Francis Buck Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Damn, I totally forgot about this. I fucking love the books, some of my favorite ever. Will definitely be checking the show out when possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 It'll get a bit more lively, but never "The Tudors" lively. Here's hoping. The Tudors was a dreadful show. Really, really awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjornbert Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 This was brilliant. Stunning visuals and storytelling, but the best thing about the episode was the acting. Rylance was very good, but I thought Jonathan Pryce as Wolsey absolutely dominated the episode. Mark Gatiss was also spectacular and I'd like to see more of him in the next episodes. Having enjoyed the books, my main concern is that it's too much material to cover in only 6 episodes. Originally I thought it was 6 episodes per book and I think it would do the novels justice. When the third book is published, will it also be adapted? I think the story of Cromwell needs an end and I don't think the Anne execution is fit to end the series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 This was brilliant. Stunning visuals and storytelling, but the best thing about the episode was the acting. Rylance was very good, but I thought Jonathan Pryce as Wolsey absolutely dominated the episode. Mark Gatiss was also spectacular and I'd like to see more of him in the next episodes. Having enjoyed the books, my main concern is that it's too much material to cover in only 6 episodes. Originally I thought it was 6 episodes per book and I think it would do the novels justice. Yes, obviously this is going to be extremely truncated. They do specifically mention that it is based on books 1 and 2, and 6 episodes for that means that you basically just have to look at how much you like the tv series itself, and take your enjoyment from that, rather than a representation of two large books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hos the Hostage Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Was I the only one who hated the BGM? I found it disturbing, mild and overdramatic at all the wrong places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjornbert Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Yes, obviously this is going to be extremely truncated. They do specifically mention that it is based on books 1 and 2, and 6 episodes for that means that you basically just have to look at how much you like the tv series itself, and take your enjoyment from that, rather than a representation of two large books.I thought the first episode did a good job of covering things and nothing seemed too rushed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog-days Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Was I the only one who hated the BGM? I found it disturbing, mild and overdramatic at all the wrong places. Normally I hate background music, and annoy anyone I'm watching TV with by getting angry and swearing when the sad violins make their inevitable appearance. It didn't bother me too much here. Thought it was a bit OTT during the scenes related to the death of Cromwell's wife and daughters, but apart from that it was okay. I thought the first episode did a good job of covering things and nothing seemed too rushed Yep, it was good. The only problem is, it covered about 10% of the material in the first book, if that. Which means the pace will have to pick up quite dramatically in future episodes. I suppose they needed to give Wolsey a disproportionate amount of screen-time to establish his relationship with TC, which will be important later on. But I think it will be okay. As long as they keep the line, "Oh, by the hairy balls of Jesus!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Just re-watched it since my first glance was cursory, and I really like this so far. Excellent acting. I can tell I am going to like Lewis in this role, and the Cromwell and Wolsey characters were so well done. Costuming is really standing out here for me in what seems like a more realistic manner, toned down from what we saw in the Tudors. I especially like the houses the first episode was set in. It feels very real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight of the Teabags Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Looking forward to the second episode of this tonight. Having read the books the thing that really impressed me was how with a few brief scenes they established Cromwell's wife Liz and his daughters Anne and Grace as fully realized likeable characters so you actually felt some sense of loss when they were all so suddenly taken from us. It is very interesting in the development of the character of Cromwell in the novels is the context that he loses the people who bring out a softer side of the man just before his rise to power, especially as we somewhat get the impression than Liz in particularly is something of a moral compass to him. I am intrigued to see some more of Damien Lewis as Henry, as the book character is the most interesting portrayal of Henry VIII I've encountered yet far. Hillary Mantel's Henry VIII comes across as deep down as a massively insecure individual who is obsessed with convincing himself that his latest course of action is morally right even if it directly contradicts those of his previous ones. He is in short an emotionally weak man in a powerful position the control of whose whims are fought over by his various courtiers be they Wolsey, Cromwell or Anne Bolelyn. You also rather sadly get the impression Henry might have had a chance of becoming a reasonably pleasant person had he not ended up as King of England! The other figure of the Tudor court I am looking forward to how close they to Mantel's take on is Charles Brandon, the Earl of Suffolk and Henry's official best friend. Now in the other Henry VIII series Brandon played by Henry Cavil is arguably the closest thing that series comes to a hero, however Hillary Mantel's Brandon through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell is basically a non-too bright, drunken and womanising buffoon who constantly gets away with things that end up with other people getting the heads on spikes purely through Henry being largely blind to his faults. I was delighted to see that Wolf Hall's Charles Brandon unlike Henry Cavil in The Tudors is sporting a rather ridiculous massive beard just like his portrait, he is also another of Wolf Hall's GoT connections as he is played by a certain Richard Dilane who happens to have a brother called Stephen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog-days Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Nice post, Knight of the Teabags. Got nothing much to say about this episode, except that I enjoyed it, and I'd quite like a spin-off show where Cromwell and Gardiner team up and fight crime. :smoking: :smoking: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Might have to pay the iron price for this, I don't wanna wait till April :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I thought the second episode was better than the first, primarily because it felt a bit more coherent without all the jumps back and forward between different periods. I thought Damien Lewis was good as Henry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjornbert Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I thought the second episode was better than the first, primarily because it felt a bit more coherent without all the jumps back and forward between different periods. I thought Damien Lewis was good as Henry.I actually loved the jumps, but I do agree this episode was better. Henry was convincing, but I'll miss Wolsey :( (knew it would happen, but still) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Will I, when I get to see Wolf Hall, see Lewis's Henry as Henry, instead of the most loathsome Soames of the Forsyte Saga (2002) . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog-days Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Will I, when I get to see Wolf Hall, see Lewis's Henry as Henry, instead of the most loathsome Soames of the Forsyte Saga (2002) . . . . I remember being quite fond of Soames in the books and on TV, despite what he did. But I think that the characters are very distinct. Soames = socially awkward, cautious, financially astute. Henry = not. And Lewis has captured that so far very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight of the Teabags Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Well from seeing the last episode from what I've seen so far Damien Lewis is doing a good job at portraying the Henry that I found so interesting in the books. I particularly liked the scene he had with Thomases'* Cromwell and Cramner which to avoid spoilers I will refer to as the 'Monsters under the bed' scene. The archery scene (which convinces Cromwell that Henry's maternal great-grandfather was despite rumours about an elusive bowman likely Richard of York) was also pretty good in this respect. Other good things we finally meet Cromwell's nice but rather dim boy, Gregory there's a wonderful exchange that comes up between him and his dad at a tourney in Bring up the Bodies. We see more of Anne and her ladies-in-waiting, the actress playing Mary Boleyn, Anne's long-suffering elder sister is brilliantly dry and witty and.. the pale shy-looking lady the camera briefly focused on in the first episode turns out to be a certain Jane Seymour! * There's a line in Wolf Hall that says "...everyone is called Thomas" and there is definitely a truth that it seems to been a very popular name amongst the court of Henry VIII. You have Thomas Cromwell, Sir Thomas More, Thomas (Cardinal) Wolsey, Sir Thomas "Monseigneur' Bolelyn (Anne's dad), Thomas (later Archbishop) Cramner, Sir Thomas Wyatt, Thomas Culpepper, Thomas Talless, etc, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hos the Hostage Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I'm so happy they included Marlinspike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red snow Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 It still feels like I'm hard pressed to say what happens in an episode but it's mesmerizing to watch never-the-less. Damian Lewis is coming into his own now he's been given more screentime and comes across as ever-so-slightly pathetic while at the same time clearly being quite crafty (unless someone else is guiding him). Take his "nightmare" - this makes him one of the more ambiguous interpretations of Henry VIII I've seen. Charlie Brooker's "Newswipe" did a hilarious review of episode one. It's worth checking out although it does make you look at the show slightly different eg they really do seem to spend a lot of time walking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog-days Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Charlie Brooker's "Newswipe" did a hilarious review of episode one. It's worth checking out although it does make you look at the show slightly different eg they really do seem to spend a lot of time walking. Glad you brought that up. I almost laughed my head off at that bit. The clipping to show Mark Rylance either walking very slowly, or standing still looking serious, was a case of funny coz it's true. It's almost like the show has developed its own set of mannerisms to match Bring Up The Bodies "and he, Cromwell" thing. Though I'm actually okay with the slow walking. It's a change from all the busy professionals/spunky groups of vampire/monster hunters advancing down a corridor towards the camera type shots that are about the only nod pedestrians get in modern tv drama. At least it's different enough to be noteworthy. For the curious without iplayer, here's a link. The Wolf Hall bit starts at 13.33 Still wishing they'd gone with a more vigorous interpretation of Cromwell. Rylance holding Marlinspike and apparently drawing on his previous character Johnny Byron (Jerusalem) in his delivery of the line "I am a giant - my name is Marlinspike" was incredibly sweet, but I find myself wishing for a bit more ferocity and energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The BlackBear Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 That play after Wolsey's death was brutal. Been meaning to read the books, I'll do it after the shows done I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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