The Mandrake Root

A comedy by Niccolò Machiavelli
A Movie by Malachi Bogdanov

The Mandrake Root is a bawdy ‘Carry On Up the Renaissance’, adapted from the comedy La Mandragola written in 1518 by Niccolò Machiavelli, a witty story of cunning and desire. Shot in HD on location in Sardinia, this movie provides a surprising insight into Niccolò Machiavelli, the notorious political writer who is now synonymous with ruthless, political intrigue but in his lifetime was more famous for writing this comedy than his political handbook The Prince, which was not published until after his death.

Produced by European Drama Network a production and distribution company producing modern movies from classic plays and distributing them via the internet to downloads and on DVD for a global home cinema market.

Treatment
La Mandragola was originally set in Florence, Italy in 1504 but Machiavelli says in the original prologue it could be anywhere. The film relocates the action to Sassari in Sardinia in a similar period. The action takes place in the span of 24 hours and the comedy’s main theme is the use of fraud, as none of the characters' objectives could be accomplished without it. Machiavelli makes it clear that fraud is acceptable, so long as it furthers a worthwhile cause and the plot revolves around which character is shrewder than the next.

The Story
Callimaco, a young Sardinian returns from studying in Paris and is overcome by the beauty of Lucrezia, the virtuous and beautiful wife of the rich and foolish lawyer Nicia. In his desire to bed her, he engages the services of a dubious fixer Liguro who knows that Nicia and Lucrezia are desperate for a child…

Production
The Mandrake Root was produced by European Drama Network in association with Screen WM & Bencast (Italy). Shot on location in Sassari, Sardinia the post production was undertaken in Birmingham , UK.