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A different beginning of America
What if the founding fathers of the United States who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 were Latino and African American? That was the premise of Lin-Manuel Miranda, an American actor of Puerto Rican origin, who wrote the story and the songs that make up “Hamilton,” the musical that has become the biggest Broadway hit of the last decade. In addition to the fictional version of the origins of the United States, another peculiar aspect of this piece is the musical style adopted: hip hop. All of the characters advance their narrative by “rappelling” in verses that essentially focus on their political ideals and the way they see the future of the country they are trying to create.
The main character of the show is Alexander Hamilton, starring Miranda, a Caribbean immigrant who, after being orphaned, went to America and made all the sacrifices to educate himself in various trades. Subsequently, he joined a group of anti-British revolutionaries in the mid-18th century, where he met a George Washington, the general who, both in this fictionalized version and in the “story with the big H”, led the United States. formed as a nation. Also characterized by his intelligence, dominance, and combat and leadership skills, Hamilton becomes Washington’s right hand man and will play a crucial role in American independence.
However, the rise in the chain of power is not done without an opponent. His name is Aaron Burr, an equally intelligent man, who started out as Hamilton’s mentor early in his military and political career, then progressively becomes uncomfortable with the success of his apprentice and his ability to infect others with his political ideas and worldview.
Compared to another beautiful political spectacle that we witnessed in the early hours of Wednesday, it was good to see a stage with actors able to debate different perspectives on the directions of a country in a coherent, interesting and respectful way. While in the first we saw constant interruptions and personal attacks, in “Hamilton” we can see Alexander and Thomas Jefferson in “freestyle rap” mode to see who has the best plot. I know which one I prefer, and you?
- Where to see: the play is 2h40 and is available on Disney +.
When politics is not just a Lego construction
The expression “building castles with legos” was part of our entire childhood before smartphones and tablets became a more attractive toy for children from the age of five. With them, we could create a replica of all the things we love: a pirate ship, a Star Wars ship, our home from the future, or just something abstract that just made sense to us.
The “Borgen” series, like the Legos, has become, in the last decade, one of the most famous Danish exports, reaching audiences all over the world, in the wave of Nordic productions that began to enter the world. radar and gain recognition of transmission channels and platforms. In essence, the two ended up having the same effect: they allowed something that was imagined or passed through our eyes to come true. Let me explain.
Until 2010, the year the series debuted its first season, Denmark had never had a prime minister. The country, which has always been considered one of the most advanced in the world (and the happiest according to various publications) had always been led by men, a fact that led Adam Price, creator of “Borgen”, to imagine a narrative that would take a woman forming a government in parliament, also known as … Bail (an abbreviation for Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, where it is located).
Thus was born the character of Birgitte Nyborg, a woman leader of the Moderate Party who, in the 2010 elections, after a series of events, became a party for which no one gave anything to the only one capable of forming a coalition to govern the country . Leading the country, Nyborg faces challenges of political consensus with partner parties, opposition parties and the media, but not alone. In the family plan, see the job you always dreamed of stealing time with the people you like the most, making “work-life balance” a hashtag that you will probably only find on LinkedIn posts.
Coming back to reality, on October 3, 2011, a week after the series’ second season premiered, Helle Thorning-Shmidt was elected Denmark’s first prime minister, which is a huge coincidence given her success. “Borgen” had. Several publications have been quick to find a cause-effect relationship, but those involved in the series have always shied away from any kind of responsibilities. There is nothing like trying the formula in other countries with series of the same type and see what happens.
- Known faces: You should recognize the actress who plays Birgitte as Theresa Cullen from “Westworld” and her press officer as Euron Greyjoy, one of the evil characters from “Game of Thrones.”
Can a show be smartly stupid?
This paradoxical question can be answered by first explaining the plot of “Billions”, a series that is broadcast on TV Cine channels. Imagine two men: on the one hand Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), a billionaire, leader of an investment fund who came out of nowhere and amassed a fortune with a bet against the US economy in the financial markets, at the time of the attack on the twin towers; on the other, Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), one of New York’s top attorneys general, who has always had a rich life and education thanks to the wealth his family already had, and who always longed to rise as high as possible in his carrer. politics in order to show that not everything was given to him.
Axelrod undertakes all kinds of plans to stay interested “in the game” and continue to increase his wealth, since insider trading promiscuity with politicians and public affairs; Chuck poses as a champion of justice, who wants to convict Axelrod and others like him, but in reality, whatever persecution he decides to pursue is a calculated move based on the political conquests that this may bring him.
So far nothing strange, right? Just two privileged men who seek to keep their lives interesting, each in their own way. Where the story takes on difficult contours to accept (at first) is with the character of Wendy (Maggie Siff), who is simultaneously Axelrod’s biggest confidant, working as a therapist in her company and wife of Rhoades. I understand that it is difficult to conceive for those who are reading, how a series justifies the limbo in which this character has to walk in a story based on the confrontation between two characters equally close to her. This is where the smart part is.
“Billions” doesn’t take itself too seriously. It does not deal with the great evolutions of the characters or the moments of redemption. Characters are the way they are and the way they change always depends on the plans they have in mind. The series is much more concerned with putting together interesting schemes that hold us to the screen and connect them between the different characters, leaving a small part of their development. This leads to the fact that there are seldom “downtimes” and that amid all the carnage, we forget about things that may not make much sense.
- A kind of social intervention: “Billions” is not at all a story that tries to mark some kind of position or send a message on the political agenda, but it became the first series to include a regular non-binary character (without defined gender) starring actress Asa Kate Dillon, who eventually becomes one of the leads.
- What they already said about the series: The phrases I liked the most came from The Guardian, which called it “the smartest and stupid show on television” (the smartest series to be stupid) and the San Francisco Chronicle, which called it “prestigious garbage.”
- Renewed: With only seven available episodes of the fifth season, which was interrupted by the pandemic, yesterday it was confirmed that, even so, we will be entitled to a sixth.
Credits: MadreMedia
“data-title =” I think you will like this: The day Denmark changed – SAPO 24 “>
50 editions mean 1 year of movies and series
To celebrate the 50th edition of our newsletter, we will launch a contest that will take place throughout the month of October in which you can WIN 1 YEAR OF NETFLIX (with two gift cards of 50 euros)!
A few more weeks, the cold returns and the shows on the couch will be part of your routine again, so this is the best time to start making your list of series and movies that will keep you company.
To participate, simply go to this link and do three things:
- Subscribe to the newsletter (for many the first step is done)
- Follow the Instagram do I think you will like this
- Answer the question “If you could only watch one show for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?”
Who knows if, next year, you won’t even make the recommendations!
Note: Netflix does not sponsor the competition or have any affiliation with the newsletter.
Final credits
- Your ideal festival: Music festivals only in 2021, but the Festify website already creates your ideal poster based on what you hear on Spotify. To watch it, just log in with your streaming platform account.
Do you have recommendations for things I might like? Or a review of one of the content I talked about? Send to [email protected]
