Produced by a Canadian, Rise of the Raven follows a 15th-century Hungarian military figure played by Gellert Kadar.

Rise of the Raven, CBC Gem

A European co-production with a budget somewhere around $98-million, this historical television series is the most impressive thing the Hungarians and Austrians have done together since the House of Habsburg fell.

Produced by Canadian Robert Lantos, Rise of the Raven follows the rise and political education of Janos Hunyadi (Gellert Kadar), a military figure from 15th-century Hungary who played a significant role in staving off Ottoman expansion into Europe, notably during the Siege of Belgrade in 1456.

But the series has an expansive viewpoint, venturing into the wider, inbred decadence of the Holy Roman Empire and the imperial harems of the

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