Monday, April 28, 2008

"The Tudors"

I’ve only done this once before, but I have a TV series that I must put on here for those who have not seen it, or may not even know about it. This show is an absolute must see. I can only describe it as watching an A+ movie but you get to watch it every week!

The Tudors in a nutshell is basically the history of King Henry VIII. While at a first glance some might say, that history is boring, but if you look at the life and times of King Henry in detail, I would have to disagree. What this fantastic series brings to light is some of the most intriguing history to happen between the Kings of England, and the Roman Catholic Church. Power corrupts totally, and in this particular time line, it was never as true as with Henry. As a youth he was athletic, highly educated, was fluent in many languages, and a musician of many instruments, but as an adult his lust for women, and power shattered the religious world as it was back then into a thousand pieces.

While Jonathan Ryhs Meyers would not have been my first choice for playing the part of King Henry VIII, I will admit as the series progresses, his acting continues to improve and form up nicely with the way King Henry’s life and times were chronicled. Another bright star, Natalie Dormer plays the part of the king’s mistress (eventually crowned queen) Anne Boleyn, and she is outstanding in every way. The Estranged Queen, King Henry’s first wife Queen Catherine of Aragon, is played by Maria Doyle Kennedy, and although she is not on camera a lot, the times she is she is masterful in her role. There are a dozen other actors scattered through the plot line, and I can’t say that a single part played that was not of great caliber. Even Peter O’Toole as Pope Paul III is amazing.

Already knowing full well the brilliance of creator / writer / producer Michael Hirst from his breath taking work in Elizabeth the Golden Years, he continues with film sets, landscapes, wardrobes, and an overall look of fantastic proportions that has only been seen in huge feature films, and yet this is a TV series. All be it a program only available on Showtime, this single program alone is worth buying the monthly subscription. If you do have Showtime, I highly suggest going to Showtime on demand where you can go back and watch the entire first season episode, by episode.

While admittedly there is some free lance creating / writing going on from scene to scene, the historical accuracy with which they tell this story is spot on as far as my research has gone. Not only do you get top notch acting, beautiful pageantry, and A+ content, but you get a history lesson on top of it all. This is a win / win TV series that is worth watching in every way.

My rating for this TV series is 9.00 out of 10.00

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