The Tudors: Complete First Season (Bilingual Widescreen Uncut Edition)

Either you love "The Tudors" or you hate it. I have never met anyone who simply "liked" it, so I won't waste time talking about the show itself. Instead, I will address the subject of the Canadian DVD set release, which is superior to the US release when it comes to extras, but does cost a bit more as a result. This set includes:

+ All ten uncut episodes (the CBC trimmed them for content when they aired)
+ Deleted scenes
+ Blooper Reel
+ Cast & Crew Interviews
+ Promotional Material

The episodes are lovely. Nothing much to comment on there, apart from the fact that you can now enjoy the "porn lite" of the original show if that's your thing.

The Deleted Scenes include about fifteen minutes of moments trimmed for time or interest. They break down into the following segments (all included in a jumble together):

+ A missing scene from the opening segment, in which Henry's uncle the ambassador to Italy waits around in the court before being told he has been granted a private audience (and goes off to his death)

+ Thomas Tallis coming to court -- nothing much to see here. I'm bored just writing about it.

+ Buckingham at desperate prayer before his execution, before the guards come and drag him away.

+ The painter crafting his portrait of Katharine of Aragon and Henry Tudor, in which he experiences a vision of Anne Boleyn coming to stand between them. I'm not surprised this was taken out, as it was a little too surreal for the series, and including it would have been, in a word, absurd.

+ Margaret and Brandon on the ship together, presumably either on their way to France, or returning from it. Margaret is half hopeful that they will founder on the rocks.

+ Henry writing a desperate letter to Anne Boleyn wondering why she is ignoring him.

+ Thomas Tallis in a random conversation with a musician at court. I never have understood why he was included, so it's not surprising they cut this scene because it had no bearing on the plot.

+ Thomas More having a sketch done for his painting. This is the scene that should have remained in the show, because it has a lot of smaller plot points and characterization needed in order to make later events more understandable. The painter's family is starving, and he asks Thomas More a moralistic question of whether or not he should agree to paint the Boleyns for profit, because he believes the Boleyn family is responsible for the Lutheran "propaganda" being circulated at court. Thomas tells him that if he and his family have need of the money that painting would provide, he should paint them.

+ Another scene with Thomas Tallis and the dark-haired girl he wanted to marry, in bed together. He's arguing about why they cannot get married, and she says her sister's ghost would not allow it. (... yeah.)

+ Anne berates Cardinal Wolsey's reputation before Henry, and encourages him not to trust the cardinal because he must have his own agenda. This scene too should have been left in the series, because it explains why the following morning Henry leaves Wolsey without so much as a farewell.

+ A frosty dinner sequence between Norfolk and Wolsey, in which we get the feeling they have finally become sworn enemies.

+ Brandon proposes to Elizabeth, his ward, without much pomp or ceremony and it's clear from the look on her face that the marriage is far from her idea.

+ Thomas Tallis buries the second sister, with a lock of his hair, and sees both their ghosts. The conclusion to what was a ridiculous minor plot, but all the same, needed in order to "end" that storyline.

The Blooper Reel is HYSTERICAL... all for one thing. On some editions of this set, the sound is so off that it gets out of sync and makes the entire second half of the reel unwatchable. I happened to get one of these defective sets, which does not make for a happy customer.

I have not yet watched the cast and crew interviews, but I'm assuming they are the same ones showcased on the official Tudors website. The promotional trailers are three -- one longish general trailer, and two slightly shorter trailers with (surprise!) footage that never made it into the show, and makes one wonder where the REST of the deleted scenes are (like Anne meeting her father on his return from court on the front steps, or Henry standing atop a table shouting in the midst of a feast). They did not include some of the fantastic promo shots that I love most, however, so overall this set gets 4 stars. I took one off for the massive blunder concerning the bloopers.

Cette série est une magnifique évocation de l'Angleterre du roi Henry VIII, malgré quelques libertés prises avec l'histoire (le personnage de Margaret, la soeur d'Henry, correspond plutôt à Mary qui a épousé le roi de France et non le roi du Portugal, Marguerite de Navarre n'a jamais couché avec Henry VIII...).

Je trouve que la distribution est particulièrement bien réussie. Je pense en particulier aux actrices qui interprètent Catherine d'Aragon et Anne Boleyn.

Les décors sont magnifiques et les costumes superbes. La série est très audacieuse et c'est ce qui en fait sa grande force. Les principaux personnages sont très bien campés et on a très bien cerné leur personnalité complexe.

Une très belle réussite

This series takes a look at WHY Henry the VIII married Anne Boleyn, and the events leading up to Englands original break with the Catholic Church. While some people believe that Jonathan Rhys Meyers was a miscast in the title role mainly due to the lack of physical resemblance (he's a bit lanky compared to what historians suggest the real Henry to have been...robust and "built") however I believe that his acting abilities outweigh any physical discrepencies that might be present. Obviously the events that take place during the show occured over several years instead of what seems like a short period of time, and there's no difference in the physical appearance of Anne in the show, despite the historical proof that towards the end of their courtship, Anne was getting quite on in years (for the time period of course)and her peers at court, who obviously were her enemies, would come to describe her as a "crone".

All in all however, this is a nice delightful period soap opera/drama that is quite enjoyable to watch! Similar to "The Other Boleyn Girl" in paperback, "The Tudors" represent the time period well and the costumes are amazing!