The Tudors - The Complete First Season
by Alison Maclean, Brian Kirk, Charles McDougall, Ciaran Donnelly, Steve Shill
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anthony Brophy, Henry Cavill, James Frain, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Sarah BolgerDirector: Alison Maclean, Brian Kirk, Charles McDougall, Ciaran Donnelly, Steve Shill
Brand: Paramount
Producer: Charles McDougall
Producer: Benjamin Silverman
Writer: Michael Hirst
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Mono; Spanish (Dubbed), Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 556 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-01-01
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Showtime Ent.
Movie Reviews of The Tudors - The Complete First Season
Movie Review: Lusty and Passionate and Compelling
Summary: 5 Stars
The Mrs. and I were pretty big fans of many HBO shows: Six Feet Under, Sex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, but now many of our favorite shows are on Showtime. Our two favorites are "Dexter" and "The Tudors".
People who get their panties all in a wad over things like "historical accuracy" can't wait to pounce on this fictionally skewed storyline. I'm not as tore up about it, knowing some of the historical differences. I think that "The Tudors" stays pretty true to the historical spirit of Henry VIII, and hardly any of the artistic deviations are a detriment to knowledge of the "Historical Henry".
The production is rich and lavish. The only series in memory that compares was HBO's "Rome", which we loved, but shut down after only two seasons mainly due to the cost of producing the thing. Knowing that "Rome" was split between HBO, BBC and RAI (the Italian BBC) makes a production like "The Tudors" heady stuff.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as Henvy VIII, the second Tudor King. Henry became King after his older brother, Arthur, died. Henry's father, Henry VII, gained the throne from Richard III, ending the Wars of the Roses.
Henry VIII married Arthur's widow - Catherine of Aragon, daughter of famed Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. By all accounts Henry loved Catherine, and he was married to her longer than his other six wives combined, from 1509 to 1533. Catherine was six years older than Henry, and bore him four children, but the only one to survive into adulthood was daughter Mary.
Henry, a devout Catholic, commisioned his religious scholars to write "Defense of the Seven Sacraments", in opposition to Martin Luther's protestant reformation. Pope Leo X conferred upon King Henry the title "Defender of the Faith" - a title that the English monarch carries to this day.
But when Catherine gave Henry no boys and her age began to make that less likely Henry was in a bit of a political pickle. No woman had ever ruled England, and at the time it didn't even occur to Henry or anyone else that one could. No - Henry absolutely had to have a son. (There were many ironies - a mistress gave birth to Henry Fitzroy, an illegitimate son, and daughters Mary and Elizabeth both ruled England after the death of their younger brother Edward.)
Henry also was falling under the spell of Lady-in-Waiting Anne Boleyn. Fifteen years younger, Lady Anne also seemed capable of giving birth to a son.
Season one of "The Tudors" deals with this time-period. Myers, in his late 20s, is a little young to play the Henry who was past forty when he finally married Anne Boleyn. But the casting makes sense: many familiar with Henry VIII are most acquainted with his portraits and portrayals later in life, when he had gained considerable weight as a result of a never healing leg ulcer. (As a physician, I often reflect on how different the life of Henry would have been with availability of modern medicine. The leg likely could have easily been treated. Surely at least one of Catherine's sons would have lived...)
Sam Neill is excellent as Cardinal Wolsey, the kind of Priest Luther complained about, more than willing to sacrifice his religion for political or financial purposes. Maria Doyle Kennedy makes a superb Katherine of Aragon - I have no problem believing this woman loves Henry, loves her faith, and descends from Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.
Natalie Dormer brings a saucy, eager, conspiratorial willingness to the role of Anne Boleyn. Jeremy Northam is sublime as the Sainted Thomas More, a perfect Renaissance man equally comfortable and fit in the worlds of the church and the state. Peter O'Toole lends his weight to the part of Pope Paul III. Nick Dunning, as Anne's father Thomas Boleyn, is perfectly willing to urge her daughter to use every trick she has available to gain the favor of the King. Gabrielle Anwar plays the King's sister, Margaret. (Yes, yes, yes, we know Henry had two sisters. Unwad thy panties.) Henry Cavill grows perhaps as much as any actor in the course of the series as Henry's best friend, Charles Brandon, who becomes the Duke of Suffolk.
The pertinent aspects of this part of the life of Henry VIII ring true. The screen is full of heaving bosoms and candle-lit trysts. The acting, editing, music, set decoration, etc are all top notch. If you're at all interested in historical dramatizations, I say "The Tudors" is an entertainment of the highest order.
Summary of The Tudors - The Complete First Season
The Tudors presents the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII?s nearly 40 year, omnipotent reign (1509-1547). In addition to his famous female consorts and 20+ year marriage to Catherine of Aragon to the infamous dalliance with Anne Boleyn, the series delves in to Henry?s most notable political relationship and the deconstruction of the Roman Catholic Church in England.Similar DVD Movies
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