The Six Wives of Henry VIII (BBC 1970 - Complete Series)

TV : Drama : DVD quality : English The Six Wives of Henry VIII was a series of six teleplays produced by the BBC and first transmitted between 1 January and 5 February 1970. One of the first major British television series to be videotaped in colour, it was a huge success, propelling its previously little-known star, Keith Michell, into the limelight. This acclaimed series is considered to be a largely accurate historical portrayal of the life and times of Henry VIII unlike some later historical dramas portraying the Tudor dynasty such as The Tudors, The Other Boleyn Girl and Elizabeth, The Golden Age which contain many inaccuracies. Each of the series of plays was devoted to one of the wives of King Henry VIII of England, and all were of equal length, regardless of the enormous variation in the length of their respective marriages. Each episode was written by a different dramatist. The wives were: Catherine of Aragon played by Annette Crosbie (later to become Victor Meldrew's wife in One Foot in the Grave!) Anne Boleyn played by Dorothy Tutin Jane Seymour played by Anne Stallybrass Anne of Cleves played by Elvi Hale Catherine Howard played by Angela Pleasence Catherine Parr played by Rosalie Crutchley. Episode 1 - Catherine of Aragon The episode starts with Catherine being married to Arthur who dies. Then, Catherine faces trouble as she is poor and arrangements to marry Prince Henry are not clear. When Henry VII dies, Henry VIII chooses Catherine, as his wife, as the deathwish of his father and they marry. After a short scene of Catherine's son's death and her weeping in Henry's arms, the programme goes to her older days where Henry falls in love with Anne Boleyn. She is heartbroken when Henry tells her he wants to divorce her. There are several court scenes discussing the annulment until Catherine is told that Henry married Anne. She is moved to Wolsey's house until she dies while Maria de Salinas is by her side. And the episode ends with her lying in her bed, Maria de Salinas sitting beside her and her (Catherine's) face fading away. Then you see Henry reading a letter written by her to him she is the voiceover reading it, then it shows Henry crushing it and standing dominatingly as a Hans Holbein portrait. Episode 2 - Anne Boleyn The episode focuses primarily on Anne's downfall, documenting the disintegration of her marriage in the face of frequent miscarriages and the king's infidelities. The storyline was heavily influenced by academic theories which believed Anne was the victim of a factional and political plot, concocted by her many enemies, who capitalised on the king's disillusionment with her. As with most media treatments of Anne's destruction, the episode followed the historical research which has all but proved her innocence; the scriptwriter used Anne's final confession to suggest her total innocence on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft. A notable exception to this general rule was the later BBC adaptation of the The Other Boleyn Girl. Episode 3 - Jane Seymour This episode starts with Jane giving birth to Prince Edward. When she is taken to her child's christening, she is in pain and is near death; while lying in her sickbed, the events of her life flash before her in a fever dream. She remembers how Henry fell in love with her and her relatives schemed to bring about the downfall of Anne Boleyn and the subsequent rise of Jane. Directly after Anne is executed, Henry and Jane are married. During her short time as queen, Jane tries with some success to reconcile the princess Mary with Henry. Her pregnancy is a guilt-filled one. She is tormented by the fact that her predecessor was innocent; the victim of false witness. After Jane gives birth to the prince, she falls ill; this brings the episode full circle. Jane dies, and the last images we see here are her body lying in state, arrayed like a queen and Henry being consoled by his daughter Mary. Episode 4 - Anne of Cleves Henry is confronted by Thomas Cromwell, who tells him that an alliance with Germany is imperative so he should marry one of the Duke of Cleves' sisters, Anne or Amelia. He sends artist Hans Holbein, who paints both girls, and chooses Anne because of her flattering portrait. Anne is sent to marry Henry. When she reaches England, Henry wishes to surprise her, so he goes to see her for the first time in disguise, but when he arrives, Anne is not properly dressed and is shocked when she finds out who he really is. Henry, meanwhile, is disappointed that she is not as beautiful as her portrait. They are married, but the marriage is never consummated. Politics then take center stage as Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, plans Cromwell's downfall by playing on Henry's infatuation with his young niece Catherine. Soon, Cromwell knows he is doomed and Anne realizes her marriage will soon be ended. She tells Henry that he must listen to her conditions: to be given a household of her own and to be able to see Henry's children, whom she loves. She also suggests that she should be called his sister, and points out that since their marriage was never consummated, it could be ended quickly by an annulment instead of a divorce. Henry is delighted by this idea, saying "Good night, my dear sister," and the episode ends showing Anne's saddened face. This is probably the least accurate episode due to the lack of information on Anne of Cleves. She is shown to be able to speak English and to understand her surroundings, when in reality, she knew nothing on such matters. Episode 5 - Catherine Howard The episode begins with The Duke of Norfolk visiting his mother to see if one of his nieces would be an eligible suit for the king. His ambition is clear. He wants a Howard on the throne of England. We meet Catherine Howard, a vain, cruel and egotistical teenager, who confides in her roommate that she has had a romantic tryst with a young man named Francis Dereham. She is taken by her governess, Lady Rochford, to her uncle who informs her that she is to be the next Queen of England. She states her worries because of what happened to her cousin, Anne Boleyn, but Norfolk assures her if she listens to him, all will be well. Norfolk is concerned though that she is not virginal and Catherine lies that she is untouched. She is taken to meet the king. King Henry, already ill with an ulcer on his leg, is immediately taken with the pretty, young girl. She nurses and flirts with him and Norfolk's dream seems closer. The king decides to take her as his wife but on their wedding night, Henry's impotence is an obstacle. Another obstacle comes when the young Dereham comes to visit the Queen and blackmails her regarding their romance the summer before. To secure her future, Norfolk insists she produce a male heir, in any way possible. Catherine, with the help of Lady Rochford, begins a torrid affair with Thomas Culpepper, Henry's young and dashing personal aide. But months pass with no sign of a child and the court begins to know about the affair. Norfolk then decides to betray his niece to the king before his enemies can. Culpepper and Dereham are taken to the Tower and Norfolk falls out of favor with the king. There is then a dramatic scene where Norfolk and the king's guards come to arrest Catherine and the Lady Rochford. Catherine demands to see the king but is denied. She is taken to the Tower where she rehearses the speech she will give at her execution. The episode ends with the king banishing Norfolk from his sight, and from the royal court. Episode 6 - Catherine Parr Catherine Parr, the recently widowed Lady Latimer is about to receive an audience with the King. Henry, old, corpulent, sick and lonely, takes to the mature twice-widowed lady; her honesty and beauty entice him. She turns down his offer of marriage, however, only to be persuaded by the ambitious Seymour brothers, Edward and Thomas (brothers of the late queen Jane Seymour), to accept Henry's proposal. Thomas, even though he and Catherine have romantic feelings for each other, is especially eager to have Catherine marry Henry. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer also wishes Catherine to marry the King. Catherine soon becomes Queen of England; her natural maternal instinct is put into practice with the king's children, Mary, Elizabeth and Edward. However, Bishop Gardiner takes a dislike to Catherine's religious views as he is a staunch Catholic. He plots her downfall, and questions her ladies. Gardiner even has one woman, Anne Askew (not one of Catherine's ladies, but a notable religious writer and speaker whose works Catherine had read), on the rack. Catherine is horrified by Askew's story and confronts her husband and Gardiner. Henry becomes frustrated by her constant want for debate and angrily rejects her. Soon, a warrant for the queen to be arrested and "examined" (which is practically a death sentence), is made out. Catherine is terrified, but Archbishop Cranmer advises her to assume a modest, humble, apologetic pose to the king, and Henry forgives her. Soon after, Henry suddenly collapses, obviously near death. After a long wait, the King dies, and Thomas Seymour asks Catherine to marry him. Still in her mourning clothes, Catherine accepts. Enjoy and Seed!!

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marcoscu (2011-01-22)

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