Starring: Jeremy Irons, Holliday Grainger, Peter Sullivan, Francois Arnaud
The Beautiful Deception - S2-E3
Factual error: Cardinal della Rovere says he wishes to join the Dominican Order instead of the Capuchin Order because the former's rule is stricter. In actual fact, the Capuchin rule is one of the strictest of all Roman Catholic orders, something which della Rovere would certainly have known.
Factual error: Pope Sixtus drinks from a flask while standing on a balcony and is screwing the lid back on. Screw top lids were not invented until the late 19th century, 400 years after this film was supposed to be set.
Question: Why does Giovanni Sforza not prove he is not impotent? Was he in fact not able to perform in front of others or find the woman undesirable? I know historically he agreed to the annulment; but why? Was this scene historically accurate?
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Chosen answer: The Borgias arranged Lucrezia's marriage to Giovanni Sforza for their own political gain. When Giovanni was no longer considered useful to them politically, they sought to end the marriage. Eventually, Giovanni reluctantly agreed to admit to impotence in exchange for keeping Lucrezia's dowry, which normally would have reverted back to the family in the event of an annulment. Divorce was rare at that time, and being unable to consummate a marriage was one grounds for an annulment. In the series, when the Borgias convene the College of Cardinals to have Giovanni prove his potency by performing with two overweight and unattractive prostitutes, he refuses because he is humiliated. The historical facts are mostly accurate, though the part about the prostitutes is probably fiction.
raywest