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Monarch

  • 20002000
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
124
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Monarch (2000)
It is treason to foretell the death of a king. Henry VIII's past finally catches up with him.
Play trailer1:29
1 Video
11 Photos
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • History

Shortly before his death in 1547, the injured King Henry VIII is forced to take refuge a manor house closed for the season. While there, he must confront both his mortality and the ghosts of... Read allShortly before his death in 1547, the injured King Henry VIII is forced to take refuge a manor house closed for the season. While there, he must confront both his mortality and the ghosts of his past.Shortly before his death in 1547, the injured King Henry VIII is forced to take refuge a manor house closed for the season. While there, he must confront both his mortality and the ghosts of his past.

IMDb RATING
5.4/10
124
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • John Walsh
  • Writer
    • John Walsh
  • Stars
    • T.P. McKenna
    • Jean Marsh
    • James Coombes
Top credits
  • Director
    • John Walsh
  • Writer
    • John Walsh
  • Stars
    • T.P. McKenna
    • Jean Marsh
    • James Coombes
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 34User reviews
    • 29Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Videos1

    MONARCH
    Trailer 1:29
    MONARCH

    Photos11

    Jean Marsh as The Queens and TP McKenna as King Henry VIII
    TP McKenna as Henry VIII is struck by the ghostly light omitted by the presence of his dead wife.
    Writer/Director John Walsh with TP McKenna as Henry VIII and Mark Montgomerie as Will on the set of feature film, MONARCH.
    Jean Marsh plays a ghostly amalgamation of Henry VIII's past wives, visiting the sickly Monarch shortly before his death.
    TP McKenna as King Henry VIII with Mark Montgomerie as Will
    TP McKenna as King Henry VIII
    Jean Marsh as The Queens
    Writer & Director John Walsh with Jean Marsh during the DVD extras interviews for Monarch Memories
    Monarch (2000)
    Monarch (2000)

    Top cast

    Edit
    T.P. McKenna
    T.P. McKenna
    • Henry VIIIas Henry VIII
    Jean Marsh
    Jean Marsh
    • The Queensas The Queens
    James Coombes
    James Coombes
    • Thornas Thorn
    Peter Sowerbutts
    Peter Sowerbutts
    • Malcolmas Malcolm
    George Staines
    • Georgeas George
    Peter Miles
    • Courtieras Courtier
    Mark Montgomerie
    • Willas Will
    David Aldous
    • Guard #3as Guard #3
    Paul Breen
    • Guard #1as Guard #1
    Briony Salton
    • Pregnant girlas Pregnant girl
    Ken Whitfield
    • Guard #2as Guard #2
    • Director
      • John Walsh
    • Writer
      • John Walsh
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Monarch is part fact, part fiction and unfolds around one night when the injured ruler arrives at a manor house closed for the season. Henry is without the power and control of his palace and is vulnerable from those around him, and from his own sanity. Henry left England financially and morally bankrupt; his collection of enemies his only constant. Even today there is a question mark surrounding his burial and possible exhumation. —Walsh Bros
    • rediscovered film
    • timeframe 1540s
    • king
    • england
    • monarch
    • 5 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Genres
      • Biography
      • Drama
      • History
      • Horror
      • Mystery
      • Thriller
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film has been re-mastered from the original 35mm color camera negative after it was discovered in a vault almost 20 years after it was originally filmed.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Monarch Restoring a King (2014)

    User reviews34

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    In one stormy night unfold the drama of a historical lifetime.
    Monarch is an impressive debut for documentary director John Walsh. At first appearance this looks like a run of the mill costume drama, but the sparse location careful lighting and efficient use of money and sound effects brings an eerie quality to a film, which although shot on a low budget, does not fall into the trap many of Walsh's peers appear to have in recent years. Brit gangster flicks are almost a prerequisite for a British directorial debut these days. Opting for this historical retelling of one night in the life of Henry VIII shortly before his death John Walsh has managed to convey a grand story of a dying King in an intimate and poignant way, with a few chills along the way.

    Much of the sparseness can be attributed to the low budget yet this simply adds to the tension and feeling of emptiness in a Monarch who as lived with excess. Lighting and music are both careful and complex. The camera is confident a brave in many sequences allowing the story to unfold rather than driving the camera and Walsh avoids the hand-held horror of most first time feature directors, opting for a more considered and Kubrick like composition of each shot.

    Lighting by ex-Kubrick alumni Ray Andrew (camera operator on The Shinning) heightens the sense of a dark, damp historical past. You can almost smell the damp, yet the lighting and careful flesh tones and Walsh's composition is reminiscent of painter Caravaggio.

    The support players are good here too, feeling as through they have been at the court of Henry for some years are themselves ready to give up the ghost. Female cheaters are sparse here but their impact is powerful. Jean March from "Willow" and "Upstairs, Downstairs" impresses as a ghostly amalgam of Henry's past wives. Walsh has brought new life to an up to now, well trodden piece of English history.

    The plot is simple yet effective. A grand house closed for the season when one night the injured ruler is brought in and slumps by the grand fireplace. Henry is without the power and control of his palace and is vulnerable from those around him, and from his own sanity.

    TP McKenna towers as Henry VIII with on screen chemistry of the Jean Marsh putting a chill down the spine of most viewers. It is somewhat of a shame that little gems like this are not given a wider viewing. I look forward to what John Walsh can next offer up.
    helpful•6
    3
    • barry_norman-1
    • Dec 27, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 14, 2014 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • London, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Walsh Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

    Related news

    Actor T.P. McKenna of 'Straw Dogs,' 'The Avengers' dies at 81
    Actor T.P. McKenna of 'Straw Dogs,' 'The Avengers' dies at 81
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