Product Description

The Tudors presents the rarely dramatized tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII s nearly 40 year omnipotent reign (1509-1547). In addition to his famous female consorts and 20+ year marriage to Catherine of Aragon to the infamous dalliance with Anne Boleyn the series delves in to Henry s most notable political relationship and the deconstruction of the Roman Catholic Church in England.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 097368516045 Manufacturer No: 851604

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
• Released on: 2008-01-01
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 4
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 556 minutes

Amazon.com
The Tudors: The Complete First Season may cover the same subject matter as the 1970 BBC series The Six Wives of Henry VIII, but in every other respect it is a different idea of historical drama. Sexy and violent, The Tudors envisions Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) as a young man of both passion and ambition, driven by boundless sexual energy and the desire to establish a legacy early in his monarchy. When he isn't sleeping with any available beauty--heedless of whose daughter or wife a lover might be--he's getting fired up about going to war with France. He is amenable, however, to alternative ideas, including the counsel of his Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey (Sam Neill), who wants his king to sign a treaty of universal peace with all of Europe. Henry's fiery temperament endangers such a move, but Wolsey persists in hopes of gaining France's support for his own, possible ascendance to the papacy. His ambitions are not to be, however, and his fortunes go downhill as Henry's desire to wed Ann Boleyn (Natalie Dormer) puts Wolsey in the position of petitioning Rome for a hearing on the legitimacy of Henry's marriage to Queen Katherine.

Henry's shrewd alliance with the king of Spain is also testament to his desire to have more influence over European affairs. But his even greater desire for another woman proves an obstacle there, too. Over the course of the ten episodes on The Complete First Season, Henry's confidence grows as a monarch while his self-interest undercuts his better judgement about making a difference to Europe's progress. While the series makes the historical events rich and captivating, it also makes Henry's love life a voyeuristic delight, full of candlelit flesh and romps in the royal bed. Some of the most fascinating characters in the show are those who figure out the link between Henry's libido and his exercise of power--including Boleyn's own father (Nick Dunning), who encourages Ann to keep up the good work. Sheesh. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Tudors Season I
Wonderful price for such an amazing, extravegent show! Every episode was better than the next, in that the drama only intensified. The only downside to the item is the lack of bonus features, but the episodes themselves make up for it.

The Tudors - Complete 1st Season
Glad to add this in my DVD collection. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys the series.

Sex, power, religion, intrigue, fantastic!
I don't watch much television, but The Tudors is wonderful. Hardly any of the characters are good people, but they are complex, well-drawn, and fascinating. The performances are outstanding: especially Sam Neill as Cardinal Wolsey, Jeremy Northram as Thomas More, Natalie Dormer as the sometimes sly, sometimes passionate Ann Boleyn, and Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon. The writing is consistently intelligent, and the sets and costumes are sumptuous. It's a very sexy and exciting series.

I find criticisms of historical accuracy rather beside the point. Writers have always played fast and loose with historical details--I think of Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers, not to mention the historical plays of Shakespeare. I am very well-versed in this period of history, and while not everything here is strictly accurate, I do think the series, besides being fabulous entertainment, would give the casual viewer a better understanding of the manners, the mores, the main events, and the conflicts of that era.