sedgar35
I started to watch this show for fun... I confess I love foreign series and movies and I have no problem at all reading subtitles. Actually, I am pretty used to it. I didn't know much about the show and I started to binge watching, not even realising there was only one season available and this season was NOT the whole show. I was taken aback to find out there is a lot more and there is no way to find out WHEN OR IF the remaining seasons will be released in the US. Is there any other way to watch them right now? Youtube has some of the second seasons and then it stopped all at once. It's a great show and no need of showing an excess of anything... it has some elements of violence and sex, of course, since it's an adult oriented TV show, but nothing like what has been shoved in our faces. Kudos to the producers and actors of this wonderful TV show. Please bring to the US with the subtitles... I'm on the lookout for it.
julia2702
It had been a while since I watched a long TV series, when my friend recommended "Magnificent Century" to me. She was insistent, and I just thought it so odd – I believed myself to be a long time over such silly soap operas, ever since I was a kid and Russian screens were inundated by various Mexican and Brazilian productions of this "controversial" genre. But after the 1st episode I found myself completely hooked! It was exactly that feeling when you fall in love with a work of art, sometimes for unknown reasons, but you really feel like in love – some changes are taking place in your consciousness, you are uplifted beyond words, almost walking on air : ) Yes, sometimes movie industry can do that. Last time I had this kind of emotional upheaval with BBC "Pride & Prejudice" about 20 years ago. And I thought – how interesting, this "MC" series will not offer you deep conversation, complex conflicts and special food for intellect, but it still captivates immensely.So, yeah, even a soap opera can be addictive. When it has quality, interesting script, visual attractiveness and obviously a heartfelt involvement from the cast & crew. Sadly, this magnificent production suffered from 2 serious blows – first, the death of genius scriptwriter Meral Okay (which is truly so sad and unfair, the series never was the same after that), and second - decision of Meryem Uzerli to leave the project. She was one of the main reasons I adored "MC". Sometimes casting is just so right, that the characters stay etched on your mind forever, almost as if they are real people. She gave us a fantastic Hurrem – beautiful, strong, powerful, magnetic, amusing, intelligent. I almost forgot that she was really a nasty, unscrupulous schemer when I looked at Meryem's portrayal. Somehow, she managed to make "nasty" deeply sympathetic, that you find yourself still rooting for her – no matter what mean intrigues Suleiman's beloved might be weaving.Apart from my fascination with red-haired Hurrem – the movie is soo eye- candy. Beautiful actors, splendid costumes and hairdos, nice music. I especially enjoyed the characters of Moustapha, Machidevran, Mihrimach, Suleiman's royally dignified mother, the handsome hero Bali-Bey. Suleiman himself - I found good, but not with any special emotion.A lot of unexpected turns of the plot. Competition between the soultan's women is not a deeply intellectual subject for sure, but so what – it is still compelling to observe. The way Hurrem climbed the social harem ladder, eventually rising to fame – not just as a ruler's wife, but also as a political figure in a sense – is worth applause.A lot of people blame this show for historical inaccuracies, and this is something I would neither deny, nor support. The primary purpose of such shows is entertainment, not a detailed account on history events. A thinking person will always at least google some information, to compare official biographies with the scriptwriter's fantasy. On the contrary, by giving us a bright fairy tale, film-makers excite our interest to at least start reading something on the period. A general outline and chronology of the events helps, too. I did not know much about Turkey before watching "MC", did not realize what glorious pages of history this country had seen. So should one really make such evil of an "inaccurate soap"? : ) And of course, each nation will portray themselves as heroes and their rivals as less worthy. This has been a paradox of all politics, since the beginning of times, and a human with raised awareness would only smile at it, in a good- humoured understanding way. More than just Ottoman Empire, the series caused me to start investigating history of other countries – first the same period, then expanding my field of interest. History deserves to be presented in a fun way – scientifically savvy people may grind their teeth, but for the general public it could still be a nice opportunity to immerse themselves in a period and get some educational material, even though simplified.So, I highly recommend it. "Magnificent Century" is a good entertainment, a quality work and an addictive "episode-turner". Perhaps it was a little too lengthy, but given other reasons for enjoyment this series produced, that's something I could easily overlook. 9/10.
seidem3
I love this series. Only problem is Netflix only downloaded series 1. I cannot locate where to get series 2, 3 and 4. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who can tell me where I can find them in English subtitles. The casting, costumes and locations are top notch. I did laugh at the competition in the harem. I can say this series showed you can have a great show without nudity. The characters played their parts perfectly. I loved the way they showed the workings of a palace, its royalty, servants, etc. Now I'm going to have to read up on the history of Sulyman the Magnificent and see how close facts were followed. I'm curious about actual family members and children are actual people. I'd like to see the rest of this series so if anyone knows where I can fin the last three seasons, I'd be very grateful
