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Excellent adaptation IMO but let down by a 'modern' Anne Boleyn, which showed Helena's 'limitations'
Ray was tops, and made it riviting viewing, but I was disappointed with some of the other names in limited roles. Sean Bean gets his turn next week, so set yer VCR's.
I KNOW it was 'sexed up' to make it more appealing for todays generation, but given the choice of a costume drama of 'Martin Chuzzlwitt' or 'Henry VIII', I know what I would pick.

Incidently, read Ray is playing BOTH Krays in a new adaptation, so it should eclipse the shite the Kemp boys turned out.

>I KNOW it was 'sexed up' to make it more appealing for todays generation

I suppose the story does need sexing up.

I suppose marrying six wives (including your brothers), beheading some of
them, having numerous affairs and children out of wedlock, an argument
with the pope, breaking away from the catholic church, destroying all the
monastries and moving into Hampton court does need sexing up !

It would not be out of place in the News of the World.

Guilbert

He he!!!

Mart

hi ace,thought the kemps done a good job myself in fact that film was full of good acting i mean tom bell as jack the hat, stephen berkoff as cornell,saw a pic of the real one he looked just like him too.i also read there s gonna be a film made about the richardson gang too.

sorry to say Ace, I happened to think Winstone was miscast as Henry VIII, not sure the way that Henry actually spoke in em days, but it definately was not with such a ham-fisted accent as Cockney Rays, we will be having Julian Clary playing Miss Marple at this fucking rate!!

Yep I too thought that Ray lapsed into a S.London accent a bit at times.

Thought they all went around saying things like 'My Lord' 'Master' 'Ye' in them days!

I thought David Sauchet gave the best performance as Wolsey.....may be cos he is a bit more of a classical actor. Joss Ackland & Charles Dance weren't in it long enough to judge their parts.

Have to see how Sean Bean shapes up in it next week.

B-C was great, but Winstone woefully miscast as a Kray (athough he's a damned good actor)...in their attempt to 'sex up' the story (why? isn't it racy enough already?) they missed the point that Henry was extremely intelligent (although completely amoral) and better-educated than his court- he was an accomplished linguist and musician.
So why he talked like a barrow-boy when they all had cut-glass accents.............

It is said that Henry VIII wrote 'Greensleeves'.

It is.
But it's unlikely.

Not a particular fan of Winston (although he was admittedly excellent as the 'daddy' in The War Zone) and one does suspect a Luvvie Darling lurking beneath. But this was pretty good, and impressively daring in its titular casting. Far better to have it like this than those stuffy, pompous BBC adaptations that always have one, if not both eyes on flogging it abroad.

Speaking of such, did anyone see Colosseum last night? Faintly pathetic the way certain TV tries to follow examples set by cinema a good few years back - as if they'd waited for the technology to be knocked down in a January sale. I suppose from now on we're going to be cheap, CGI ancient-historied to death in the same manner they did with their digital dinosaurs a while back, and in the same showy, somewhat patronising history lesson fashion as well. Doubtless the Beeb will make a fortune overseas, but is this really what we the home viewers pay our license fee for? It's another Our Friends in the North we want, not this cack.

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"Let's do it..."