I absolutely loved JRM as Henry. They were doing something different and not the usual fat repulsive pig people think of as Henry or the typical red haired Stephen Waddington or even Damian Lewis in Wolf's Hall. They actually did add red to his hair..he wasn't a ginger, but he was auburn and you could see the red tint in certain episodes. They needed a Henry with sex appeal and sex scenes against someone like Natalie Dormer as Anne.
He was supposed to be at his peak of youth, health, virility, and power as the series starts. They didn't really age up anyone until towards the end. He certainly got Henry's personality. They did something that hadn't been done a million times before and that's why people loved it.
Richard Burton was not a red-headed Henry in "Anne of the Thousand Days" (and was sexy as hell)
Eric Bana was sexy as hell as Henry in "The Other Boleyn Girl" and didn't look a thing like Henry.
The show wasn't a documentary or historically correct. It was a sexed up series based on history. The clothes and jewelry were not authentic to the period.
If you want something further to the truth and you haven't seen it, then try the BBC series from the 1970s "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" with Keith Michell. That is the show that is the closest to history and absolutely brilliant.
I once gave a link to this before, but Amazon has a boxed set of the "BBC's Tudor Collection" which includes the mini-series "Shadow of the Tower" (based on Henry VIII's parents Henry VII and Elizabeth of York)/ The Six Wives of Henry VIII with Keith Michell/and Elizabeth R with Glenda Jackson.
Remember us, for we too have lived, loved and laughed
reply
share