The Tudors – The Complete First Season

HBO’s Rome was cutting edge historical drama and, of course, was crazy successful. Is it any surprise that their largest rival Showtime would attempt to cash in on that success? Showtime’s The Tudors flashes forward a few centuries to 16^th Century England and the rule of Henry VIII. The Tudors has more than just history in common with Rome. Both series have an almost obsessive fixation on sexual encounters. This one is not going to play well in those history classes for the kiddies. Both shows were filmed on location with lavish sets and costumes. The comparisons soon end as we examine the approaches each take on their subjects. The Tudors attempts to modernize the story more than a little. Henry’s attire is more akin to a rock star than a 16^th Century ruler. The language is also more updated, often filled with modern colloquiums and the like.

The story of Henry VIII is well known, but this is not the Henry your history teachers told you about. This Henry is a slim, energetic man. There are only hints in regard to his famous lust for food. His appetites for women are not so subtly portrayed. The series follows Henry’s alliances and break-ups with France and his growing disfavor of members of his own Court. If the series is to be believed, Anne Boleyn was placed in his path by her scheming father. In any case, by the third episode his growing infatuation with Boleyn takes center stage in the series. Henry grows weary of the Church after he is constantly blocked from divorcing his Queen Catherine to marry Boleyn. The second largest figure in this first season is the infamous Cardinal Wolsey. This is also the story of his own rise and fall along with the Church’s influence on England’s culture. There is an almost soap opera aspect to the storytelling, which is admitted by the show’s writer, who credits shows like Dallas and Dynasty as well as Rome and The Sopranos as inspiration. Side stories like a gay musician’s coming of age populate the background, but serve merely as distractions. When The Tudors works best is when we are with Henry or Wolsey engaging in matters of global importance.

Let’s talk about the cast. At first I must say I completely hated Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry. I found him to be mousy and not at all a strong character. Then after a couple of episodes something happened. I can’t tell you exactly what it was, but he grew so well into the part that before long I honestly couldn’t think of anyone better. I believe it was his subtle mannerisms more than anything else. Looking back, I think that his performance improved dramatically by the third episode. He appeared far more secure, and when he spoke he began to carry the voice of authority one has come to expect in a king. The star of the series, however, is hands down Sam Neill as the Cardinal. This must have been a difficult character to bring life to. He is so multidimensional. He is at times an absolute villain, while at others he completely sells the repentant and vulnerable wretch. He commands your attention with every moment he takes the screen. Natalie Dormer is a relative newcomer, and she has wonderful skills. When we first meet her as Anne, she appears the naïve, lazy daughter of privilege. As her seduction of Henry takes its course, she develops many faces and emotions along the way. She is extremely hard to read, and then all at once an open book. While she might not possess the beauty her character is said to inhabit, she more than makes up for it in a single stare. She acts wonderfully with her eyes, as so many of the great ones do. You will be seeing more from Dormer, I suspect, over the years. Nick Dunning is quite a surprise as Sir Thomas Boleyn. It is Sir Thomas who masterminds his daughter’s seduction of the King in order to destroy the influence of Cardinal Wolsey. His quiet yet assertive manner works perfectly for the character. The rest of the cast is also pretty strong with no obvious weak links.

The show was filmed not in England, but in neighboring Ireland. There are some pretty vistas to enjoy here, to be sure. The locations add a sense of reality to the show and are always a welcome balance from the dreary interiors. The episodes are paced well, and for the most part the hour passes with alarming speed. But it is the soap opera approach that brings the series down at each turn. There is so much here that the show could have been great but must settle for being pretty good. Still, I find myself looking forward to the second season.

 
Video

Each episode of The Tudors is presented in its original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 Overall this is a very nice transfer. I found color reproduction to be stunning at times, allowing the richness of greens to take advantage of the nice locations. Black levels are often superb, allowing a fine level of detail. Still, there is a nearly fatal flaw to contend with. It was a mistake to cram three episodes on one disc. There is far too much of a compression artifact problem. Unfortunately a fine transfer and a beautiful example of cinematography are too often tainted by unforgivable levels of artifact and pixilation.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 is not terribly aggressive, but there are times when it opens up a bit and allows you to feel some space in the audio. It appears that horses, both galloping and whinnying, are the most common features left to the rear speakers. Dialog is very important and is handled well here. You will have no trouble hearing the sometimes flowery speech.  The score comes through often grandly, but there’s not much happening out of the sub woofers.

Special Features

Production Design: I’m getting a little weary of hearing television people tell me how each episode is like a mini movie. The truth is, it’s nothing like a feature film, but it’s not supposed to be. I understand the concept, but note to television producers: We’ve heard it too often for it to mean anything. I will say there is a lot to be said for the scale of this production, and this very short feature gives you a little wow factor.

Costume Design: I know they think it’s a good thing, but I wasn’t impressed with hearing how they weren’t really looking for accurate period dress but rather a “cool” element. Henry’s a bit too leather-bound. He’s a cross between a biker and an old rock and roller; yeah that’s right, he dresses like Meatloaf.

The Tudor’s Historical Sites:  This feature is a “sightseeing tour” of many of the actual locations where the story took place. While the series was filmed in Ireland, we get to see some of the places where Henry did his thing. The tour guide acts like a used car salesman, and the whole thing feels like a hustle. I’ve taken many historical tours, as the subject greatly interests me, and fortunately I’ve never had such a manic guide as you get here.

 
You get free episodes of other Showtime series, but I really don’t like that. All of these shows have huge story arcs that can’t be satisfied with one episode. The obvious intent is for you to buy these other sets or at least watch the Showtime broadcasts. Either way, what will I need with an extra copy of the first episodes? You can also obtain even more free samples over the net using your 4^th disc.

Final Thoughts

I think you’ll find just the right mix of entertainment and historical context to find the series compelling, if not from the start, by the third hour. When I was first offered The Tudors, I turned down the assignment. I’m not even sure why, but when offered it a second time I said, why not? I’m glad I got to see them. While I still find Rome to be a superior effort, I warmed up to The Tudors over time. If you want to try it out, you will likely need to commit from the start to watch it all. The first hour or two isn’t very good at all, and if I hadn’t committed to reviewing the set I might have bailed there. This is one of those times that being required to watch something whether I liked it or not paid off. The show got much better after hour three. Perhaps it took that long to overcome my own perceptions of the man and his time. It goes to show that they’re right when they say, “You think you know a story, but you only know how it ends. To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning”.