Pillars of the Earth

The Anarchy is well named period of English history. With various claims to the throne and armies roaming the like wolves, the average person in England was lucky just to be spat upon and treated like a bit of bum wipe. It is in this era that the mini series and novel "The Pillars of the Earth," is set.

It's a sprawling story, but it finds it center in the building of a cathedral. Tom Builder and his family align with church to build something new and revolutionary. Of course, not everyone wants that, so they have to fight for every stone and worker. On a larger scale, there is much fighting for the throne. One of the players being an evil church member played by Ian MacShane. Another is a lady who has such an ugly birth mark I keep wanting her to wipe her face.

This is a compelling series and is beautifully shot. There's one episode where the dawn is a very important plot point and it is shot just is such an awesome beautiful way that it is easy to see it as a miracle of God. Never boring and always well acted it is certainly worth a look at.