"Wolf Hall" (2015) - BBC Two Historical Drama on The Tudors


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This show will air on my local PBS channel at the end of April and I'm so excited! I read the book so I'm curious to see if they did a good job at adapting it for the small screen. From all your reviews it seems like it's a resounding yes!
 
I watched the entire show last week. I liked the fact that it wasn't a bunch of smutty trash glammed up to pander to a certain type of audience like The Tudors was. I refuse to watch shows like that any longer. I have nothing against taking some sort of creative license with history but not to the point that it becomes completely meaningless. Clair Foy did a really good job as Anne Boleyn. Damian Lewis was okay, I wasn't blown away by him. He's not my favourite Henry VIII. Mark Rylance was really good though. His Cromwell is so different from any of the others I've seen in the past, so much more human.
 
I think Cromwell saw his sleeping wife on the staircase when he was leaving the house. I think that should have told him something was wrong. I picked up on that as soon as the scene occurred.
 
I enjoyed this series so much that I bought the dvd boxset over the Easter Holiday weekend!
 
It's about to start in Australia but I've ordered the box set anyway, based on the superb reviews which I've read. And this, too, is one of my 'special periods' so I'm eagerly awaiting it. If it's half as good as the novel then I will find it outstanding, I'm sure: nothing like as slipshod and inaccurate, for example, as The White Queen, which I stopped watching as I found it immensely irritating.
 
An Ard Ri said:
The character of Anne Boleyn was portrayed as a pretty despicable and conniving in this series,Claire Foy did a wonderful job as Anne.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wvd7c_b2pA
Click to expand...

As I watched last night it occurred to me that in our times employers would have a hard time attracting talented people to the court. Henry's rule was dominated by conniving, back stabbing, sycophancy, elitism, etc. Imagine that in a corporate values statement! :ROFLMAO:

I agree that Claire Foy was spectacularly unattractive in the role.
 
I keep hearing that the historical accuracy and depiction of the characters is 'off' so I haven't had much interest in watching it.


LaRae
 
This programme is historically accurate in environment and timeline but it is fiction and is therefore one writers take on history

It is not a documentary.

So please, don't let that type of criticism turn you off.

The first episode is dark (literally) and slow - but hang in there. The series builds as the characters develop (particularly obvious with Henry and Anne, more subtle with Cromwell)

Cannot praise it highly enough. Look on it as fiction and enjoy superb acting and production.
 
I absolutely LOVE Damian Lewis ...and have since I saw him in the Forsythes Saga...he was amazing in his portrayal of Captain Dick Winters (Band of Brothers) and then again as Brody in the series Homeland.

I was very excited to see him in this show...but as I mentioned rather turned off by what I am hearing about the show....so hmmmm maybe I will watch one episode and see how it goes.


LaRae
 
I've been watching it. I don't know the period particularly well so I'm not likely to pick up historical inaccuracies. I am assuming that the main historical points are correct. I'm enjoying the show. I like Damian Lewis very much, and he's excellent in it.

One thing both my husband and I noticed was how the show has a modern feel to it despite being set in Tudor times. It doesn't have a theatrical feel, but is presented like any other good TV drama made in the UK recently. The performances seem real, perhaps even understated, rather than exaggerated and melodramatic like some period dramas can come across, and I think this helps relate to the characters and the story. Does this make sense?
 
I've been enjoying Wolf Hall's broadcast in the U.S. so I thought I would post this Washington Post article that discusses the accuracy of the characterizations of Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell.


I agree with the article in that the characterizations are a bit off. More was more charming and Cromwell was more ruthless. In that time period, you had to be ruthless, especially in Henry's court.


The implication that Cromwell was driven by his loyalty to Wolsey is interesting, but I have never seen any historic evidence to back that up.


The acting is incredible--especially Mark Rylance. I can believe that Cromwell was lonely after his wife's death but it was jarring to see the character flirt with Anne Boleyn--Cromwell wasn't an idiot!


I love the costumes. I also like how the sets get so dark during the nighttime scenes.


All in all, I am enjoying it.


Will the PBS series ‘Wolf Hall’ tarnish St. Thomas More’s halo? - The Washington Post
 
i've enjoyed watching the show very much. I do hope they make a miniseries of the author's other book about Cromwell"Bringing up the bodies".I think if Cromwell felt any loyalty to cardnial Wolsey, its because he too came from humble beginings like Cromwell, yet rose far above his station to be a real powerhouse mover and shaker.
 
The miniseries actually covers both books Wolf Hall and Bringing Up the Bodies.


Sent from my iPhone using The Royals Community
 
Oh thanks,didn't know that. I thought it just covered the first book.And the second book took you to the point where Thomas Cromwell gets invovled in the whole Anne of Cleves disaster.
 
I'm not blind to Anne's faults and I know that this is through Cromwell's eyes but I don't think I can watch this series. First I don't like to watch Anne's downfall and second I don't like hatchet jobs on Anne. I saw some clips of Claire and she appears to do her part well; she has more substance to her bad attitude than Natalie Portman in TOBG.
 
I am a few years late to this but a friend convinced me to see this miniseries and given that it won a golden globe and baftas, I thought I'd give it a go.
I was put off by 'another show on the Tudors' and on so many actors that you know from other prominent shows - Homeland, Game of Thrones, The Crown and I was worried not to get those other characters out of my head.
But I loved it - very intriguing and great actors, Mark Rylance is such a great actor with minimal gestures. Worth watching and as in my case, better late than never!
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
I am a few years late to this but a friend convinced me to see this miniseries and given that it won a golden globe and baftas, I thought I'd give it a go.
I was put off by 'another show on the Tudors' and on so many actors that you know from other prominent shows - Homeland, Game of Thrones, The Crown and I was worried not to get those other characters out of my head.
But I loved it - very intriguing and great actors, Mark Rylance is such a great actor with minimal gestures. Worth watching and as in my case, better late than never!
Click to expand...


I saw it a while ago and didn't like it so much.



There have been lots of series and movies about the 16th century lately, not least because it was a century full of very interesting characters (in England, Scotland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, etc.) who make for a good story to be told. But quality has been uneven and range from completely fictional accounts to plain boring to watch.
 
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Duke of Marmalade said:
I am a few years late to this but a friend convinced me to see this miniseries and given that it won a golden globe and baftas, I thought I'd give it a go.
I was put off by 'another show on the Tudors' and on so many actors that you know from other prominent shows - Homeland, Game of Thrones, The Crown and I was worried not to get those other characters out of my head.
But I loved it - very intriguing and great actors, Mark Rylance is such a great actor with minimal gestures. Worth watching and as in my case, better late than never!
Click to expand...

Glad you enjoyed and indeed Mark Rylance was superb as Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn,brilliant series.
 
US Royal Watcher said:
I
I agree with the article in that the characterizations are a bit off. More was more charming and Cromwell was more ruthless. In that time period, you had to be ruthless, especially in Henry's court.
Click to expand...


The series is an adaptation of Hilary Mantel's book, and in her interviews, I have noted that Mantel often refers to the Catholic Church in less than enthusiastic terms (to put it mildly). She has a perspective, and it is hard to determine how much is historical and how much is the novelist's vision. The book is a novel, and the series is based on the book, so the best way to watch it is as one person's interpretation and fictionalization of history. I enjoyed both the books and the series, but the series isn't a documentary.
 
I loved the TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall' and 'Bring Up The Bodies'. If you'd like to hear what Hilary has to say about adaptations, you can hear her talk about it in one of her Reith Lectures here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08x9947
The other Reith Lectures she recorded about her writing are also up there but I don't know how available they are to overseas listeners. If you can gain access to these lectures, I can't recommend them enough. I've listened to all of them at least 3 times each since they were recorded as I find them fascinating.
 
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