Henry VIII [DVD]

While this series is indeed light on historical accuracy - major events are skipped and liberties are taken with charaterizations of historical figures, it is nonetheless beautiful to watch, thanks to great acting, beautiful scenery and lavish costuming. Helena Bonam Carter is a radiant Anne Boelyn, and Emily Blunt is a lovely young Katherine Howard. I only wish it could have been longer, to allow them to show more detail.

I cannot figure out for the life of me why so many people are giving his movie horrible, almost vicious, reviews. The main complaint seems to be the historical inaccuracies. Well, the showtime TV show The Tudors is worse, grossly inaccurate, yet many people still enjoy it. This movie is inaccurate as are many film interpretations, but get over it. Other reviewers said that the actors were miscast and didn't look anything like the real-life personas. I 100% disagree. One only needs to compare a painting of Henry VIII to Ray Winstone to see the resemblence. In fact, Ray Winstone is probably my favorite Henry VII as he somehow manages to make a man who was overweight and unattractive seem sexually appealing. The show The Tudors, which I do like as well, is basically a Hollywood soap opera version where everyone is incredibly attractive. But what I liked about this film was that it was the opposite - the actors looked similar to the real people (more similar than any other film interpretation) and, as a result, seemed more realistic. The movie itself is a bit long and not the most exciting - more of a docudrama than a soap opera like the Tudors - but it definitely is worth watching, if at least to see another interpretation of Henry VII's life.

Saw, and taped, this film and watched it until my VHS tape wore out! So I bought it and the presentation is even more clearly delineated than my spotty old tape. Charles Dance would have been a more important HVIII but Ray did a fine job, though Cockney, endearingly wicked.

In reading some of these reviews, I wonder if we had seen the same movie.Even if I did not have a degree in history, the terrible inaccuracies and inconsistencies would have been apparent to even a casual historical buff. It is so bad I don't know where to begin.Henry VIII came across as a blue collar worker who dutifully goes bowling every Saturday night. There was not even a rudiment of royal aspect to this character; whether or not it was due to the terrible miscasting of the actor (one of many; more about that later) or a clueless director, one can only guess. If I didn't know the main events and personages of this period, even a scorecard wouldn't have helped me understand what was going on.Major historical events simply flew by without any rhyme, reason or explanation. At least in some productions, actors are sought who bear some resemblance to the actual person. In this case, an attempt to do so must have been thrown out the window. Henry VIII was over 6 ft tall according to his skeleton unearthed in the 1800s. In this movie almost everybody towers over him, in an age when most men were around 5'6"-5'8" in height. And the rest--Wolsey, Cromwell, Cranmer--not one of the actors bore any recognizable resemblance at all to their historical personages, and in most cases were the exact opposites. And why the crewcuts?The personalities of Henry's wives were many and varied remarkably from one to the other. This movie, however, took that fact of their differences in individual traits to a ludicrous extreme. At times, they were downright incorrect. Jane Seymour was way too overbearing, talkative and meddling. In reality, Henry had been initially captivated by her because she was quiet and unassuming. Catherine Howard was a promiscuous young girl, but I doubt she exhibited such sauciness in Henry's very presence. Didn't anybody involved in this fiasco read a history book?Skinny dipping in Tudor England?????????I cannot finish this review without commenting on the total lack of knowledge of the time period. Didn't anyone know that women, especially those of the upper class, NEVER appeared in public without the sometimes elaborate headresses of the period? The only exception would be when a woman was crowned; she would ride to her coronation with her hair loose. Otherwise, women generally hid their tresses under headpieces and scarves. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the young Lady Mary in public without any head covering; likewise Catherine Howard.What makes this especially disappointing is that usually the British are sticklers for historical accuracy. Can someone tell me what happened with this movie? Are they no longer teaching English History in the schools?This sad movie is nothing but an elaborate soap opera set in Tudor England and altering the principles to such a degree that one had to guess whom they were portraying.If you know very little about history, please do not use this movie as a starting point in your education. As for those of us who have made an intense study of Tudor England--this film isn't even good enough for a laugh. History massacred! This production does not really even merit one star, but the scoring method does not give me the option of a "0".

I don't know why this film has not been seen by more people. Ray Winstone is the perfect Henry. It is one of the best you will see about this larger than life monarch. I highly recommend it.

Loved this when it aired on PBS. Ray Winstone is a totally believable Henry VIII ~ as are all the other actors in this amazing cast. Great to have it available for playing anytime.

While it's hard to imagine any work comparable to the now famous 1970s BBC miniseries with Keith Michell, this ambitious and beautifully filmed movie treats the legend of "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" with a modern dash of Melrose Place.If you're simply a fan of all things Henrician, you'll enjoy this melodrama...if you're a stickler for historical accuracy, you probably will not.Bonham Carter is an appealing Anne Boleyn, although I don't know why such an intelligent actress spents so much time rolling her eyes... "Catherine Howard" is Kate Winslet-inspired gorgeous... Winstone as Good Old King Harry, himself, tries valiantly throughout, but comes off more as a football bloke (Sean Bean as "Aske" could have been a more interesting casting choice in the title role). "Cromwell" is god-awful and "Anne of Cleves" all but ignored. "Parr" is very good albeit virtually invisible. Interesting actress as "Catherine of Aragon." "Jane Seymour" woefully miscast.Erratic direction. Beautiful wardrobe and music. The sole "Special Feature" is unenlightening and uninspiring.

Collection Emily Blunt, parfait état.Henry VIII is a two-part British television serial produced principally by Granada Television for ITV from 12 to 19 October 2003.It chronicles the life of Henry VIII of England from the disintegration of his first marriage to an aging Spanish princess until his death following a stroke...

Beide DVDs waren sehr spannend. Das Leben des Henry VIII. ist nichts für schwache Nerven!!! Die Schafrichter-Szenen waren brutal und es wurden sogar Witze gerissen. Als Anne Boleyn hingerichtet wurde, lässt man extra einen Schafrichter aus Frankreich kommen. Dieser ist bekannt für „gute und saubere“ Arbeit. Er schafft es wohl gleich beim ersten Mal. Damit sie nicht so leiden muss. Anne Boleyn weiß das zu schätzen. Bei der anderen Hinrichtung im Film (ich habe leider den Namen des Mannes vergessen), wird extra ein unerfahrener 16-Jähriger Schafrichter und Tollpatsch ausgesucht. Der, der hingerichtet wird, sagt glaube ich, wir werden das gemeinsam schaffen oder nur Mut. Natürlich zielt dieser ziemlich daneben und schafft es erst beim 3. Mal. Die Menge leidet und schreit, der ein oder andere wurde damals bestimmt ohnmächtig. Die Kostüme und die Ausstattung des Films fand ich sehr gelungen. Sie haben keine Mühen und Kosten gescheut. Die Schauspieler*innen Helena Bonham Carter, Sean Bean und Emily Blunt fand ich im Film am besten.

DVD came in excellent condition

**THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**The enigma of Henry VIII - tyrant, womaniser and the man who changed England forever - continues to fascinate Britain centuries after his death.Ray Winstone brings history's most beguiling monarch to life in this story of Henry VIII revealing the destruction Henry often left in his wake during his extraordinary 38-year reign. From the moment Henry Tudor casts aside his faithful wife Catherine of Aragon for the bewitching and determined Anne Boleyn (Helena Bonham Carter), he sets himself on course for a series of disastrous marriages. Violent conflict, both within the population and the church, left England reeling while its complex and charismatic King turned from handsome playboy to a bitter invalid desperate for a son and heir to the throne.I saw this mini-series about Henry VIII when it was first on ITV back in 2003 and I thought it was brilliant. Ray Winstone was excellent in his role as Henry VIII, which was his first role in a costume drama. His co-star is Helena Bonham Carter who played Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn; her character dominates the first episode and her dramatic death brings the first part of the story to its conclusion. David Suchet also makes an appearance as Henry's first chief minister, Cardinal Wolsey. The second episode, which follows the last eleven years of Henry's life, sees Winstone act opposite Emilia Fox, as his docile third wife Jane Seymour; Sean Bean as Robert Aske, leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace; and Emily Blunt (in her first major appearance) as Catherine Howard, the promiscuous teenager who was coerced into becoming Henry's fifth queen. At the start of the first episode, Joss Ackland makes an appearance as a dying Henry VII mistaking his heir Henry VIII for his late son Arthur Tudor. Concerned for the fragile chances of his family's dynasty, the dying king implores his son to marry his brother's widow Catherine of Aragon and have a son to secure the family line.This mini-series is a truly compelling and entertaining drama that I would very highly recommend to anyone, especially Ray Winstone fans such as myself and those interested in the history of our nation and its monarchs.

6回結婚した暴君、イングランド王ヘンリー8世の生涯を描いた2003年イギリスのテレビドラマ。商品の説明ではアメリカ版となっていましたが、欧州の出品者に注文したところ、イギリス版でした。ＰＡＬ互換再生機があればリージョンコードを気にせずに再生できます。第1話、第2話が収められた本編とインタビュー中心の特典編のＤＶＤ2枚組でした。英語字幕付きで、ＨＤ画像でした。ヘンリー8世の生涯を描いたドラマとして、最近なら「チューダーズ ＜ヘンリー8世 背徳の王冠＞」の方が有名だと思います。この作品は、予算のためか、映像の美しさはチューダーズよりはるかに劣りますし、時間がずっと短いので、有名なエピソードをなぞるのに終始したような感じもあります。ただ、子供に見せられないエロシーン、残虐シーンはあまりありません。また、キャストに関しては、レイ・ウィンストンはヘンリー8世のイメージにぴったりですし、王妃役にはアン・ブーリン役のヘレナ・ボナム＝カーター、ジェーン・シーモア役のエミリア・フォックス、キャサリン・ハワード役のエミリー・ブラントと有名女優が並んでいて、チューダーズより上ではないかと思います。惜しいのは、本編が暗めで、やや粗い感じの映像だったことです。最初は制作が古めのため仕方ないのかと思っていましたが、特典編のインタビュー、メイキングは明るくて鮮明でした。衣装、セットのクォリティが低くて鮮明に映すとリアリティに欠けるという判断か、雰囲気を出すためか不明ですが、わざと暗めにしていたようです。全体としてチューダーズよりは劣るものの、ヘンリー8世関連の映画、ドラマに興味がある方、スターになる前のエミリー・ブラントを見たいファンの方なら見ても良いかも知れません。