Henry VIII (TV 2003)

Two-part TV series documenting the stormy 38-year reign of King Henry VIII.

Director:

Pete Travis

Writer:

Peter Morgan

Stars:

Ray Winstone, Joss Ackland, Sid Mitchell

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Winstone	...	Henry VIII
Joss Ackland	...	Henry VII
Sid Mitchell	...	Young Henry VIII
Charles Dance	...	Duke of Buckingham
Mark Strong	...	Duke of Norfolk
Assumpta Serna	...	Katherine of Aragon
Thomas Lockyer	...	Edward Seymour
William Houston	...	Thomas Seymour
Danny Webb	...	Thomas Cromwell
Guy Flanagan	...	Tall Servant
David Suchet	...	Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
Scott Handy	...	Lord Henry Percy
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Anne Boleyn
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Thomas Boleyn
Stephen Noonan	...	Spanish Ambassador

Storyline

Two-part TV series documenting the stormy 38-year reign of King Henry VIII.

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Plot Keywords:

king henry viii | martyr | 16th century | religious conflict | arms tied overhead | 

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Taglines:

Heads Will Roll

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS/Masterpiece Theatre [us]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 2003 (UK)

Also Known As:

Enrique VIII

Filming Locations:

Arundel Castle, Arundel, West Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television, Power, Powercorp

Technical Specs

Runtime:

193 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actress Marsha Fitzalan, who plays the Duchess of Norfolk is, in real life, the daughter of the 17th Duke and Duchess of Norfolk.

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Goofs

Immediately preceding the scene (interior) where the Pope is seen writing his refusal to divorce Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon, there is a panoramic view of the Vatican (with St. Peter's basilica), implying that the Pope was in Rome/the Vatican at the time.DIn fact, the Pope was at Orvieto at the time, and it was there, in the Papal palace, where he wrote and signed this particular document.

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Quotes

Katherine of Aragon: What did I do to upset you, that a maid of mine should turn against me like this?
Anne Boleyn: You failed to give England an heir.
Katherine of Aragon: And that upsets you so?
Anne Boleyn: What upsets the King, upsets me.
Katherine of Aragon: Let me tell you this. You want me to lie before God, and admit my first marriage was consummated? Well, it was not. You want me to retire, and withdraw my daughter's claim as sole rightful heir to the throne? Well, I shall not. Not in a thousand years. Not if you rack me within an inch of my life. So, I hope you have the ...

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Crazy Credits

Helena Bonham Carter receives second-billing in both parts despite Anne Boleyn getting the chop in the first part. Her contribution in part 2 is the pre-title reprise and flashbacks all already shown in part 1.

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Connections

Version of Anna Boleyn (1920)

User Reviews

Bodice-Ripper Mentality

Bodice-Ripper Mentality

Henry as played by Ray Winstone is a brawling, bawling, beastly Bluebeard. I realize Henry VIII was a spoiled brat of a king, reigning at the time when being an absolute monarch meant something, but the Tudors were also craftily intelligent. This Henry just appears to be a demanding brute. There is very little attempt to portray his intelligence or his charm. He may have been king (and it's good to be king), but when he wanted to Henry could be charming. It doesn't come through here. The history itself is a bit screwy. Let's call it history lite. There is a bodice-ripper mentality to the writing. Let's get into the hairshirt with Katherine of Aragon or the sex with Anne Boleyn. Let's show brutal war at its most brutal. Yes, war really is horrid and the Renaissance Europe was a cruel place, but the feeling of this piece is not the historical value of violence and sex, but rather for their voyeuristic quality. It's a bit smarmy. The acting was melodramatic, relieved only by good performances by Charles Dance and Sean Bean and their characters die fairly quickly. This was 3 unpleasant hours that I don't want to repeat again. Classic classy British fair, NOT.