The film presents a highly fictionalized alternate history narrative of the events leading to the Fall of Constantinople . It tells the feats and adventures of Knight Tirant lo Blanc (Casper Zafer) from Turkey . In 1401, Tirant lo Blanc, a famous knight, arrives with his small but battle-hardened troops of Almogavars, to the port of Constantinople . Constantinople is under treat of a Ottoman invasion and therefore it is in desperate need of a skillful military leader . Tirante the knight is as committed to fighting the Turks in Constantinople as he is to relieving Carmesina, (Esther Nubiola) the heiress to the Byzantine Empire, of her virginity . Carmensina confides her love for Tirant to her guardian Ines, nicknamed the 'Placid Widow' (Victoria Abril) . Carmensina's friends and confidantes, her maidens: Pleasure-of-My-Life (Leonor Watling) and Estefanía (Ingrid Rubio) , think otherwise . Estefania, another lady-in-waiting, supports Tirant's affair with Carmesina because she has fallen in love with Tirant's right-hand man Diafebus (Charlie Cox) . Meanwhile, the Emperor (Giancarlo Giannini) and Empress (Jane Asher) contemplate that Constantinople stands no chance against a Turkish onslaught and sees their daughter's marriage to the Sultan as the sole way to accommodate him .This lavish film contains impressive battles , love stories , erotica with a lot of nudism , luxurious costumes by Oscarized Yvonne Blake and historical events . This historical resemblance is also evident in the description of events occurring around Constantinople and the defeat of Sultan Mehmed II "the conqueror," and ultimately leading to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 . The script was written by Aranda and was shot in English, being based on hero Tirant lo Blanch, a Valencian language chivalry novel dating to 1490, written by Joanot Martorell . The plot is based on the later part of the Tirant book , and events leading to his involvement in Constantinople and afterwards. It tells the story of a medieval knight Tirant from Brittany who has a series of adventures across Turkey . The main characters are full of life and sensuous love, sarcasm , and human feelings . Emotive and sensitive score full of oriental and Arab chores by Jose Nieto , Aranda's ordinary . Colorful and glamorous cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine , it was filmed in Madrid, Istanbul, Palermo, Granada, Huelva, Barcelona and Valencia . ¨Tirante El Blanco¨ or ¨The Maidens' Conspiracy¨ was spectacular and deliberately directed by recently deceased filmmaker Vicente Aranda . Tirant lo Blanc is a romance written (1490) by Joanot Martorell , is the most famous chivalric romance in the Valencian language . It is one of the best known medieval works of Spanish literature and it tells the story of a medieval knight Tirant from Brittany who has a series of adventures across Europe in his quest. He joins in knightly competitions in England and France until the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire asks him to help in the war against the Ottoman Turks, an Islamic tribe of invaders threatening Constantinople, the capital and seat of the Empire. Tirant accepts and is made Megaduke of the Byzantine Empire and the captain of an army . He defeats the Turkish invaders and saves the Empire from destruction. Afterwards, he fights the Turks in many regions of the eastern Mediterranean and north Africa, but he dies just before he can marry the pretty heiress of the Byzantine Empire. The loss of Constantinople by Constantine XII to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 was considered at the time to be a major blow to Christian Europe. Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra, author of the great Spanish classic "Don Quixote", thought very highly of "Tirant", in contrast to his unfavorable opinion of many other books of chivalry . In writing his novel, Martorell perhaps rewrote history to fit what he wanted it to be , which in a way makes it a precursor of the present-day genre of alternate history.

Tirant le Blanc was the popular "novel" of Joanot Martorell (1413- 1468), started a couple of years after Constantinople downfall in 1460, and published after his death in 1490. Martorell was on the service of the Kingdom of Aragon, and he traveled around England, Naples and Portugal.- The novel is on a parallel world, where Constantinople still Christian, and is vaguely based on the life of Roger de Flor (1267-1305)a German gentleman of obscures origins, at the service of the Aragon Crown and Catalonian Company, that stopped Muslim advance over Constantinople for 150 years.-The novel is satirical and influence later the much more famous Don Quixote de la Mancha.-Concerns more about the sexual advances of Tirant and his friends over Byzantium Empire High noble ladies, specially Princess Carmasina, the Emperor's daughter and object of affection of Tirant.After the death of the male princes, the Constantinople Emperor (Giancarlo Giannini) accept foreign warriors (Tirant and his friends) for the defense of the Byzantium Empire. He also receives the marriage proposal of the Great Turk, of marrying the sultan with the emperor's only daughter Carmesina (Esther Nubiola).But the Empire is in decadence ruled by anachronism laws and by two ladies the Placid Widow (a fantastic Victoria Abril) who supports Carmesina marriage with the Turk and Pleasure (Leonor Watling in her finest role) that support instead Carmesina with Tirant marriage.Poor and virtuoso Princess Carmesina suffer the intrigue of pleasure and guilty of these two ladies. But Tirant isn't as sex god, and failed in every sex assault, suffering more injuries in love than in battle, unlike his friends Diafebus (Charlie Cox) with lady Estefania (a wonderful Ingrid Rubio) and the even younger Hipolito (Sid Mitchell) with the Empress herself (a still sexy Jane Asher).-So the story centers more in bedtime stories than in battles. Aranda shows again a lot of sensual flesh, and sumptuous dresses, the movie is funny and have sensual and erotic's scenes, while the ladies are great like most of the Aranda's film but unfortunately failed miserably in the battles and specially in the leading man the totally unknown Casper Zafer. Gianinni is also underused-The movie itself was a big flop in Spain. The money came from a co-fund with England. Because of that half of the cast is English and the other Spanish.Should be a better and more successful if the movie had at least Viggo Mortenssen in the leading role. Or at least a more charismatic and more household English actor. Even Charlie Cox, could be a more interesting Tirant

Oh boy! What a shameful experience. Stakes were high with this one. Four fine actresses on a 'Dangerous liaisons' type of film but somehow in the process everything witty and entertaining contained in this great novel of the 15h century was lost in translation.The film gives no clue whatsoever if the tales being told have anything to do with some army in particular in some period of history or with the lord of the rings saga..(Hint: the turks are the orks, and Tirant resembles Aragorn, though no Virgo Mortensen in sight just a lookalike). (Another hint: the standard flag of Tirant's side in battle scenes)The film carries a solemnity that echoes through the halls and chambers of every step of flight of stairs of the palace in which the static action takes place. Can you hear my yawn from the aisles of the castle?Esther Nubiola as Carmesina -the princess-, Ingrid Rubio as Estephania, Leonor Watling as Pleasureofmylife, Victoria Abril as the Peacefulwidow and Jane Asher as the queen do their best in trying to liven things up. But the dead funeral air of Vicente Aranda's take at sex scenes won't make you have a hard on if it's not in the way of rigor mortis.

Well, the story is based on the book "Tirant lo Blanc", written by Joanot Martorell in XIV century. Tirant is the best knight of Aragon Kingdom and must go to Constantinople to help the Emperor to fight against the Turkeys. There, he will fall in love with little princess Carmesina and will fight in the war. Unfortunately, things will not happen as our lovers like, as politics are between them. The movie is well done, the task of clothes and photography is very good, as the choice of actors and their acting. Unfortunately, as the movie focuses only in the bed aspects of court's live, the vision of the story is very partial (the story is not bad, but I think the director could have taken more profit of it), and, in addition, the war scenes are horrible. This is possibly due to lack of money, but, used to see Hollywood wars, the effect is terrible and disgusting. The material (the main book) is good, as the director, but the result could have been much better. I expected more of the director Vicente Aranda.