The Wives of Henry VIII (2001)
Review by Thespia
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Steven Clarke, Mary Cranitch, Louise Wardle, Nicholas White
Hosted by Dr. David Starkey

Features:

• Four episodes
  
• History of the British Throne: timeline and biography of Henry VIII
  

Anamorphic: No.

My Advice: Rent it.

Queen...lover...mother…outcast…victim…survivor. In the late sixteenth century, King Henry VIII went through a total of six wives in his attempt to secure the Tudor succession. Along the way, the king went so far as to create a rift with the Vatican in order to be able to dispose of wives at will. And the women involved played a chess match like no other, with the promise of sons just waiting to be conceived--and time was always marching on, biting at their heels.

In this documentary, the stories of those women are told though a combination of historical reenactments (many done "on location" as it were) and the colorful narration of Dr. David Starkey. For a Tudor addict like myself, this is a very interesting title for content alone. But for those who just enjoy watching a historical documentary every now and then, it provides a wonderful sense of drama that is seldom present in most. Some parts are more like watching clips from a film, with convincing acting and nice details (such as Catherine of Aragon having audible conversations in Spanish).

There are also a couple of worthy features. Not only do you have is a biography of Henry VIII, but you also get a complete list of all English monarchs and their families from the Anglo Saxons (757 AD) up to the present. Some names even have a link to their own (brief) biographies. This is a particularly nice feature for anyone (like me) who gets confused about royal families and how everybody relates to each other. If you really wanted to get crazy, you could have had everybody with their own link and bio--but hey, I'm a completist, what can I say? Regardless, this is a nifty historical bonus.

This is an interesting documentary and one well worth watching. If you're into Tudors, this is worth buying, and if you're a teacher trying to present this information to a class of bored high schoolers who are used to more cinematic presentations of history--then this is definitely worthwhile. Otherwise, it would be a nice one to rent for anyone interested in a story full of history, seduction, intrigue, and murder.