The Tudors as you've never seen them before. (The Tudors: Complete BBC Series 1 (DVD))

Name: JackAndAHat

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Product:	The Tudors: Complete BBC Series 1 (DVD)
Date:	23/06/08 (86 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, with an attractive cast and a lively pace.

Disadvantages: Historically inaccurate.

If you're looking for historical accuracy, turn away now. Characters have been condensed, events rearranged, the course of history re-written to suit the narrative.

But if what you're looking for is stunningly well-shot entertainment, then this is what you're after. The Tudors won best costume design, production design, and hair/make up at the IFTAs, along with picking up acting awards for a large part of the cast.

The series follows the early years of Henry VIII as he meets and falls in love with Anne Boleyn, the girl some say changed the course of history. He rebels against the church, seeking a way to marry his new love, against a backdrop of war, scandal, and shifting alliances.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers seems a strange casting choice for someone known for being old and fat, but he does an admirable turn as a young Henry, showing off the king's temper and appetite for women. Some people said the sex scenes were gratuitous, but that would rather be the point - they were toned down for a wider market in season two, but season one was bold, brazen, and fun.

The rest of the cast is equally strong - Maria Doyle Kennedy is stunning as Queen Katherine, absolutely believable as the dignified, put-aside wife. Jeremy Northam also deserves mentioning as Thomas More, who provides a quiet contrast to King Henry's outbursts. Natalie Dormer is a little wooden as Anne, but that's more by comparison to an overall excellent cast.

Filmed in Ireland and making excellent use of gorgeous scenery, the task of directing is split between nine different directors, but the series doesn't suffer for the change in guiding hand - if anything, this helps the pace remain tight over long passages of time.

Overall, an excellent bit of fun.

Summary: Well worth watching if you can put aside your history book.