The film gives no clue whatsoever if the tales being told have anything to do with some army in particular in some period of history or with the lord of the rings saga..

(Hint: the turks are the orks, and Tirant resembles Aragorn, though no Virgo Mortensen in sight just a lookalike). (Another hint: the standard flag of Tirant's side in battle scenes)

The film carries a solemnity that echoes through the halls and chambers of every step of flight of stairs of the palace in which the static action takes place. Can you hear my yawn from the aisles of the castle?

Esther Nubiola as Carmesina -the princess-, Ingrid Rubio as Estephania, Leonor Watling as Pleasureofmylife, Victoria Abril as the Peacefulwidow and Jane Asher as the queen do their best in trying to liven things up.

But the dead funeral air of Vicente Aranda's take at sex scenes won't make you have a hard on if it's not in the way of rigor mortis.

A free retelling based on classic chivalry book titled "Tirant lo Blanc" written by the Valencian knight Joanot Martorell,

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 1 June 2015]

The film presents a highly fictionalized alternate history narrative of the events leading to the Fall of Constantinople . It tells the feats and adventures of Knight Tirant lo Blanc (Casper Zafer) from Turkey . In 1401, Tirant lo Blanc, a famous knight, arrives with his small but battle-hardened troops of Almogavars, to the port of Constantinople . Constantinople is under treat of a Ottoman invasion and therefore it is in desperate need of a skillful military leader . Tirante the knight is as committed to fighting the Turks in Constantinople as he is to relieving Carmesina, (Esther Nubiola) the heiress to the Byzantine Empire, of her virginity . Carmensina confides her love for Tirant to her guardian Ines, nicknamed the 'Placid Widow' (Victoria Abril) . Carmensina's friends and confidantes, her maidens: Pleasure-of-My-Life (Leonor Watling) and Estefanía (Ingrid Rubio) , think otherwise . Estefania, another lady-in-waiting, supports Tirant's affair with Carmesina because she has fallen in love with Tirant's right-hand man Diafebus (Charlie Cox) . Meanwhile, the Emperor (Giancarlo Giannini) and Empress (Jane Asher) contemplate that Constantinople stands no chance against a Turkish onslaught and sees their daughter's marriage to the Sultan as the sole way to accommodate him .

This lavish film contains impressive battles , love stories , erotica with a lot of nudism , luxurious costumes by Oscarized Yvonne Blake and historical events . This historical resemblance is also evident in the description of events occurring around Constantinople and the defeat of Sultan Mehmed II "the conqueror," and ultimately leading to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 . The script was written by Aranda and was shot in English, being based on hero Tirant lo Blanch, a Valencian language chivalry novel dating to 1490, written by Joanot Martorell . The plot is based on the later part of the Tirant book , and events leading to his involvement in Constantinople and afterwards. It tells the story of a medieval knight Tirant from Brittany who has a series of adventures across Turkey . The main characters are full of life and sensuous love, sarcasm , and human feelings . Emotive and sensitive score full of oriental and Arab chores by Jose Nieto , Aranda's ordinary . Colorful and glamorous cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine , it was filmed in Madrid, Istanbul, Palermo, Granada, Huelva, Barcelona and Valencia . ¨Tirante El Blanco¨ or ¨The Maidens' Conspiracy¨ was spectacular and deliberately directed by recently deceased filmmaker Vicente Aranda .

Tirant lo Blanc is a romance written (1490) by Joanot Martorell , is the most famous chivalric romance in the Valencian language . It is one of the best known medieval works of Spanish literature and it tells the story of a medieval knight Tirant from Brittany who has a series of adventures across Europe in his quest. He joins in knightly competitions in England and France until the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire asks him to help in the war against the Ottoman Turks, an Islamic tribe of invaders threatening Constantinople, the capital and seat of the Empire. Tirant accepts and is made Megaduke of the Byzantine Empire and the captain of an army . He defeats the Turkish invaders and saves the Empire from destruction. Afterwards, he fights the Turks in many regions of the eastern Mediterranean and north Africa, but he dies just before he can marry the pretty heiress of the Byzantine Empire. The loss of Constantinople by Constantine XII to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 was considered at the time to be a major blow to Christian Europe. Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra, author of the great Spanish classic "Don Quixote", thought very highly of "Tirant", in contrast to his unfavorable opinion of many other books of chivalry . In writing his novel, Martorell perhaps rewrote history to fit what he wanted it to be , which in a way makes it a precursor of the present-day genre of alternate history.

Beautiful and different

[carlospartagas · 8/10 · 9 April 2006]

I hadn't read the book prior to seeing the movie, so I can't compare them. Honestly, I expected it to be deadly bad. And I was really surprised. The story is beautiful, filled with both humor and drama. It's not the "Troya" kind of film, the battle scenes are somehow poor (maybe due to a bad production?) yet Aranda gives them a personal touch. Aranda surprises again with his ability to investigate love, passion and human feelings. I loved the fact that Tirant is not the typical hero. Shame that the actor is sometimes empty...specially in comparison to the women of the film. Sure that Esther Nubiola is a discovery, we can read everything from her eyes and she's the perfect image for sensuality. Leonor Watling and Ingrid Rubio bring brightness to the movie, as well as Victoria Abril,able to catch the eye of the camera even from the back. A special congratulations to Giancarlo Gianini, this guy is always perfect whatever he does. Amazing dresses,by Ivonne Blake and beautiful music, with those breathtaking child chorus. The only shame, that Vicente Aranda didn't have the right producers and sometimes you can feel it through the movie.

Of course it's not the book, but...

[translatology · 6/10 · 13 April 2006]

Of course it's not the book, but what screen adaptation ever is? There's no way a work of over 800 pages and full of digressions can be adequately condensed into a two-hour film. As some people have said in the Message Boards section, we should be grateful that the film will make this neglected masterpiece known to a wider audience.

So Aranda does what so many other screenwriters have done in the circumstances: chooses one incident or aspect out of a multitude, elaborates on that and tries to remain faithful to the spirit of the book. But does he remain faithful? That's the trouble. Certainly there's a love story with sensuality in the Tirant and not the platonic stuff of other mediaeval romances, but Aranda piles on the sex until it becomes a bawdy romp. It's a pity that people will get the impression the whole book is like that.

That said, the acting is good, the hero is handsome, the heroine is delicious dressed and undressed, Yvonne Blake's costume designs are truly gorgeous, and the film has humour - in fact it could be classed as a romantic comedy. I especially liked the ending, but no spoilers! You can also learn a bit of romanticised history about the Turks and the end of the Byzantine Empire. (Tirant goes to Constantinople to defend it, but truth is that Constantinople had already fallen before the book was written.)

A special tribute to the dubbers is in order. I saw the version in Valencian, and the dubbing was so perfect that it could well have been the original.

Lavish costumes coupled with truly bad acting

[NanoFrog · 15 July 2011]

This film is unwatchable. I tried twice. I love stories like this, so was willing to give it a look. The costumes are spectacular. The acting is truly horrible across the board. It begins with the hero we see, who when he finally speaks has the squeaky high pitched voice of an obnoxious child. This is followed by a meeting with the king, and he is dressed to the nines. Immaculate and awesome king clothes. The actor stuffed inside of them must have been a relative of the director or an investor. His acting is that of one who has no idea, no idea at all. Given the spectacular sets and costumes, somebody had some money. Sometimes a film is just to bad to coherently review. The work that went into the sets and costumes makes the poor direction and acting confusing. You keep wanting to give it a chance because it looks delicious. I couldn't.

Aranda do it again!!!

[hugobolso-1 · 6/10 · 27 April 2014]

Tirant le Blanc was the popular "novel" of Joanot Martorell (1413- 1468), started a couple of years after Constantinople downfall in 1460, and published after his death in 1490. Martorell was on the service of the Kingdom of Aragon, and he traveled around England, Naples and Portugal.- The novel is on a parallel world, where Constantinople still Christian, and is vaguely based on the life of Roger de Flor (1267-1305)a German gentleman of obscures origins, at the service of the Aragon Crown and Catalonian Company, that stopped Muslim advance over Constantinople for 150 years.-

The novel is satirical and influence later the much more famous Don Quixote de la Mancha.-

Concerns more about the sexual advances of Tirant and his friends over Byzantium Empire High noble ladies, specially Princess Carmasina, the Emperor's daughter and object of affection of Tirant.

After the death of the male princes, the Constantinople Emperor (Giancarlo Giannini) accept foreign warriors (Tirant and his friends) for the defense of the Byzantium Empire. He also receives the marriage proposal of the Great Turk, of marrying the sultan with the emperor's only daughter Carmesina (Esther Nubiola).

But the Empire is in decadence ruled by anachronism laws and by two ladies the Placid Widow (a fantastic Victoria Abril) who supports Carmesina marriage with the Turk and Pleasure (Leonor Watling in her finest role) that support instead Carmesina with Tirant marriage.

Poor and virtuoso Princess Carmesina suffer the intrigue of pleasure and guilty of these two ladies.

But Tirant isn't as sex god, and failed in every sex assault, suffering more injuries in love than in battle, unlike his friends Diafebus (Charlie Cox) with lady Estefania (a wonderful Ingrid Rubio) and the even younger Hipolito (Sid Mitchell) with the Empress herself (a still sexy Jane Asher).-

So the story centers more in bedtime stories than in battles. Aranda shows again a lot of sensual flesh, and sumptuous dresses, the movie is funny and have sensual and erotic's scenes, while the ladies are great like most of the Aranda's film but unfortunately failed miserably in the battles and specially in the leading man the totally unknown Casper Zafer. Gianinni is also underused-

The movie itself was a big flop in Spain. The money came from a co-fund with England. Because of that half of the cast is English and the other Spanish.

Should be a better and more successful if the movie had at least Viggo Mortenssen in the leading role. Or at least a more charismatic and more household English actor. Even Charlie Cox, could be a more interesting Tirant

A brilliant, lush and lavish film, true to its satirical origin..,

[ccmiller1492 · 8/10 · 28 March 2010]

Tirant lo Blanc is a brilliant satire on the conceits of European knighthood, as well as the absurdities of the Byzantine empire which were responsible for its paralysis and downfall. Many who have seen the film seem to have missed this point, probably due to the fact that the satire is entirely solemn and straight-faced, as it should be. The knights and the Byzantine court nobles do take themselves very seriously, but the audience gets to see them for what they are (just as readers of the book do.) It's a lush and lavish film full of surprises;Tirant's absurd courtly love for the shallow, vain Princess Camesina, the doddering old Emperor reduced to entrusting the defense of his country to a foreigner, the lusty cougar Empress who can't wait to bargain away her daughter, even to the infidel Turk, and the lover who is young enough to be her grandson!-these are some of the characters you'll meet. The ladies of the court are very active schemers and plotters in the course of events, culminating in the incredible sight of Tirant forced to lead his knights into battle when he has two broken legs suffered from a fall incurred while attempting to breach the princess' bedchamber.

8 out of 10 for costumes

[int32 · 8/10 · 30 November 2006]

Excellent costumes, three times over. The story may be weak, but frankly, I didn't care, lush colors and beautiful women in beautiful apparels, - that was more than sufficient for me. Those who enjoyed Greenaway's experiments such as "The Baby of Mâcon" and "Prospero's Books", should enjoy "Tirante El Blanco" as well. 8 out of 10.

I'm not sure why other reviewers give so many low marks for the film, but I guess that's typical for productions of one's own country. Like the famous "Goodbye Lenin", where literally everyone but East Germans praised the film, Spanish reviewers here create a picture as if the film doesn't worth a look. I think this is completely unfair, and the film deserves to be known better.

Entertaining medieval farce, but don't expect a history lesson

[Andy-296 · 8/10 · 11 December 2011]

An entertaining film adaptation of a classic Catalan novel written in 1490, by veteran filmmaker Vicente Aranda (who was 80 when he directed this). In the 15th century, a Catalan knight arrives in Constantinople to help the Byzantine emperor fend off a Turkish invasion. Meanwhile, he is starting receiving the advances of various women of the court, but he himself has fallen for Carmesina, the beautiful daughter of the emperor (in real history, of course, Constantinople was taken by the Turks in 1453, but neither the novel nor the film follows history very closely).

Delightful and erotic, this medieval bedroom farce is helped by the various beautiful actresses around, who are always ready to show themselves in different states of undress, though always with taste, including the beautiful Esther Nubiola as Carmesina, but also Ingrid Rubio and Leonor Watling as two maidens, and even two veterans as Victoria Abril and Jane Asher. In the title role of Tirant, however, Caspar Zafer delivers a poor, almost expressionless, performance.