CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

it Like Beckham) portrays the British
king as a young and virile ruler with
washboard abs. Meyers’ Henry is
intelligent, voracious, aggressive, and
yet sympathetic and endearing, all
while being incredibly sexy. Sam Neil
(Jurassic Park) is perfect as the devilish
Cardinal Wolsey, sly and self-serving one
moment, weak and powerless the next.
Maria Doyle Kennedy (Queer as Folk) is
the beloved and sympathetic Catherine
of Aragon, and plays the tortured queen
with a dignified grace. Natalie Dormer
(Casanova) plays the seductive Anne
Boleyn, creating the character almost
entirely through a crooked pout and

narrowed eyes. She manages to humanize
Boleyn—arguably the most influential
woman in British history—through
playful interactions with her brother and
by acting as a complacent pawn in her
father’s social-climbing schemes.

The show will easily have you on
the edge of your seat for all 10 hours.
Shown in wide-screen, letterbox format,
it’s easy to get lost and forget that The
Tudors is a TV show. The movie-quality
production enhances the feeling of being
transported into this world of royal
scandal and rich drama, and the process
of making the series is well documented
in the DVD’s bonus features.

The box set includes all 10
episodes of Season One, uncut, as well
as deleted scenes; a hilarious bloopers
reel; interviews with the cast and crew;
and bonus promotional material. For
history enthusiasts, there is a 20-minute
tour of Tudor historical sites that shows
viewers where fact becomes fiction. The
production design video highlights the
sets and locations where the series was
filmed, and the costume design portion
lets you see just what goes into making
the characters look authentic.

The bloopers alone sell this box
set—that, and Henry Cavill’s (as Charles
Brandon) bare bum in the first episode.

March 17, 2008

The free episodes of Showtime’s other
popular shows, This American Life,
Californication, and Penn & Teller’s
Bullshit! are fabulous bonuses. The
DVD-ROM also includes two streaming
episodes of the highly acclaimed series
Dexter.

The Tudors takes a familiar story
and makes it fresh again with Meyers’
seemingly effortless portrayal of the lust-
driven, ambitious king. The show is rich
in detail and drama, and the intelligent
writing allows even the most stubborn
historical purist to sit back and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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17