05 September 2008 / Manila Standard Today
Most critics look for precise details when someone dares to recreate the past through an elaborate production, either in the movies or television.
This element some filmmakers disregard and instead choose to create a different reality to satisfy visual, the artistry that they think will mesmerize their audience.
This month, HBO Signature features the story of a 15th century dynasty that shaped the history of England.
The Tudors, which kicks off its first season 10 p.m. tonight on HBO Signature on SkyCable, is about the early years of the infamous reign of England’s King Henry VIII. The 10-episode television series will flip back the pages of history to uncover the early turbulent years of this monarch played by Irish film and television actor Jonathan Rhys Meyer.
Filmed entirely on location in Ireland, this sexy scintillating Emmy Award-winning drama series also stars Maria Doyle Kennedy as the Queen Katherine of Aragon; Jeremy Northam as Sir Thomas More; Sam Neill as Cardinal Wolsey; Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn; Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon; Callum Blue as Anthony Knivert; Henry Czerny as the Duke of Norfolk; and Gabrielle Anwar as Princess Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII’s sister.
The Tudors creator and writer Michael Hirst, best known for his 1998 film Elizabeth, delved into history in a new and exciting way by portraying the king in a way that has never been done before—young, sexy, intriguing, romantic and infinitely more complex.
This might be the reason some critics say that The Tudors does not seem anywhere near as raunchy or as glamorous as they are currently being portrayed by Hirst. King Henry VIII had been known as an obese ruler who married six times and had a voracious appetite for food and beer.
Hirst’s contemporary version of the 15th century monarchy does not erase what had been written in history books, he just stepped back a little further and showed the other side of the infamous king of England when he was still young, attractive, and could play real tennis or go hunting.
According to Hirst, The Tudors is first and foremost about an exciting and overlooked historical figure. It deals primarily with two, interlinked, triangular relationships, both of which involve Henry. The first concerns his private life, the marriage to his dead brother’s wife, Katherine of Aragon, and his growing obsession with the young Anne Boleyn. The second is concerned with Henry’s role as king and his relations with the pious and moral Sir Thomas More and his politically cunning and imperious chancellor Cardinal Wolsey. As a royal, he appreciates the importance of tradition. As a restless young man with absolute power, he will not bow to authority.
“Michael [Hirst] has written 10 hours of drama but it’s sharp—not a slow 10 hours of period puke. Nobody wants a history lesson. It’s boring. He has this period down. He understands how these people felt, how they thought, their sexuality, their repression, their superstitions,” lead actor Meyer says about the series’ writer and creator.
The intriguing tale of King Henry VIII as narrated by Hirst comes with a question on how to handle encompassing power. It is the same question that Hirst is being confronted by. With his intuitive writing, he made royal characters breathe a new life. The Tudors is not a historical documentary that is being presented like a lesson in a history class. The drama, the glamour, and the romance definitely give it the distinction.
The Tudors will premiere with the first two episodes directed by Charles McDougall and Steve Shill. Episodes 3 to 6 will be shown on Sept. 9 and episodes 7 to 10 on Sept. 10. Encores will air at 8 p.m. from Sept. 22 to 26.
No comments:
Post a Comment