Henry VIII: Rockstar?

[lareinenoire]

(Apparently I'm spamming today)

I just found out -- literally about five minutes ago -- that Showtime is doing a series based on Henry VIII.

Judging from the previews it could be good, or it could be absolutely utterly horrendous. The goal for the series, it appears, is to portray a younger and more approachable Henry. Which I can certainly understand and find interesting. That being said, the screenwriter is the same man who wrote Elizabeth, which automatically puts me on my guard. Decent enough film, absolutely butchered the history.

And, of course, this being Showtime, lots of violence and general debauchery à la Rome. Not a bad thing, just an observation.

However, the series does have Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Henry), Sam Neill (Wolsey), and Jeremy Northam (Thomas More). Plus an unknown playing Anne Boleyn who actually looks like she can pull it off (though in my mind she will need to compete with Genevieve Bujold in Anne of the Thousand Days, very difficult to do).

Apparently the Tudors are popular these days. Not surprising, given the Philippa Gregory juggernaut. Now, if only someone would wander back a few decades so they could add a chapter to my dissertation...

ETA (14:20): A number of comments on YouTube focus on how much JRM does not look like Henry VIII, as in he doesn't have red hair. I'm actually not bothered by this, since Richard Burton didn't have red hair either and he still did a very good job playing Henry VIII. I suppose it will all depend on the performance.

And is it proof of my fount of useless knowledge that I recognised every single piece of music used in the Showtime trailer?

Comments

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

Not keen. I'm recalling the dreadful ITV 'Enry the Eightff, which starred Ray Winstone (someone suggested that Henry's accent was most likely cockney, a frightful concept the idiot screenwriter took and ran with most 'orribly), a couple of years ago, and was so full of howlers (or 'owlers), I ended up watching with a notepad to get them all.

Sam Neill as Wolsey sounds promising, though, cos Sam is generally good at everything. I don't get JRM at all in that part, I've never got over him as Steerpike, quite honestly, and don't really wish to.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Cockney Henry? That does sound very odd.

I'll admit to curiosity, at least partly of the morbid variety. And both Sam and Jeremy sound very promising to me, especially based on what little we get to see of them in the trailers.

As for JRM, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he does have a very particular style that I don't think really lends itself to historical films. Did you like him as Steerpike, out of curiosity? I rather did, but I didn't get the chance to read the books until after I'd seen the series. There was something about the way he was never still, in contrast to how visually static the other characters were, that appealed to me.

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

I adored him. There was a scene with Fuschia, after he'd been scarred that was unbearable intensity.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Oh God, I remember that scene. The chemistry between him and Fuchsia was just palpable and so so heartbreaking. I actually just rewatched Gormenghast back in December and very nearly cried during that scene.

In fact, I also really enjoyed what they did with Fuchsia. Well, I enjoyed the entire series, period.

And I think he's one of the main reasons I might watch the Tudors series, just because I'm curious as to what he'd do with Henry VIII. It could be very very interesting.