Claire said:

Do let us know what it’s like, TinaII2None!

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Well, Blockbuster had it and since they had made me an offer (what with Netflix turning many of its' customers against it) I rejoined and rented the first two discs. I'm on episode 4 of disc 1 and here's my mini-review.

THIS IS NOT the Showtime extravaganza The Tudors, and neither is it a Anne of a Thousand Days or A Man For All Seasons — and in that I mean it is not an extremely polished presentation. But if you've enjoyed Keith Michell's The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Elizabeth R or one of the famous BBC productions like Upstairs, Downstairs or The First Churchills, then I think you should give it a chance. It is more like a filmed play; limited sets and most of those are interiors, (I've yet to see a single authentic outdoor shot and when we are outside you know it's a stage-set)  but the costumes and the settings look fairly authentic, and so far, it appears historically accurate.

Episode 1 begins roughly with the conclusion of Bosworth Field and the finding of the crown in the thorns. We meet Henry Tudor, Elizabeth of York, Margaret Beaufort and Jasper Tudor — and I'm fairly well pleased with the portrayals. I see a lot of Elizabeth in the way her grandfather is being shown and it is good to see Henry VII as a young man in his twenties and not the aged, sick, almost Scrooge-like creature we normally see (when we do see him). Actually, I'm unsure if I've seen James Maxwell before — I need to check his biography, but he's not bad; you find yourself trying to read what's going on his mind behind those clear steady eyes. I like the actress who plays Elizabeth of York; of course she is torn and hesistant about the man who overthrows her uncle, but in both Episode 1 and 2, you feel that there is actual love and affection between the couple (which is also historic). Margaret Beaufort even comes off well — the lady playing her looks a great deal like her, especially the way she is costumed, but she is at least coming off as three-dimensional, and although we're fairly sure that she and her daughter-in-law butted heads, their scenes together have been pretty good, with Margaret often showing wise concern. And Jasper Tudor is as I imagined him from all we've read of him.

Episode 2 has Henry consolidating his power as much as he can, and the birth of his eldest son, Arthur. Episodes 3 and 4 cover the Lambert Simnel conspiracy. Both of those episodes — at least to me — made me see how much Elizabeth and her grandfather were alike; building authority among those that supported you from the start, and among those who may not have but you are willing to give them a chance. (With Elizabeth, it was her Catholic subjects; with Henry VII, the supporters of Richard III such as John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln).

I'm afraid I'll have to watch Episode 1 again. When you work nights, get home and stay up about 14 hours, and then have a drink with dinner, well, I dozed off during part of that episode. In fact, I may watch all 4 episodes again before I move on to disc 2. And I can't wait to see who else will be portrayed in the series (I believe it ran about 12 episodes). I'm hoping we'll get to see Henry's other children in a cameo (it'd be cool to see a child Henry Duke of York) and Arthur marrying Catalina of Aragon.

So that's it fellow Tudor fans. It may not have the sophistication and polish of The Tudors, but so far, I haven't put my head through the drywall because of some major historic error or — on an even more unforgivable level — gratuitous sex and nudity for ratings' sake. It's straightforward storytelling and worth a look, if only because it is about the Tudor patriarch who has always received short shrift IMO. He may not have had the excitement of breaking with the Roman Church and having six wives. He may not have had the Spanish Armada at his doorstep and become a symbol of an era with an age named for him. But he and his graddaughter definitely had one thing in common: both spent a great deal of time fighting for their rights — Henry to prove himself a King as the heirs to the Lancastrian cause and Elizabeth to prove that she was her father's rightful successor.

Will I buy it? *shrug* Heck, I don't even own The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R as much as I like them! But for any Tudor buff I'd say RENT IT — it's at both Netflix or Blockbuster Online. And if you decide to buy it, I know Amazon definitely has it.

Tina

Bella44 said:

What a great review – really makes me want to see it (I have a birthday coming up soon and there’s usually someone who gets me Amazon vouchers! And I will have to buy at as we don’t have Netflix, can’t find it at Blockbuster or local DVD stores.)

I love Elizabeth R and The Six Wives of Henry VIII and parts of those sometimes come off like a filmed play, as you say Tina.  I don’t mind that at all, gives you a chance to really concentrate on the acting – so different from modern movies where a lot of the time the acting is almost like an afterthought!

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Thanks Bella — glad you enjoyed the review.

I did watch episode 1 again last night and was glad I did because I obviously dozed off for about a half-hour! I had missed a good deal, especially the Earl of Lincoln's reasoning for deciding to join Henry VII, especially when he was an ardent Yorkist. Also, considering I just finished the Norton biography of Margaret Beaufort, I was glad to see that the story worked in some of the aspects of why Henry did not immediately marry Elizabeth or have her crowned. (He had to prove that him being King was based not only on being the victor on the battleground, but also in his belief that he was honestly the Lancastrian heir through the Beaufort side. He did not want anyone to think that he had to marry Elizabeth, the Yorkist heir, in order to prove his right). So of course Elizabeth is a tad bit ticked to put it mildly — after all, as she declares “I AM Elizabeth of York” but she soon finds herself in love with this man who will not “come a-wooing” as other ardent suitors might. And there is a moment at the end of episode 1 when Henry's uncertainty and concern is revealed as he tenderly grasps the hand of his new Queen.

I've watched disc 2 today and was slightly less impressed I'm afraid. Episode 5 is 'The Serpent and the Comforter' which is about a former priest, about to be burned at the stake for his heretical views (based in Wycliffe's teachings) — and Henry's attempts to save the man's soul by getting him to return to the Catholic faith. Episode 6 — 'The White Hart' — deals with Sir William Stanley and his support of the latest pretender, Warbeck, the fake Richard Duke of York. (A few minutes into this episode, we hear — not see, likely due to budget constraints — a celebration tourney as three-year-old Prince Henry is made a member of the Order of Bath and Lieutenant of Ireland). Of the four on the disc, this one is the strongest story IMO. Episode 7 is 'A Fly in the Ointment' which mainly deals with those attempting to put Warbeck on the throne…with near comical results, especially in the character of an Italian alchemist/magician/sorcerer/poisoner/astrologer who concocts a potion to kill the King — and once you hear of it, you'd probably figure Henry would die of laughter that anyone would believe it a real weapon. (James Maxwell's Henry makes what I'd almost consider a cameo appearance). The disc concludes with 'The Princely Gift' in which John Cabot and the Bristol merchants attempt to get Henry to invest in their proposition of discovery and trade.   

Unlike episodes 3 and 4, in which the pretender Simnel is quite prominent, we only hear talk of Warbeck — a lot of talk — so perhaps, like the infamous Rebecca DeWinter, we are only told of his dealings and dallying without ever seeing him in the flesh. Guess we'll see as there are 4 or 5 more episodes in the series. Personally, I would like to see this person in which so many have placed their hopes.

So that's it again. Hope this continues to help. And with all this talk of pretenders, I'm tempted to start a thread over in some other section about the York supporters and their support of these obvious fakes.