The Tudors
March 29, 2008
Call me a Johnny-come-lately, or least a woman who just recently discovered Verizon FIOS’s movie package, but I watched the entire first season of Showtime’s The Tudors this past week. Now normally I watch television with tepid enthusiasm while folding laundry or to see what the talking heads are saying about the most recent political misstep (which seems to be quite often this election cycle). I was sucked into this often factually erroneous series due in part to eye candy like Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Henry Cavill, but due in even greater part to the sumptuous fabrics, gorgeous lighting and rich jewel tones.
I suppose I have more than a middling knowledge of Tudor history as I had already read Antonia Frasier’s entertaining biography The Wives of Henry VIII and Philippa Gregory’s mildly entertaining historical novel The Other Boleyn Girl (the movie adaptation featuring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johanssen and Eric Bana in theaters now). I managed to pay little mind to the historical inaccuracies in the spirit of a good old-fashioned story, Hollywood-style. My suspension of disbelief was more than willing.
Season 2 of The Tudors begins tomorrow at 9 pm, in direct competition to the other period drama, HBO’s John Adams. Hmmm … Jonathan Rhys Meyers in tights or Paul Giamatti in a wig. Tough call. (Actually, it truly is a difficult decision – John Adams is by far better-written and better-acted. Thank goodness for On Demand.)
If costume dramas make you weak in the knees, this Tudor and Elizabethan costume album is a must see, complete with commentaries on the often anachronistic costumes in The Tudors. Needless to say, clothing and textiles of any era has always been a passion of mine. In a send up to overachieving stay-at-home moms everywhere, I researched and sewed these Halloween costumes several years ago (who knew I was such a trendsetter!) Hopefully, my son will manage to reach adulthood with his psyche unscathed by a mother who forced him to wear tights one Halloween.
Hans Holbein’s portrait of a young Edward VI, son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.
