After The Watershed: Borgia S01E07

Thursday 3 November 2011

Borgia S01E07

"Such a scene has never existed in the history of film before," says director Oliver Hirschbiegel proudly. He is referring to a scene in the opening episode of medieval epic "Borgia" which shows, in lurid detail, the terminally ill Pope being suckled by a nurse. "There is a painting by a pupil of Michelangelo, depicting the scene of an old man being suckled by a nurse; that was normal then," Hirschbiegel told Bild. It was that image that partly informed the controversial scene and also inspired him to use real breast milk for good measure. "I did not cheat," he revealed. "I insisted that a true nursing mother suckles the Pope because otherwise you would see the difference. The chest looks completely different than a normal one. In addition, there is still something out. It is difficult to model."

The scene was filmed in Prague and finding a suitable Czech woman who was both willing and able to perform the act was certainly no easy task. "It took 25 minutes longer than scheduled to complete the shot since the woman was a bit nervous. She also had her little three-month-old son who was awake and wanted to share the goodness." The woman was not an actress, but performed her specialised part exceptionally well. "During the shoot, I whispered to Udo Kier, 'Bless you, bless you!' It all seemed so real."

Kier confirmed to Bild that the chest and breast milk were real. "I do not remember how it tasted, because there was so little," he said. "But it did not even matter as long as the footage was good." A dedicated actor, he insists he had no problem performing the act. "The production team already inquired about the woman and did the neccessary health checks." Moreover, he insists, drinking breast milk in such circumstances in the Middle Ages was not unusual. "They gave it to the old, sick men, so they came back to power. Breast milk is an innocent, pure meal!" he smiled. "So for me, the scene was not difficult. The woman, however, was very glad when it was finished."

Television Series: Borgia (S01E07- Maneuvers)
Release Date: November 2011
Actress: Isolda Dychauk, Amber Rose Revah & Eliška Křenková
Video Clip Credit: DeepAtSea

Isolda Dychauk