Now, I know nothing about history and to be honest, I don't have much interest in it either but this film was brilliant. I first watched it when it was a two-part drama on TV and I went out to buy it straight after. This isn't usually my type of film at all (history of kings and queens) but it tells the tale of Henry Viii to a tee and I was hooked, it's one of my favourite films it's that good! I'm a bit of a fan of old Ray and enjoy a lot of his films but i've never seen him play a part like this before, he did it justice. You get to love his character and can't help but feel a little compassion for the strange bloke. My favourite part of this film (call me sadistic) was witnessing Anne Boleyn being beheaded, it really opens your eyes up to how much times have changed, I had a few tears at this point. It's truly a great film, it makes you laugh and sad at the same time. A great film for anyone who would like to learn about the life of Henry Viii but doesn't care much for sitting through a load of documentaries, taught my teen a lot about history for his homework and he loved it at the same time :o)It's a film I never for one second thought i'd like but it proved me wrong, it's great!

I absolutely love Tudor history so I was naturally looking forward to this program. I was a little disappointed. The first thing that I noticed was that While Ray Winstone did resemble portraits of Henry VIII not one of the actresses playing his wives looked like the real person. One problem that has bothered me with almost every program about Henry VIII is that for some reason Catherine of Aragon is always portrayed with the stereotypical dark hair and dark eyes of a Spainish princess. According to extant historical records, Catherine in her youth had red gold hair, blue eyes and white and pink coloring. Another thing that puzzled me was the costuming. This program was set in the early to mid 1500's many of the costumes especially those of Anne Boleyn and Kathryn Howard did not seem to fit the era considering that both women were said to have preferred the fashionable French style of gowns with turned back cuffs. Also Jane Seymour nearly always wore the demure gable hood to further separate herself from her predecessor Anne Boleyn(who preferred the French Hood). I think that Henry was made to look like a bit of a barbarian. It must be remembered that he dealt with a lot of personal guilt for marrying his brothers widow. Also, while these days it is not acceptable to behead one's wife, Henry was King and he was making an example of his two unfortunate wives. In defense of this program, it really is impossible to compact Henry's entire life into basically 3 hours. I guess that's why Anne of Cleves was only shown once for about two minutes.

I think this was a great made for TV series, but it was divided into only 2 parts when I felt it could have been a lot longer. It first aired on BBC television in England and then made its way to PBS KCET on Channel 28 here in America. Ray Winstone heads a cast of primarily noted British actors portraying in very modern mood the life and times of Henry the 8th and Tudor England. There is nothing really wrong with the series but I felt that such a panoramic story could have been a lot longer and broken up into several episodes. I felt it was very rushed, especially at the end. His marriages to the 6 women was all done very fast and the film didn't explore his relationship with them or their characters too deeply. The focus seemed to be on Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boylen. One thing viewers have found frustrating is the anachronistic use of language. There are moments when the dialogue gets very modern and loses the formality and Shakespearean style. Also, Ray Winstone speaks in a common vernacular called Cockney, when as a King, he was able to speak lofty English and even Latin. But such inaccuracies are dismissed as we are swept by the intensity of the dramatic material and the way the actors bring it to life.Anne Boylen was played by Helena Bonham Carter. Her scenes with Ray Winstone are quite dynamic. The actress in the role of Queen Katherine of Aragon is quite powerful, even more so than the bland Helena Bonham, who portrays Anne as a fickle lady who at first didn't want anything to do with Henry but later revels in her position as Queen. Though her innocent looks did effectively portray the wronged queen (I never believed that Anne Boylen did any of the "sins" she was accused falsely of). Above all, this is a vehicle for Ray Winstone as Henry the 8th. His portrayal is laser-sharp and towards the end he does start to look EXACTLY like the overweight, arrogant and cruel king. I wish the series had been longer, like the previously filmed "Forsyte Saga" on Masterpiece Theatre. Also, I wish somehow they had used more popular and famous British actors such as Judi Dench, who has already portrayed royal figures- Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. But the series is gorgeous to look at. Though the ending was very rushed, I like the final words of the narrator that elevates Queen Elizabeth as the only true great result of Henry's troublesome life. Elizabeth was born of Anne Boylen and Henry the 8th. Warning: the film contains adult material including violence and graphic sex. Its suitable for mature audiences only.

I can accept inaccuracies and speculations when so many years of history are crammed into a two part mini-series type telling, but Katherine's hair shirt, Anne's stillborn son being born as a result of marital rape, Jane's going into early labor as a result of an argument,and the Catherine (the second one) exposing herself in the tub? Give me a break!The acting was excellent, the costumes and sets beautiful, but it was far too inaccurate and speculative to tolerate.The classic _Six Wives of Henry VII_ certainly wasn't accurate either, but it sure was fun!The 1971 BBC miniseries will always be the definitive one for me.