Bring his Histories cycle to a close, "Henry VIII" effectively ends the story begun way back in "Richard II". If one thinks of "King John" as a prologue to Shakespeare's history plays, this then is the epilogue as the play is as near to contemporary as Shakespeare could get away with at the time. Despite strong production values in this BBC version, this is not one of Shakespeare's better works, dependent more on talky intrigue than action or fun wordplay.
The plot concerns Henry VIII (John Stride) and his divorce from his queen Katharine of Aragorn (Claire Bloom) as well as his courting and marriage to Anne Bullen (Barbara Kellerman). All the while, however, he is dodging the Machiavellian intrigues of the devious Cardinal Wolsey (Timothy West) who ruthlessly uses his influence at the royal court to improve his own standing with the Vatican in Rome, removing anyone who gets in his way...
This production was shot on location in English castles and locations around Middle England and as a result looks fantastic, the period costumes blending in seamlessly with the surroundings.
The play is well-acted throughout with a clutch of fantastic performances including John Stride as the ferociously independent monarch, Claire Bloom as Katharine of Aragorn, as well as Timothy West turning in a complex portrait of the treacherous Cardinal. Julian Glover gets an excellent cameo as the doomed Lord Buckingham, and eagle-eyed viewers will spot a young John Rhys Davies ("Lord of the Rings" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark") as a messenger who consoles a stricken Katharine of Aragorn.
By the end of the play, Elizabeth I (the reigning English monarch for most of Shakespeare's life) is born to a joyful Henry and the closing scene with the King, his daughter and his proud courtiers brings things to a grand conclusion.
Overlong and uninspired, this nevertheless necessary conclusion to the history plays is still a must for Shakespeare buffs, worth comparing to the recent picture "The Other Boleyn Girl", which covers the same period from a very different angle.
The plot concerns Henry VIII (John Stride) and his divorce from his queen Katharine of Aragorn (Claire Bloom) as well as his courting and marriage to Anne Bullen (Barbara Kellerman). All the while, however, he is dodging the Machiavellian intrigues of the devious Cardinal Wolsey (Timothy West) who ruthlessly uses his influence at the royal court to improve his own standing with the Vatican in Rome, removing anyone who gets in his way...
This production was shot on location in English castles and locations around Middle England and as a result looks fantastic, the period costumes blending in seamlessly with the surroundings.
The play is well-acted throughout with a clutch of fantastic performances including John Stride as the ferociously independent monarch, Claire Bloom as Katharine of Aragorn, as well as Timothy West turning in a complex portrait of the treacherous Cardinal. Julian Glover gets an excellent cameo as the doomed Lord Buckingham, and eagle-eyed viewers will spot a young John Rhys Davies ("Lord of the Rings" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark") as a messenger who consoles a stricken Katharine of Aragorn.
By the end of the play, Elizabeth I (the reigning English monarch for most of Shakespeare's life) is born to a joyful Henry and the closing scene with the King, his daughter and his proud courtiers brings things to a grand conclusion.
Overlong and uninspired, this nevertheless necessary conclusion to the history plays is still a must for Shakespeare buffs, worth comparing to the recent picture "The Other Boleyn Girl", which covers the same period from a very different angle.