David Oakes - 'The Borgias'

The Borgias set visit: Hungary hungry for film business


November 8, 2011.

Posted by:
Eric Volmers Calgary Herald

Florence is burning. The Black Death is ripping through the land. The Hundred Years’ War could start at any time and the roof of St. Peter’s will eventually fall and crush the faithful in a crumbling Rome.

Roughly 30 kilometres of a quaint winding road west of Budapest in the charming wine-making village of Etyek sits the sprawling Korda Filmpark, which on this particular day is housing not one but two historical epics. Both are Canadian co-productions.

A Followup to Pillars of Earth, World Without End stars Miranda Richardson and is a fictional account that deals with, among other things, the outbreak of both the Black Death and Hundred Years War.

Korda is also the home of Neil Jordan’s The Borgias, the Emmy and Gemini-winning Canadian-Irish co-production about the “first crime family.” This is why we’re here today, to watch the filming of season 2 of the Showtime/Bravo historical drama that follows the sexy and violent adventures of Pope Alexander VI (Jeremy Irons) and his heinous offspring as they wreak havoc on Italy in the tail end of 15th Century.

The backlot has been impressively transformed into Florence and Rome; the massive soundstages are full of the opulent trappings of the Vatican (more on that later, when The Borgias Season II airs in April.)

It’s the sort of production that might get a sturdy nod of approval from Sir Alexander Korda, the facility’s namesake and a towering if controversial figure in the British film industry. His humble roots as a Hungarian refugee has made him a major hero and source of pride for the country’s film industry, having directed historical films such as 1948′s Bonnie Prince Charlie and 1933′s Oscar-nominated The Private Life of Henry VII.

Built in 2007, Korda studios feature six sound-stages. The biggest, at 5,975 square metres, is said to be the largest in the world. The facility also has a museum exploring the country’s contribution to cinema. Tax incentives, experienced crews and a number of versatile locations situated not far from the facility made Hungary a natural choice to become . . . Italy.

“There’s a great tradition of filmmaking here,” says James Flynn, executive producer of the Borgias, at his office at Korda Studios. “It had to be in Europe because it’s a European-Canadian co-production and because the period is done so well here. Hungary was the best creative location and it competed with the others in terms of tax breaks.”

In fact, Hungary has been pushing to lure big productions to help boost its troubled economy. Korda is just one of its major studios with state-of-the-art sound stages. Brad Pitt has been, and may still be, in the country filming World War Z, a zombie film that had some of its weapons confiscated after a raid by Hungarian officials in October.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Hungary began its ambitious plan to lure big productions here in 2004 with aggressive tax incentives that have suceeded to pulling productions away from the Czech Republic, among other countries.

Since then, it has housed films such as The Debt with Helen Mirren, Season of the Witch,with Nicolas Cage, and Hellboy II, which was the first Hollywood film shot at Korda.