This is a fab little gem as the posters say. I didn't quite know what to expect as this isn't a thriller, nor is it a horror or for that matter much of a costume drama. What unfold here is almost a playlette but in a real location. TP McKenna is a powerful Henry despite being towards the end of his life and every inch the king. Nice to see a different take on the usual school history version of Henry and his wives. That said the wives do make an appearance but a the less said here the better save for spoilers. I liked this film and think that if you are in the right mood you will connect with it. For those willing to try something away from the bodice ripping TV movie versions of Henry (all gelled back hair and waxed chests) this makes for a pleasant change and at least has something to say. Shot on a shoe string over just a few weeks make the achievement all the more impressive. This film has certainly been through the wars, having been released in the late 90s to not much ado and then lost. The extras on the DVD reveal the fascinating story of the original camera negative and how this was the key to this HD remastered release which hits cinemas again some twenty years after its first bow.

It seems that every now and then Henry VIII and his wives pop back up in a historical retelling. Yes these are either stuffed to the gills costume dramas or are a bed hopping teenage romance on TV. John Walsh's Monarch is neither. This take on the most fearsome of English kings is more like Hammer House of Horror meets The Downfall. Set in one night, with a handful of players this economic drama bristles with first feature optimism from a director who went on you carve out a career in ground breaking documentaries. Great to see this getting a second look and with a spit and polish normally reserved for big Hollywood blockbusters, Monarch and its central performance from TP McKenna will now be preserved for future generations. Despite the film's humble origins, TP's performance can sit comfortably alongside, those of Richard Burton, Keith Michell and Robert Shaw.

Taking a new approach to the costume drama, John Walsh makes an interesting debut for a documentary director more established these days for harsh realistic films on hate crime and politics. This effort from the late 90s is testament to a genuine film maker with something to say. He manages to weave a part fact and part fiction story around a single night. It captures much of the darkness of The Downfall but arrived some a good five years before it. The micro budget does show at times but given this a guerrilla shoot, Walsh has managed to capture a sense of style and grace when his contemporaries were running around with 'mockney' crime cappers. Sadly the lead actor TP McKenna passed away 18 months ago, but with an imminent blu ray release coming down the tracks, his mesmerizing performance can be enjoyed by all.

A commoner has an unusual run-in with the King of England in this offbeat historical drama. In 1547, Thorn (James Coombes) is employed as a servant and caretaker by a wealthy British landowner who has put Thorn in charge of his mansion while he's away for the winter. One night, Thorn is terrified to hear what he imagines are armed bandits breaking into the mansion, and he hides in fear of his life. However, Thorn soon discovers he has a very different breed of unexpected guests. With political unrest sweeping England, King Henry VIII (T.P. McKenna) is travelling incognito while trying to bring stability back to his domain, but his coach has been attacked by thieves and the wounded king needs a place to rest. Henry isn't so sure that the ambush was a simple robbery, however -- he thinks it could have been a cleverly disguised assassination attempt, and one of the advisors travelling with the king agrees. As Thorn observes the political intrigue that has suddenly appeared on his doorstep, he also has to deal with the randy goings-on of Henry VIII's assistants, who are openly and flamboyantly gay. Monarch was the first dramatic feature from documentary filmmaker John Walsh. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi