Secrets, seduction and scandal run rampant through the succulent first season of The Tudors, a hot and hip retelling of England’s King Henry VIII and his court. With a lavish look and an updated feel, I can’t recall jolly ole’ England ever being so darned hot. Now if only the sultriness stayed course for the entire season.
He’s Henry the Eighth, he is, he is. The actor is Jonathan Rhys Meyers and he sexes up the part alongside a bevy of busty beauties and yes men. In the first season of The Tudors, he aims to both win the approval of the people in his kingdom and assert his authority over Europe. Alliances are made and broken as though the world were an episode of pro wrestling.
Although Henry is the most powerful man in the world, he still feels the pressure to be deemed great. There’s a tinge of self doubt about him so at several points in the season he throws down various challenges as if to prove his manliness and his right to the throne. And we all know there’s nothing like an arm wrestle or a jousting match to prove one’s power.
Henry may be the center of attention but there’s plenty going on around him. Much of the season deals with the married king’s courtship of Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer) and his ensuing attempts to challenge the Church to grant him a divorce. To make things a little more complicated and sleazy Henry’s chief adviser Cardinal Wolsey (Sam Neill) is a schemer who seems to worship to the god that offers the nicest deal. And while this is going on, Europe is on the brink of war, the Pope is kidnapped, disease sweeps through the continent and people fall in and out of love.
Much of this action builds in the front half of the season. These are the episodes in which the relationships are firmly established and motivations are made apparent. However, during the final handful of episodes, some of this momentum is lost as it continues to focus and repeat on Henry’s exhausted efforts to find a way to get his divorce. Although it stays true to history, the constant denials and the reasoning becomes repetitive, especially considering this one strand of the overall story dominates the storyline. But I guess in the bigger scheme of things, it’s crucial to convey as things are likely to get much messier as the series progresses.
While set centuries ago, there is something distinctly modern about The Tudors. Whether it’s the simple but decidedly ‘now’ hairstyles, the conversational chatter or the construction of the royal court as a springboard for fame and gossip, there’s a definite feel for the glitz and glamour of today. The show aims to construct what the classical version of what Hollywood and the current idea of celebrity might have been like some 500 years ago.
The Tudors is a lush and addicting look at history filled with period delights. However it’s also got its symbolic mirror reflecting right back at us as it comments on the sometimes sleazy state of our western world. Does that make sleaze timeless then?
The Tudors: Season One DVD Review
The Tudors: Season One contains ten episodes spread over four discs. The widescreen image is for the most part great, although I often found the darkest colours to come out somewhat pixelated. Audio is available in both English 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Surround, as well as Spanish mono.
Extras are led by a trio of featurettes that go behind the scenes of the show. The first two look at costume and production design respectively and while informative, they are quite short running only about five minutes each. The third featurette looks at the show’s historical sites, touring England and going into the places where it all originally happened. Slightly under 20 minutes in length, this too is on the short side but provides more depth. Other show-specific extras include biographies and a photo gallery.
Something I really like about this DVD is the inclusion of select episodes of other shows. In this instance there’s episodes of Showtime’s This American Life, Californication and Penn & Teller Bullshit!. Users can also access additional episodes as well as the first two episodes of the second season of Dexter.
The Tudors: Season One Gallery
