Created and completely written by Michael Hirst (Elizabeth (1998) The Tudors is very loosely based on the early reign of monarch Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). For anyone who hasn’t seen The Tudors before, be warned; the series does not pretend to be factual and has been criticized for stretching the truth. Creator Michael Hirst is unapologetic. As he told The New York Times in March of 2008, “”Showtime commissioned me to write an entertainment, a soap opera, and not history … And we wanted people to watch it.” He added that some changes were made for production considerations and some to avoid viewer confusion, and that “any confusion created by the changes is outweighed by the interest the series may inspire in the period and its figures.”
That being said, The Tudors is a great soap opera for those that enjoy that sort of thing. Season one of The Tudors found Henry VIII fighting for survival. His ability to be King was under constant attack and the pressure to produce a male heir made Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer) a main focus of things. Much of the second season revolves around Henry’s courtship and marriage to Boleyn. Dormer does a great job as Boleyn. Delightfully but clearly ambitious, the audience looks on as she makes her ascent to Queen. Dormer gives an enthralling performance of a young girl who realizes the tremendous opportunity she has and gives it her all to reach the throne. However, as time goes on, Anne slowly loses her spunk, as she comes to realize her inability to produce a male heir will consign her to a terrible fate.
Heaven knows Jonathan Rhys Meyers is to good looking to be totally believable as Henry the VIII. While Rhys Meyers is slim and possesses seemingly perfect skin, the real Henry VIII was rather overweight and slovenly looking. Despite the differences in their appearance, Rhys Meyers is credible because of his emotional approach to the role. The actor effectively conveys the stress, pressure, heartlessness and anger Henry VIII appeared to have possessed. Henry is constantly plotting to destroy someone and doesn’t think twice when a plan must be carried out. Early in the season, most of the Bishops standing in his way are poisoned, almost all of them dying, finally consenting to having the cook who administered the poison (who was obviously a pawn for his enemies) boiled alive in order to maintain some sense of order.
Aside from Rhys Meyers, the second season supporting cast is solid. Maria Doyle Kennedy is wonderful as Henry’s tragic first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Her eyes give away every emotion she’s feeling and you can see her tragic end in her face long before it arrives. Jeremy Northam’s Sir Thomas More does an exceptional job highlighting More’s conflicting emotions as Henry’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic. A special note here for the great Peter O’Toole, who is fantastic in his guest appearance as Pope Paul III. I never thought a Pope would make me laugh but O’Toole did it.
There have been epic films and epic mini-series, well The Tudors is truly an epic television series. By the look of things, Showtime has spared no expense; the sets, costumes and musical scores are elaborate and the cinematography is beautiful. There’s no doubt that The Tudors is short on history. The show is more like a pre-Elizabethan Dallas. There are worse ways to spend an hour, I would just suggest checking out a book or two about Henry VIII to go along with it.
The Tudors – Season Two comes to DVD with an enhanced 1.78:1 image. The transfer is extremely soft with little contrast. The colors are fairly sharp with consistent flesh tones.
The Tudors offers both a DD 2.0 and 5.1 mix. The 2.0 mix is quite a bit louder. However, the 5.1 does utilize channel separation effectively, especially when it comes to separating the lush soundtrack. A Spanish mono mix is available as well. No subtitles are offered.
The Tudors – Season Two does offer some fairly unimpressive extras. Two short pieces are included on Disc 4, one featuring Natalie Dormer visiting the Tower of London, and another offers brief snippets of interviews with people descended from Henry VIII. Disc 4 also includes: the season premiere episodes of Californication and This American Life. Rounding out the extra features are text bios of the principal cast, a photo gallery, and some DVD-ROM content.
By the way, what Tudor would you be? Go to www.whothetudorareyou.com and find out!
