No, it's not historically accurate. No, Henry VII looks nothing like he should. We might as well as get those things out of the way to begin with, because despite the obvious changes to the story that we all know and love, THE TUDORS is a wonderful television series.
This takes the stories of the Tudor court and updates them for a 21st century audience. The actors are young and attractive and give thoroughly engaging performances to boot. The show, complete with political manoeuvring, backstabbing, violence, sex, treachery, scandal and gossip, never slows down for a second. Having just sat through the entire four seasons, I can truly say that I wasn't bored for a second in any of the episodes.
Rhys Meyers gives a tour de force performance as the conflicted king. Given the extended time frame of the show, he has the opportunity to really get inside the skin and mind of Henry VIII. No other actor has come close. Rhys Meyers is a powerhouse, at times subtle and chilling, at other times pompous and civil, at other times stormy and frightening.
The supporting cast are excellent. Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn captures that fragile beauty and inner power/determination just right. Others, like Sarah Bolger, Sam Neill and Nick Dunning, are equally captivating. The show looks tremendous, making use of decent CGI to bring the locales to life. The costumes are sumptuous too.
In the end, though, it's the scripts that make or break a TV show, and in this respect THE TUDORS is at the top of its game. Kudos then to Michael Hirst for creating such a perfectly made and thoroughly entertaining slant on one of history's most popular periods.
This takes the stories of the Tudor court and updates them for a 21st century audience. The actors are young and attractive and give thoroughly engaging performances to boot. The show, complete with political manoeuvring, backstabbing, violence, sex, treachery, scandal and gossip, never slows down for a second. Having just sat through the entire four seasons, I can truly say that I wasn't bored for a second in any of the episodes.
Rhys Meyers gives a tour de force performance as the conflicted king. Given the extended time frame of the show, he has the opportunity to really get inside the skin and mind of Henry VIII. No other actor has come close. Rhys Meyers is a powerhouse, at times subtle and chilling, at other times pompous and civil, at other times stormy and frightening.
The supporting cast are excellent. Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn captures that fragile beauty and inner power/determination just right. Others, like Sarah Bolger, Sam Neill and Nick Dunning, are equally captivating. The show looks tremendous, making use of decent CGI to bring the locales to life. The costumes are sumptuous too.
In the end, though, it's the scripts that make or break a TV show, and in this respect THE TUDORS is at the top of its game. Kudos then to Michael Hirst for creating such a perfectly made and thoroughly entertaining slant on one of history's most popular periods.