In 12th-century England, the poor are so poor that a pig is worth a life. Medicine is rejected as sin - or witchcraft. Churchmen poison one another wantonly, and beheadings are preceded by puppet shows.
But Tom Builder is a better man than most of those around him. He wants to turn stone into beautiful, soaring spaces, not castles for princes but cathedrals that reach halfway to God.
Rufus Sewell stars as Tom in "The Pillars of the Earth," a richly textured dramatization of Ken Follett's 1989 historical novel. The miniseries will unfold on Starz over eight hours and seven weeks in the Friday time slot where Starz had a hit with "Spartacus: Blood and Sand."
The drama in "Pillars" is driven by its characters, especially Tom, and Sewell is just the actor to make us bond immediately with our hero. This is true despite the fact that we've hardly met him when we watch him abandon his newborn son on a grave.
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Times are tough for Tom. He was building a castle when the project fell rather violently through, leaving him and his family destitute. But the tragic turn of events introduces Tom to Ellen (Natalia Worner), a self-described renegade nun who turns out to be quite a comfort, and her mysterious, almost mute son Jack (Eddie Redmayne).
Meanwhile, back in Winchester, the war of succession known as the Anarchy is raging. King Stephen (Tony Curran) has succeeded his uncle, Henry I, after a suspicious shipwreck took out the king's only legitimate male heir. Earl Bartholomew (Donald Sutherland) is loyal to Henry's daughter Maud (Allison Pill), while Waleran (the great Ian McShane) is loyal only to himself.
The core of "Pillars" follows Tom as he builds a cathedral in fictional Kingsbridge for Prior Philip (Matthew Macfadyen), who is determined to "give God a beautiful home."
Director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan has honored the novel by giving its themes of art and beauty almost equal weight to its political intrigues and religious infighting. Fans of the '89 novel may regret that the story had to be compressed. But it's hard to complain about the $40 million production, shot in Austria and Hungary, and Follett has praised the attention to detail.
On TV
"The Pillars of the Earth" premieres at 7 p.m. Friday on Starz.
