In Cold Blood (1 Apr. 2007)

King Henry VIII, the young and ambitious monarch of England, prepares for war with France but is dissuaded by the diplomatic manipulation of his powerful Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey, who proposes that the King sponsor a "Treaty of Universal Peace." The harmony of the King's domestic affairs is threatened, however, when he discovers that Elizabeth Blount, the young and beautiful ... See full summary »

Directors:

Charles McDougall, Steve Shill

Writers:

Michael Hirst (creator), Michael Hirst

Stars:

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Sam Neill, Callum Blue

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	King Henry VIII
Sam Neill	...	Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
Callum Blue	...	Anthony Knivert
Henry Cavill	...	Charles Brandon
Henry Czerny	...	Norfolk
Natalie Dormer	...	Anne Boleyn
Maria Doyle Kennedy	...	Queen Catherine of Aragon
Nick Dunning	...	Thomas Boleyn
Jeremy Northam	...	Sir Thomas More
Kris Holden-Ried	...	William Compton
Sean Pertwee	...	King Henry's Uncle
Steven Waddington	...	Duke of Buckingham
Ruta Gedmintas	...	Elizabeth Blount
Joe Van Moyland	...	Thomas Tallis
Matt Ryan	...	Richard Pace

Storyline

After the murder by Frenchmen of his uncle, the English ambassador in Urbino, one of the Itamian states being invaded by France, young Tudor king Henry VIII orders his council to prepare war on France. His de facto prime minister, cardinal Wolsey, obeys but actually prepares an alternative, a pan-European institutionalized peace, to Thomas More's humanist liking, and plots to be rewarded with the papacy. Meanwhile Henry, whose major sorrow is the lack of a son, enjoys life, especially jousting, hunting and games with duke Charles Brandon and adulterous love, which only adds to the hatred of men around the duke of Buckingham, who believes to be the true pretender to the throne.

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Plot Keywords:

duke | cardinal wolsey | thomas more | treaty | queen | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

Canada Ireland USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 2007 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

TM Productions, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Peace Arch Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

53 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While plotting against the king, the Duke of Buckingham claims that he is a direct descendant of Edward II. Steven Waddington, the actor portraying Buckingham, played Edward II in the film, Edward II.

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Goofs

By the time of the events of this series, the historical Brandon (who was already in his early 40s) and Princess Mary were long married with three children. Henry's eldest sister, Margaret Tudor, was actually married to King James IV of Scotland and became the grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots.

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Quotes

King Henry VIII: Now, I can go play

User Reviews

Lackluster king keeps 'Tudors' from becoming a worthwhile investment

First and foremost, I am not a history buff. I know what was taught when I was in high school and little else. That said, I am judging this pilot episode of "The Tudors" based on its artistic merits and entertainment value alone, not its historical content. Those looking for comparisons to what actually happened are better off looking elsewhere.

"The Tudors" is one of many Showtime series to pop up recently in the network's attempt to become the next HBO. Some series have proved successful ("Masters of Horror", "Weeds", "Dexter") while others have floundered ("Huff", "The Underground"). Judging from the pilot episode, "The Tudors" falls somewhere in between quality wise. It's not groundbreaking like "Masters of Horror" or particularly original like "Dexter", but it's more competently written and produced than previous network dramas like "Huff". The main problem so far lies with the acting. While Jonathan Rhys Meyers doesn't leave a strong impression as King Henry VIII. He comes across as simply reciting lines rather than giving a performance. It appears as if he's playing King Henry VIII in a play rather than a television series. His co-stars fare much better. Sam Neill as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey is strong as always, underplaying nicely when necessary. If there is a reason to keep watching the series, it's Maria Doyle Kennedy as Queen Katherine. She portrays the role of the wife with just the right amount of compassion and frustration. It will be interesting to see how her relationship with Henry changes throughout the next few episodes, if I can stand to sit through them.

My rating: 5/10