Caught the fifth episode of the new season of THE TUDORS this evening.
Given my fascination with history and my love of historical fiction, it's probably no surprise to most of the regulars here to know that I've watched this Showtime series from the beginning, albeit with decidedly mixed feelings.
The show has great costumes, great sets, great visuals overall. The storytelling has been rather uneven, though... the first season in particular was weak, I thought... and they do fudge about with history some... though I give them props for presenting the period in considerably more detail than any previous dramatization has done, with a lot of complexity and a rich cast of secondary players. You know how I love that stuff.
The thing I mostly DON'T like is the lead. Henry VIII is the heart of the series, of course, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers has played him start to finish as the Shouting Studmuffin, with nary an inch of depth or understanding. Worst Henry ever. (See Keith Michell's portrayal in the classic BBC miniseries if you'd like a look at how it should be done).
If you can manage to ignore Rhys-Meyers, however, there has been some wonderful acting in the series, especially by the actresses playing Henry's wives. Natalie Dormer was especially outstanding in her portrayal of Anne Boleyn, perhaps my favorite Anne of all the actresses who have played the part over the years. The actresses who played Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, and Anne of Cleves were also very good.
And in this evening's epiosde, the beautiful and talented Tamzin Merchant's wonderful portrayal as the doomed teenage queen Katheryn Howard came to its bloody conclusion on the headsman's block, in a scene as gut-wrenching and heart-breaking as Anne Boleyn's execution a couple of seasons back. Tamzin took on a daunting task with this role. Katheryn was the youngest of Henry's queens, only fifteen by some accounts (others say slightly older), and while far from innocent, she was naive, unsophisticated, frivilous, giggly.. a kitten frolicking in a tiger cage, oblivious to the claws around her. Tamzin caught all that wonderfully, I thought... both in the character's introduction last season, and in the first few episodes of this seasons... sexy as hell in the bedroom scenes, a playful child with her friends and ladies, awkward and ill at ease at court.
This week, however, the mood changed abruptly, when all the sunlight went away, and Katheryn and her lovers and friends were swallowed by darkness. Tamzin did all that beautifully as well, showing us Kathryn's fear and desperation, and, finally, her courage as she faced the axe. My favorite scene, though, was a completely silent one, where Tamzin dances alone in a darkened abbey while her friends and lovers are being tortured and beheaded elsewhere, and we intercut between the two. Exquisite.
Next week THE TUDORS continues as they bring in Henry's sixth and final queen, Catherine Parr. Unfortunately, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers will still be on hand, but I expect I will watch anyway, to see how the show comes out (I do wish the show was going to continue and gives us the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth. Why call it THE TUDORS if the only Tudor we get is Henry, badly portrayed?) But no matter how good the actress portraying Catherine Parr turns out to be, I know that Tamzin's beauty, grace, and talent will be missed.
Given my fascination with history and my love of historical fiction, it's probably no surprise to most of the regulars here to know that I've watched this Showtime series from the beginning, albeit with decidedly mixed feelings.
The show has great costumes, great sets, great visuals overall. The storytelling has been rather uneven, though... the first season in particular was weak, I thought... and they do fudge about with history some... though I give them props for presenting the period in considerably more detail than any previous dramatization has done, with a lot of complexity and a rich cast of secondary players. You know how I love that stuff.
The thing I mostly DON'T like is the lead. Henry VIII is the heart of the series, of course, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers has played him start to finish as the Shouting Studmuffin, with nary an inch of depth or understanding. Worst Henry ever. (See Keith Michell's portrayal in the classic BBC miniseries if you'd like a look at how it should be done).
If you can manage to ignore Rhys-Meyers, however, there has been some wonderful acting in the series, especially by the actresses playing Henry's wives. Natalie Dormer was especially outstanding in her portrayal of Anne Boleyn, perhaps my favorite Anne of all the actresses who have played the part over the years. The actresses who played Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, and Anne of Cleves were also very good.
And in this evening's epiosde, the beautiful and talented Tamzin Merchant's wonderful portrayal as the doomed teenage queen Katheryn Howard came to its bloody conclusion on the headsman's block, in a scene as gut-wrenching and heart-breaking as Anne Boleyn's execution a couple of seasons back. Tamzin took on a daunting task with this role. Katheryn was the youngest of Henry's queens, only fifteen by some accounts (others say slightly older), and while far from innocent, she was naive, unsophisticated, frivilous, giggly.. a kitten frolicking in a tiger cage, oblivious to the claws around her. Tamzin caught all that wonderfully, I thought... both in the character's introduction last season, and in the first few episodes of this seasons... sexy as hell in the bedroom scenes, a playful child with her friends and ladies, awkward and ill at ease at court.
This week, however, the mood changed abruptly, when all the sunlight went away, and Katheryn and her lovers and friends were swallowed by darkness. Tamzin did all that beautifully as well, showing us Kathryn's fear and desperation, and, finally, her courage as she faced the axe. My favorite scene, though, was a completely silent one, where Tamzin dances alone in a darkened abbey while her friends and lovers are being tortured and beheaded elsewhere, and we intercut between the two. Exquisite.
Next week THE TUDORS continues as they bring in Henry's sixth and final queen, Catherine Parr. Unfortunately, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers will still be on hand, but I expect I will watch anyway, to see how the show comes out (I do wish the show was going to continue and gives us the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth. Why call it THE TUDORS if the only Tudor we get is Henry, badly portrayed?) But no matter how good the actress portraying Catherine Parr turns out to be, I know that Tamzin's beauty, grace, and talent will be missed.
- Current Mood:
sad
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Comments
I wish that the series had actually begun with Henry VII. Like you said, it is supposed to be The Tudors. I know the first Tudor wasn't known for keeping mistresses or beheading wives but he did fight his way onto the throne and fended off several plots against him.
Though I do like that film.
I have it on very good authority (SHO producer, firsthand) that Rhys-Meyers needs special 'handling' to make filming most days, and is regularly carted off to rehab between seasons. Perhaps we're not seeing him at his best.
Well, I've watched it since the beginning as well, as I am fascinated by this period in the history of England, and by the great figures that lived there.
Shouting Studmuffin really defines Henry VIII in The Tudors xDD It's perfect!! Tough I admit I like his childish tantrums. I believe Michael Hirst declared to defend his representation of Studmuffin!Henry is that he was very fit before he had that jousting accident that left him lame. He said that him being fit can be found on some physician's notes or something like that.
I too loved Natalie Dormer's portrayal of Anne Boleyn. Henry's ill-fated wife has always been controversial. Writers like Phillipa Gregory, with her book "The Other Boleyn Girl" and Eustace Chapuys back in Anne's days really were a blemish in Anne's reputation. I think this show made her justice. It can be really appreciated how everything regarding Anne's matter was a foregone conclusion, and that she didn't have any chance even before she was taken to court.
Henry's behaviour in the matter as well (very symbolic when he eats the swan), his coldness towards a woman he became really obsessed with, and the merrymaking he did with Jane Seymour (which I found really tasteless, but hey, that's how Henry Tudor rolled XD). Natalie definitely did an excellent job portraying her. I know of a lot of fans who stopped watching the show after season 2 because Anne would never be in it again xD
This show really has epic scenes (and an exquisite soundtrack in my opinion) which hold a lot of symbolism, and can make you love and hate the characters at the same time (happened to me with Cromwell as well as the Duke of Suffolk). Overall I enjoy watching it, despite the Historybending they do xD (it's what I have to endure, having studied a history major xDD)
And one of the things that I also enjoyed is that this show is not as anglophile as the great majority of Tudor inspired movies/shows. I am saying this from my point of view as a spanish person xD Too often the spanish figures in that time are portrayed in an inappropiate way (ugly, bad, ridiculous etc...) The portrayal of Catherine of Aragon was impressive, as well as what Sarah Bolger is doing with Mary I.
I do wish the show was going to continue and gives us the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth. Why call it THE TUDORS if the only Tudor we get is Henry, badly portrayed?
I wish that too! :( It's a pity. Elizabeth's life would make for another great show. From what I've heard, it seems that Hirst's new show would be about the Borgia family, and it will have Jeremy Irons in it.
That woman who played Anne Boleyn was amazing too, and I'd imagine that isn't an easy role.
Season two also shows the JRM' ability in layering the character of Henry in my two favorite scenes, firstly when he stops at a submerged fountain, silently stares at it and climbs of his saddle. He carelessly leaves his entire court looking after him in confusion as he enters the water and disappears beneath the surface. When he emerges he says: 'Behold, I am reborn'. Like Napoleon crowning himself emperor he baptizes himself by his own hand.
In the final episode as Anne Boleyn awaits her execution Henry is shown being awakened by a herd of swans in his palace gardens and is later seen contemplating them almost appreciatively. In the final scene Henry is being served an elaborate meal (not 77-courses, but still) with the king's household marching stately through opulent corridors carrying a sedan ensconced dish which is revealed to be said swan (baked into a pie). JRM's expression as he voraciously devours the graceful avian is a masterpiece of acting. His face, the applause from his entourage as beauty is consumed is a superb metaphor.
I urge everyone who have written of Jonathan Rhys-Meyer to re-visit said scenes and truly look at the face of Henry VIII.
While writing this, it struck me how great Greyjoy would McShane be, he could play any of them Balon, Crow's Eye. And would love to see MacFadyen in some role before or later, if later ever comes. But I shan't ramble more about this nonsense as I have very little clue about actor picking. And I surely do know that you do not have any part in the actor picking process, this is not about it.
They fudge the history some, but never, I think, in such flagrant ways as THE TUDORS.
A lot of people believe that was the role that killed him, too.
By the end of Season #1, Spartacus had transformed from a stinker into one of my favorite TV shows of all time. Like you, I loved Rome - but I *prefer* Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
Grit it out through Eps 2 and 3. Episode #4 is actually improved - though thematically, it's still too connected to eps #1-3 and it's a lil too over-the-top still.
But Episode #5 and all shows thereafter? Simply night and day. Some books are pretty crappy in the opening chapters too George. Like you - I usually put them down and judge them to be crap - or at least not for me -- and never pick them up again.
Give Spartacus: Blood and Sand a try through to at least episode #6. You will be well rewarded for your patience.
I do have the show on TIVO. I will get to it eventually, I'm sure.
:D