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Scholar, Writer, Mother, Dreamer. Editor of Luminarium, an online library for English Literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Tudors on Showtime: Sex, Power, Intrigue

I must admit, episode 3 of The Tudors did not wow me much — but episode 4 last night was excellent. While the historical inaccuracies reign rampant still, this show makes for fantastic entertainment.

The costumes are to-die-for, the sets put a tear in the eye of any Renaissance enthusiast, and the actors are near flawless. The amount of money and expertise lavished on this show make my head spin! If I'm not mistaken, for episode 4 they even got the Globe musicians in the background of the jousting scene. Jousting, you say? Yes, jousting in Renaissance armor, lances splintering, blood gushing, jousting.

The plot is like a soap opera in tights. Even setting aside the things that, frankly, didn't happen, we have Henry VIII growing more and more obsessed with a vixeny Anne Boleyn; an unforgivably gorgeous Charles Brandon having hot pirate sex with a princess of England on board a Renaissance galleon; poor Cardinal Wolsey being sent to the Pope for a divorce, and last, but certainly not least, Jeremy Northam turning Sir Thomas More into the most laudable man in Europe.

Add to this some gruesome blood-letting, exquisitely choreographed Renaissance dances and unbeatable Renaissance music, and *BOOM* - that's entertainment!
 


I got Showtime just to see this show, and it is SO worth it. *sigh* I'm on a bit of a Tudor high right now!
 

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4 Comments:

Blogger Paul Levinson said...

Good post. If you liked Episode 4, you'll love Episode 5!

You also have good taste in science fiction - I've written a few novels myself.

April 28, 2007 3:27 AM  
Blogger Anniina said...

Thanks Paul - yeah, I just watched Episode 5. Exciting stuff.

I was blown away by your site - I ordered The Plot to Save Socrates :)

~A

April 28, 2007 11:14 PM  
Blogger Paul Levinson said...

Great! :) Let me know how you like it ...

Just getting reading to watch Ep 6, on On-Demand ...

April 30, 2007 12:26 AM  
Blogger Anniina said...

I just watched it too; really excellent, no major historical discrepancies.

April 30, 2007 8:21 AM  

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