My journey to history and historical fiction began with the Tudor dynasty. Completely fascinated with the King Henry VIII, I picked up my first book on the dynasty, The Tudor Wife by Emily Purdy. Since then I have read quite a lot about the dynasty. I have not found my favourite book yet which I could recommend to someone but my search is still on.
Talking about films I had a chance to watch The Other Boleyn Girl starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Although the actors have done a great job, the movie by itself failed to impress me. Since then I have been trying to do with documentaries and YouTube short films. Recently I came across this series on Netflix called The Tudors. I must admit that I started watching it only for Natalie Domer but all the actors in the series have done a terrific job.
Natlie Domer remains my favourite Queen after she dies in Game of Thrones. She is my favourite in The Tudors too. Anne Boleyn was a magnetic personality which became the reason for her downfall and death. Natalie Domer flaunts her talent as her character travels a spectrum from being the favourite girl to the one that King despises the most. Natalie starts from being a mere lady to become a Queen to the woman on scaffold. This journey is beautifully brutal.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is my second favourite character in the entire series. His work as King Henry is remarkable. He fits well as the arrogant king who loves many but stays faithful to only his friend. Meyers portrays the magnanimous personality of Henry VIII with utmost conviction. Henry Caville as Suffolk does a brilliant job too. All the queens have stood out and but the most grey-shaded is the character of Cromwell.
I somehow disliked the ending of the series. It was unclear if the King was losing insanity or was generally disheartened by the way his disease was into him. The references also suggest him to be fat and opposite of handsome in his last days but the King on screen refused to put on weight. The ‘growing old’ voice seemed phony too.
While skimming the reviews of the series online I came across some critics naming the series “inaccurate”. I would be a wrong person to either nod to or negate the comment. Like I said, I am yet to read an amazing book on the subject, but I must say, one should watch the series just for the acting costumes and cinematography. Accuracy apart, that is.
To read a non-fiction about the dynasty one could read Tudor Kings and Queens by Alex Woolf