The Wives of Henry VIII

Starring:David Starkey
Studio: Bfs Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

After all these years, it's still the best!
One of History's Most Interesting Loose Cannons
absolutely stunning
Masterpiece Theater masterpiece
Six Plays and a Movie

The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Starring: Keith Michell , Annette Crosbie , Dorothy Tutin , Anne Stallybrass , and Elvi Hale
Director: Naomi Capon , and John Glenister
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000EBD9VM
Release Date: 2006-05-16

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A British television series originally broadcast on CBS (and rebroadcast on PBS) in America in 1971, The Six Wives of Henry VIII remains a painless way to learn something about royal history and its impact on the political and religious landscape of England. Keith Michell stars as King Henry VIII, who assumes the throne as a boy after the death of his older brother and inherits the latter's Spanish betrothed, Catherine of Aragon (Annette Crosbie), as well. Growing up and increasingly complicated in personality, with an ever-growing appetite for elusive happiness as well as power and food, Henry maneuvers (and is maneuvered by) forces around him to break from Rome and create the Church of England, in part to accommodate his wish for a divorce.

Each story of the king's successive brides takes up an entire episode in the series. Dorothy Tutin plays the doomed Anne Boleyn, Anne Stallybrass is Henry's favorite, Jane Seymour, Elvi Hale is Anne of Cleves, Angela Pleasence is Catherine Howard, and Rosalie Crutchley plays last-in-line Catherine Parr. A very large and fine supporting cast adds intrigue and extra layers of tragedy to the proceedings, especially John Baskcomb as Cardinal Wolsey, Wolfe Morris as Thomas Cromwell, and Ralph Bates as Thomas Culpepper. Each 90-minute episode was crafted by a different writer, but the series holds together very well under Keith Michell's dazzling performance as the despicable if sympathetic Henry, whose emotional arc over many years and losses is something to see. --Tom Keogh

Description

A chronicle of England's turbulent years of the early 16th century recounting the life and times of the vibrant and lusty King Henry VIII in a cycle of six plays. Stars Keith Michell in his Emmy Award-winning performance as Henry VIII and features a 90-minute "bonus drama", The Other Boleyn Girl, based on the popular Philippa Gregory novel.

DVD Features:
Biographies:Cast bios
Photo gallery
Scene Access

Customer Reviews:

After all these years, it's still the best!.......2007-06-28

This is still the best telling of the story of Henry VIII and his 6 wives. I loved it when I watched it on Masterpiece Theater and I'm very glad I bought the DVDs. The quality was wonderful. I liked having the bonus "The Other Boleyn Girl". I read the book and thought this was an interesting production, although I'm sure the about to be released movie will be less amateurish.

One of History's Most Interesting Loose Cannons.......2007-05-19

I never let my graduate degrees in history spoil my enjoyment of historical drama, both on screen and in novels. True, I could pick nits in chronology and other areas but that would spoil the fun. So I watch them, or read them, and just plain enjoy most of them.

This one is a standout. Although it is impossible to show an entire reign in 90-minute segments, each of these six dramas does a great job of showing significant areas in the lives of Henry and his six wives. We see Henry grow from youth (but with an unfortunate wig) to old age -- his intellectual prowess in theology, languages, music; his physicality and athletic feats. In spite of his genuine intellectual gifts, however, he was erratic, temperamental, inconsistent, vain. Given the scope of events during Henry's reign, it is often difficult to realize how short his life was. He became king at 17, married Catherine of Aragon at 18, and died at 56.

I am always amazed at how well the British do these historical dramas, especially their ability to find excellent actors who can be made to look very much like the people they portray, down to details of clothing and jewelry seen in portraits.

Keith Michell is superb as Henry VIII -- but over the top? Well, it's an accurate portayal. Henry himself was over the top in everything he did, whether debating theology, coping with ambitious couriers, eating and drinking, in dress, chasing women, you name it -- a true loose cannon in every sense. The six wives are very good too, with Annette Crosbie a standout as Catherine of Aragon. The casts are full of wonderful character actors. The late Patrick Troughton, who played the scarily cold and ambitious Duke of Norfolk, is a favorite of mine. I first saw him as the scatty Second Doctor and didn't realize how good an actor he was until I saw him in other roles.

The stories themselves are well written, although I thought the one about Anne Boleyn dwelt too long on grisly torture scenes and her imprisonment and execution. It was probably also a little difficult to write about Catherine Howard, since we don't know enough about her to know whether she was motivated by lust or fear of not producing an heir or simply not being well enough educated to hold her own in Henry's court. She was also very young, probably not 21 yet when she was executed. It would have been interesting to show that Anne of Cleves survived Henry, living happily and peacefully in England for the rest of her life, long enough to see his daughter Mary crowned Queen.

The reason I didn't give this DVD set a 5-star rating is that it includes as an extra the soap opera-like episode about Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne, apparently filmed later. Mary was Henry's mistress before Anne, but she didn't last long. This was a bad choice for an inclusion and adds nothing to the series other than bad writing, a lot of nudity and sex, and poorly cast characters. It would have been far better to leave it out and include interviews with the actors or other material about the making of the series.

All things considered, however, I would highly recommend this set to anyone who loves lavish historical drama.

absolutely stunning.......2007-03-29

One of the undeniable marks of a true classic is how well it holds up over time; this presentation of six, ninety-minute plays about the six wives of the illustrious King Henry VIII is as riveting and relevant today as when it first aired in 1970(?). I actually saw this after the series that followed this, Elizabeth R with Glenda Jackson (another six part series that is extraordinary), so I did it backwards but it doesn't matter one bit. The historic accuracy (as can best be known anyway) coupled with very well written scripts, perfect casting (each actor captures the look and energy of their character beautifully) and a simple but lovely set all add to the realism. This is something that would be quite educational for high school students who are DREADING their history classes, as I did. Had I seen this at the time, I might well have rolled my eyes still and thought it silly (as all teenagers do incessantly) or I might have thought this Henry fellow to be rather a hoot.

Keith Michell is outstanding. Inspiring. Remarkable. He manages to portray the MAN as well as the icon so that throughout the series I found myself wavering back and forth between wanting to smack the man and honestly feeling for him. It was also interesting to get a feel for the women behind the infamous stories and see clearly how and why Henry kept making the choices he did.

There isn't much that I can expand upon that hasn't already been touched upon rather nicely by the other glowing reviews here. All I can say is that I gambled and bought the collection before I'd even seen it based on the reviews posted and my experience with Elizabeth R, which I will also be adding to my permanent collection. I am absolutely thrilled that I have this to watch again and again, which I know I will.

I should add that this also contains a wonderful bonus, which is a ninety minute film (more recently done) about Anne Boleyn and her sister Mary, "The Other Boleyn Girl." It's incredible. Very different and while I know nothing of its historic accuracy (who knew Anne even had a sister?) I found it enthralling, bold and mesmerizing. I'm really glad they added this to the collection.

And as I said of it's sister series, Elizabeth R, any aspiring classical actors/actresses MUST watch these for an incredible master class experience.

Masterpiece Theater masterpiece.......2007-03-09

I loved the casting for this series. Keith Mitchell is wonderful as Henry VIII--so believable as he changes in appearance and personality as he desperately wants to have a male heir and the lengths he will go to to achieve this. Henry did a lot of cruel, awful things but he also founded the Church of England and was the father of Elizabeth I who was one of Britain's greatest rulers. Loved this series!

Six Plays and a Movie.......2007-02-22

Because the quality of this series widely from play to play (each was written by a separate author; this teleplan was used again in "Elizabeth R" to a rather more unified overall effect), I'll break my review down disc by disc.

Disc one, unfortunately, gets the series off to quite a dismaying start. Annette Crosbie was very well cast, and the opening scenes were absolutely engaging ... unfortunately, a good dozen or more years are entirely skipped over, while an ugly and annoying montage sequence of dreamy 70s filtered fantasy dancing stretches ad nauseum between romance and disillusion. What a shame and a waste - to simply leave out the central years of Henry VIII's marriage with Katherine of Aragon. Nothing at all new was folded into the first play, and that was disappointing. The second play on the disc is Ann Boleyn, and its script is rather more engaging, though - oddly enough - the noticeably awful set design from episode one is really magnified to shocking proportions here. (I know the budget was low, but we had low budgets in high school and did not resort to rendering brick walls by way of dipping sponges in paint and pressing them to soft flats.) Distracting, and just awful! Just as distracting: I am sorry, but Dorothy Tutin was by far too old for the role of Ann Boleyn. This suspended my ability to be lost completely. Fortunately, the third act of Ann Boleyn is gripping enough to (barely) overcome this failure in window-dressing and casting, and I realized the next disc might redeem the series.

Did it ever. Jane Seymour has never interested me as a historical figure, but the third episode was entirely absorbing. Keith Michell comes into total ownership of his role, no longer saddled with a pageboy wig and the task of playing twenty years his own junior. Anne Stallybrass is so convincing and fully realized in the role of Jane, the short-lived "favorite" is rendered fascinating. The somewhat dated sound design, using a synthesized heartbeat to punctuate the action, actually works - very well. Production design is vastly improved at this point, including more outdoor scenes as well. Moving into Ann of Cleves, we get a tour de force not only of fantastic casting and performances, but also of historical fiction at its brilliant best. The relationship as here written is entirely believable, and yet not based on established history. I think this is the best play of all six, simply for exemplifying the finest melding of entertainment with history. There are moments of absolute pathos right next to scenes of intellectually satisfying conjecture. Absolutely wonderful!

Disc three includes Catherines Howard and Parr, both perfectly cast and again beautifully balanced. I was excited to see a certain minor but very real strain of bloodthirst in the Rose Without a Thorn - what a dimension to include, and how very well Angela Pleasance handles it! She was a marvel of everything Catherine Howard is said to have been - both foolish and conniving, naive and (unexpectedly) terribly intelligent. It was a pleasure to see a smart Catherine Howard for a change, and the flaws which were her downfall are portrayed probably more believably than in any other fiction I've read or watched where she appears. Rosalie Crutchley, too, delivers a performance as Catherine Parr which brings her page in history authentically and credibly to life. When one is reading a history of Henry's wives, the tension often flags by the time we reach Parr. The writer of this episode was clearly not so bored - and this play may be one of the most harrowing.

As to the bonus material, there was not an abundance - and the inclusion of "The Other Boleyn Girl" was a miscalculation. It was so bad as to make disc one an enviable memory - and, indeed, I'm considering purchase of the older, non-BBC version of this series, simply because it does not include this particular "bonus". Stylistic choices are all very well, but right now, with the proliferation of Reality TV, I get quite enough disingenuous personal monologues delivered straight to a camera. Badly cast, badly costumed, uninterestingly designed overall, and embarrassingly written above all (the source material is no better), this lion's share of the bonus disk appears like a naked emperor next to the series itself - which, by and large, is pretty well clad by comparison.

Average customer rating:

Review of Wives of Henry Viii
David Starkey is Amazing
Good Movie, very informative
Entertainment and Education
Factual Narration & Dramatization Enliven the Wives of Henry VIII.

The Wives of Henry VIII
Starring: David Starkey
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Elizabeth: The Acclaimed Saga of England's Virgin Queen
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Elizabeth I

ASIN: B00006L91Z
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Customer Reviews:

Review of Wives of Henry Viii.......2007-06-27

Dr.Starkey's narrative is a wonderful combination of historical facts presented on a background of good acting, beautiful period costuming, and accurate physical locations. It was also very intersting to me to see his use of original documents (letters and decrees). I had seen the series on PBS, but always fell asleep at some critical point. Having the DVD at my disposal at home didn't keep me from falling asleep, but I could always go back and review it to see what I had missed.

David Starkey is Amazing.......2007-06-01

David Starkey always does a wonderful job in bringing history to life. This DVD is a must have if you enjoy history along with a DVD of Elizabeth I also by David Starkey.

Good Movie, very informative.......2007-05-12

Two discs, interesting about the wives and not so much the king.

Entertainment and Education.......2007-03-09

This DVD is fantastic. I am a history buff - especially of Tudor and Stuart British history. The DVD is historically accurate and contains a ton of information. But it keeps the attention of viewer and even non-history-lovers enjoyed watching it.

Factual Narration & Dramatization Enliven the Wives of Henry VIII........2007-02-01

"The Wives of Henry VIII" is a historical miniseries produced in 2002 that has aired several times on PBS stations as "The Six Wives of Henry VIII". A companion book to the series by Tudor historian David Starkey has yet another title: "Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII". David Starkey narrates the series, regaling us with the backgrounds and personalities of the 6 women who married King Henry VIII and their experiences as his wife, as they navigated the monumental political power struggles and dangerous court intrigues of Tudor England: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr -"queen, lover, mother, outcast, victim, and survivor" respectively.

Happily, the personalities and ambitions of these women are preserved in their correspondence and other documents, so their characters are not opaque. We can hear their own words and visit the places that their dramas played out. The wives' stories are told in David Starkey's narration as we watch dramatizations of the events. The dramatization serves as more of a punctuation to Starkey's compelling tale than as a source of information, which is unusual. Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn are treated in more depth than the other wives. "The Wives of Henry VIII" succeeds in bringing these women and their time alive in the viewer's mind, reminding us that history is anything but dry. It's the greatest of all dramas, and the wife of King Henry VIII was a perilous role to play indeed.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Complete Set

Average customer rating:

People Actually Liked This?
Intelligent, unforgettable, unmatched
the best around
The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Complete Set (1971)
An Excellent Production, But DVD Quality Is Sorely Lacking

The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Complete Set
Starring: Keith Michell , Annette Crosbie , Dorothy Tutin , Anne Stallybrass , and Elvi Hale
Director: Naomi Capon , and John Glenister
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004U3UI
Release Date: 2000-07-25

Description

Few television series have attracted as much critical and public acclaim as these six triumphant plays, now preserved on video. Written by six different authors, each play is a lavish and authentic dramatisation, produced with style and quality. Binding them together with his magnetic and dignified performance as the mighty monarch is Keith Michell--the definitive Henry VIII.

Customer Reviews:

People Actually Liked This?.......2007-04-22

Good God was this terrible. Just awful. The acting, the writing, even the LIGHTING was bad. I usually don't notice things like lighting, but the excessive shadows everywhere sort of made me take notice. The sets are virtually non-existent. All the walls are bare - they didn't even have the decency to hang up some tapestries. I only made it through Catherine and Anne but the actresses were WAY too old for their parts. Catherine looks at least 30 at the beginning when she is supposed to be 16. And the worst part was that this series was downright boring. I can live with all of the above so long as they tell a good story. The producers didn't even need to come up with a good story - they had one, right in front of them, and this is what they did with it.

Intelligent, unforgettable, unmatched.......2006-09-05

I saw this series as a child, and it profoundly influenced my life, making me an eager historian and costumer ever after. Just a year or so ago, my brother gave this series to me as a gift, and it is even better than I remembered it.

The reign of the Tudors followed the War of the Roses, a bloody, chaotic part of British history, characterized by civil war and royal asassinations. The two little princes in the Tower, murdered by order of Richard III, were Henry VIII's uncles. His father, Henry VII, ended the strife by defeating Richard III, and marrying the Yorkist heir, Elizabeth. Their union brought stability to England.

You have to keep these events in mind when watching this series, because they make Henry VIII's actions understandable. His seemingly monomaniacal need for a son was his effort to ensure that nothing like the War of the Roses would happen again.

This series is for the serious Tudor buff. It comes from the era of BBC productions that were richly intellectual, subtly acted and true to the original material. Also, looking at it again after so many years, I realize what a parade of first class British actors participated: Annette Crosbie, Dame Dorothy Tutin, Patrick ("Dr. Who") Troughton, Bernard Hepton, and even Mollie ("Are You Being Served") Sugden.

Keith Michell delivers a Henry VIII whom you can hate and yet sympathize with--very human, sometimes weak, sometimes funny. He is a scholar, musician, knight, statesman, victim, tyrant, penitent, cuckold, and philosopher, as events dictate. His Henry is very complex; and one of the pleasures of this production is that you find yourself watching to see which Henry is going to emerge. One can imagine that his wives and courtiers also walked on eggshells, not knowing which facet of his personality might turn itself in them at any given time.

Of the six episodes:

CATHERINE OF ARAGON: Though Catherine is my favorite of the wives, I don't think this is the best episode, because it has to cover over 25 years of history in a few hours. Annette Crosbie does a fine job of portraying the proud, honorable Catherine. She even resembles portraits of the amber-haired princess. This should really have been 2 episodes. What is there is excellent. What's missing is more of Catherine's large part in the govenment of the realm, a more thorough characterization of Wolsey, of Catherine's father Ferdinand's duplicity, and how both of them in their different ways helped undermine her relationship with Henry. It's a pity Catherine was short-changed in this series, because she's the most interesting of the wives--the only woman Henry VIII really feared, and the only one who could have taken his throne away from him, had she chosen.

ANNE BOLEYN: Dorothy Tutin does an excellent job of portraying the historical Anne--not the romance-novel heroine, but the bitch-siren-victim who comes through from contemporary documents and accounts. Without ignoring the ruthless side of her character, she is able to also show a sympathetic Anne as she realizes that her star is on the descendant, and that she is following in the footsteps of Catherine, her deposed predecessor. Anne's notorious rages and hysterical fits are brilliantly done by Ms. Tutin--the terror of a woman who realizes that she's caught in a trap of her own making.

JANE SEYMOUR: This is the episode that won an award. It is sensitively done. Very little is known about Jane Seymour, beyond the fact that she was basically a pawn for her powerful family, and that she bore Henry the son he longed for. However, Anne Stallybrass renders a deeply-felt portrait of the kind woman who made peace between Henry and his daugther Mary, and somehow left an unforgettable impression on Henry himself. In this episode, too, we get an interesting view of the cryptic character of Thomas Cromwell (as portrayed by Wolfe Morris) --an urbane, nervous little man with an unsettling habit of suddenly turning lethal.

ANNA OF CLEVES: So little is known about this wife that I can't justly complain over the liberties the script writer took with her story and character. I think this is the weakest of the series, because it tries too hard to turn Anna into a modern woman. It seems that they were inspired by "The Private Life of Henry VIII"--the wedding night scene owes some of its comedy to Elsa Lancaster and Charles Laughton. That said, it's thoroughly enjoyable. I also enjoy the final dinner scene between the happily to-be-divorced couple. In historical fact, once they were divorced, they became good friends. A nice sideline is Mollie Sugden's turn as Anna's maid Lotte. There are one or two scenes where you can see that Mrs. Slocom look on her face, and I quite long to hear her tell Henry to "Shut your cake hole!"

CATHERINE HOWARD: This was the sleeper for me. I'd fogotten how good Angela Pleasance was in the role of the teenaged girl who is made the pawn of the Howard family, and married to the aged Henry VIII. Her monologues are intensely felt and thrilling--reminiscent of her dad's account of first meeting Michael Meyers in "Halloween". Patrick Troughton as the hard-edged Duke of Norfolk is brilliant, too. And the broken-down Henry, thoroughly pathetic.

CATHERINE PARR: Henry finally acts his age, and marries a widow, the covertly Protestant Catherine Parr. She is portrayed by the classically beautiful Rosalie Crutchley, who is convincing as the stable, kind woman who brought Henry's family all together again, and won the love of his children. One of the best dialogues is at the very beginnng of this episode, between Henry, who is trying to ask Catherine to marry him, and Catherine, who is trying to dodge the question. It's so well-written and funny, that after 10 viewings, it still makes me laugh.

This is a long review, but the gist of it is this--somehow, get a hold of this monumental production, and watch it. You'll learn something, not the least of which is-- What makes great drama.

the best around.......2006-03-12

Keith Michell's Henry VIII bests all others hands down. Step by defiant step, he creates a Henry unsaved by his rich sadness. It's got to be the performance of a lifetime! Six episodes, six writers, a mini-play for each wife, the result is a towering theatrical experience. Almost imperceptibly, Catherine of Aragon's shadow drifts across the film, an unadorned presence, indicating the pungent intelligence behind the whole enterprise. English theatre alone makes magic like this - brilliant and intimate and addicting. This one ranks on a par with the BBC's Elizabeth R. They are brother and sister films in tone and mood. Keith Michell is just ferocious throughout, You can't imagine the pleasure. Don't miss it.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Complete Set (1971).......2005-10-30

Contrary to the outrageous prices that are listed on the "these sellers" list, this title may be purchased from www.pbs.org for only $55 (plus $7 s&h) for the entire set!!!!

An Excellent Production, But DVD Quality Is Sorely Lacking.......2005-08-07

"The Six Wives of Henry VIII" is the original BBC series of six 90 minute plays chronicling the reign and marriages of England's King Henry VIII. Each of the six plays or segments, "Katherine Aragon", "Anne Boleyn", "Jane Seymour", "Anne Of Cleves", "Catherine Howard" and "Catherine Parr," is written by a different author. The series was released to great popular and critical acclaim in 1971 and televised on PBS' Masterpiece Theater. This is a three-disc DVD boxed set, with two 90-minute teleplays per disc (one per spouse). Keith Michell is outstanding as the multiple-married monarch. From a boisterous, athletic, handsome Hal, at the time of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, (Annette Crosbie), the superb Michell, and make-up, transform the king before our eyes to a porcine, tyrannical, and sickly ruler. Although each drama is limited in scope due to time restrictions, the monarch's personal and political reasons for selecting and/or rejecting, (or beheading), his spouses are depicted to some extent.

"My, you ought to seen old Henry the Eight when he was in bloom. He was a blossom. He used to marry a new wife every day, and chop off her head next morning. And he would do it just as indifferent as if he was ordering up eggs." Thus Mark Twain describes our protagonist in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." As this series demonstrates, Henry was not quite the womanizer he is reputed to be. He was married to Katharine of Aragon for over twenty years and had just a few mistresses before this - unusual for a prince. He waited years to physically consummate his relationship with Anne Boleyn, and remained faithful to her until marriage.

Each of the actresses who play Henry's wives was able to find the core of her historical character, her queen, and lend the woman an air of dignity and individuality. Annette Crosbie is magnificent as Katherine of Aragon, the first wife. Her role is the largest as her relationship with Henry VIII was the longest. Dorothy Tutin is a most credible Anne Boleyn, but little time is spent on her very romantic courtship by the king. Most of Anne's story is focused on the role her marriage played in Henry's divorce and the split with the Catholic Church, which sets the stage for the English Reformation. Anne Stallybrass is Jane Seymour, who is extremely important in Tudor history because she is the only wife who gives Henry a male heir. He always said he loved Jane the best and was buried beside her. I wonder if she was so favored because she played such a small part in her husband's life, not only time-wise - she died from puerperal fever after only seventeen months of marriage - but because she was a sort of "homebody." After some minor political meddling, Jane was warned by the king to stay away from politics, and reminded of her predecessor's fate. She learned her lesson and no longer interfered in the monarch's affairs. Elvie Hale is Anne of Cleves, the most politically astute of Henry's wives, and certainly the one with the best survival skills. She was glad, ultimately, to be cast-off and allowed to keep her head. Catherine Howard, Henry's "blushing rose without a thorn," is played to the hilt by Angela Pleasence, and her's is a terribly tragic tale. And Rosalie Cruthley plays the part of the brilliant and intellectual Catherine Parr extremely well. She was fortunate to become aware of a plot against her before she met the same end as Queens Anne and Katherine. The supporting cast is also noteworthy, especially Bernard Hepton as Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Wolfe Morris as Thomas Cromwell, and Verina Greenlaw as Princess Mary.

I think, overall, that this is an excellent production, although not perfect. There are some silly errors that could have been prevented with more attention to detail, like visible microphones. It is also evident the quality of technology we take for granted today was not available in the early 1970's. Thus, the DVDs are not very good. In fact, I would recommend that you purchase the VHS edition, if you have a DVD/VHS player. The DVD set is much more expensive and the options one usually expects with DVD, like the scene index, are not offered.
JANA

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Henry VIII and His Six Wives [Region 2]
Starring: Keith Michell , Donald Pleasence , Charlotte Rampling , Jane Asher , and Frances Cuka
Director: Waris Hussein
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Henry VIII and His Six Wives [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

Average customer rating:

Superb Historical Drama Immortalised By Keith Michell's Magnificent Performance As King Henry VIII
Riveting

Henry VIII and His Six Wives [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
Director: Waris Hussein
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A3W0O6

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (Dolby Digital 2.0) Synopsis: Keith Mitchell is absolutely sure of where hes going and his performance is a tour de force. Peter Thompson, Showtime King Henry The Eighth (Keith Mitchell) lies on his death bed and recalls his tempestuous reign over England from 1509 o 1947. This lavish and historical epic details the loves and scandals of the Tudor Monarch but concentrates chiefly on such highlights as the birth of Queen Elizabeth and the execution of Anne Boleyn (Charlotte Rampling Spy Game). Keith Mitchell is exceptional as the King as he recreates the role he played in the top rating BBC mini-series. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived The women who married Henry VIII have become defined not by the way they lived but by the way their lives ended. More than a history lesson, this film is an accurate insight into the man and his loves and a turbulent life fuelled by lust, power and deception. Special Features: o Interactive Menu

Customer Reviews:

Superb Historical Drama Immortalised By Keith Michell's Magnificent Performance As King Henry VIII .......2006-07-25

With movie tastes rapidly changing by the end of the 1960's decade it was quite amazing then that the early 1970's saw one last burst of historical dramas arriving on the screen with such efforts as "Nicholas and Alexandra", "Cromwell", and "Mary Queen of Scots". This production of "Henry VIII and his Six Wives", was based on the earlier superb six episode BBC production of "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", which also starred Keith Michell in his incredible performance as the infamous King Henry VIII. While perhaps not as well remembered as that earlier series this film also is a stunning showcase for the talents of Keith Michell in his most famous role and benefited greatly from the much larger budget it was given that captured beautifully all the colour, pageantry and character of the Tudor court. Told in flashback from Henery VIII's death bed it also provides some stunning showcases for some of the actresses playing Henry's wives, in particular Charlotte Rampling as the head strong Anne Boleyn and petite Lynne Frederick as the unfortunate Katherine Howard.

Riveting.......2006-04-21

If you know the history then you will enjoy this interpretation. If not you can take this as your history and learn of the reasoning and lack of behind this great time in history.

Riveting is to say the least as you expect this to be a documentary. Upon viewing you find that it is anything but. As with all BBC productions there is no equivalent. A few liberties were taken with history but you just do not care because you are too busy kibitzing.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII can not be told in less than six programs. Each program or play has an appropriate title that explains the next queen. If the quality of the writing varies that is because they have different writers and it shows. When I first say that the episode "Catherine of Aragon" was written by Rosemary Ann Sission I knew we had a winner as she was also the screen writer for "Strong Poison" in the Lord Peter Wimsey (1987) (TV) series. So you can image how amazed I was to find that the episode "Anne Boleyn" was written even stronger.

The unifying element is Keith Michell who plays a spoiled brat oops I mean Henry VIII. He starts out clean shaven in his pageboy hairstyle and ends up as scruffy as his personality by the last play. It helps to have some background information of the time and place. Yet they fill it in well as they describe the current events and how they were influences by Henry VIII and his Six Wives.

Average customer rating:

TWO GREAT PERIOD DRAMAS...

The Six Wives of Henry VIII/Elizabeth R
Starring: Keith Michell , Annette Crosbie , Dorothy Tutin , Anne Stallybrass , and Elvi Hale
Director: Naomi Capon , John Glenister , and Donald McWhinnie
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000EBD9VW
Release Date: 2006-05-16

Customer Reviews:

TWO GREAT PERIOD DRAMAS..........2006-08-07

THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII *****

This is a series of six individual plays that focuses upon each of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. Written by six different playwrights, they are uniformly excellent. While the production values are not high, that is because these plays were part of a televised series for which there were budgetary constraints. Although the makeup is noticable, the sets are uninspired, and the lighting is harsh, the costumes, however, are gorgeous. More important, the acting is superb.

King Henry VIII is played to perfection by Keith Mitchell. He has set the standard by which all others in the part will be judged, and he is the linchpin around whom the entire series revolves. He plays the young, athletic, erudite, golden king in the first tape, and the viewer watches him age and deteriorate throughout the entire series, until he finally becomes the sore riddled, morbidly obese, self absorbed, tyrannical hulk of his later years.

Each one of the six wives has her own unique story. The plays tell that story, each a first rate drama unto itself that segues into the next one seamlessly. All the queens are portrayed by very talented thespians, and the supporting cast is superlative. All in all, this series provides a fully absorbing historical drama that should not be missed. It is through the story of each of the wives that one is able to see England transform itself from a catholic country to a protestant one. It also provides a birdseye view of the political intrigues that fueled the Reformation.

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ELIZABETH R *****

This Masterpiece Theatre, six play series of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England is magnificent. Written by six different playwrights, they are uniformly excellent. Glenda Jackson reigns supreme in the role of Elizabeth I.

While the production values are not high, that is because these plays were part of a televised series for which there were budgetary constraints. The shift from indoor sets to outdoor scenes is awkward, as it entails a switch from tape to film. The stage makeup is noticeable, as the lighting is harsh and glaring. Although the sets are a stark and dreary backdrop, the costumes are sumptuous and gorgeous. More important, the acting is, at all times, superlative.

Elizabeth I is played to perfection by Glenda Jackson. She has set the standard by which all others who seek to reprise this role will be judged, and she is the linchpin around which the entire six play series revolves. She begins the series playing Elizabeth as the young woman who would be queen, waiting upon the whims of her sister, the Queen Mary, and trying to survive the political intrigues and plots which surround her and threaten her very existence. The threat dissipates upon Mary's death, though it never disappears, and she becomes Queen of her beloved England.

As the series progresses, one sees her mature and resist the overtures and attentions of would be husbands, preferring, instead, to be married to England. One sees the development of her political and diplomatic acumen, as she sublimates her personal desires to become the greatest monarch, male or female, England has ever known, The Virgin Queen.

Each one of the plays has its own unique story to tell about Elizabeth and is a first rate drama that segues seamlessly into the next. The supporting cast is superb. All in all, this series provides a fully absorbing, historically accurate drama. It is through Ms. Jackson's insightful and commanding performance that one is able to understand why Elizabeth I was responsible for ushering in England's golden age.

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