Search - National Geographic - The Madness of Henry the VIII on DVD

Not That Bad...Pretty Accurate

E. Willaims | NC | 08/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was a real-world representation of his monarchy. It concentrates on how the king started out as an excellent statesman and devout Catholic, but how his philandering and desire for a male heir (along with snubbing the church) led to his downfall. So what if the lady used the B- word? Get over it! This is the 21st century, and she was right. As for the reference to the fact that all of the people were interviewed were Americans again I say so what? I happen to think that some aspects of European histroy much more interesting that American history. Is the reviewer attempting to imply that Americans are not qualified to comment on British history?



Like I said, the story was pretty accurate, I have read many books on the subject. The tension between Boleyn and Wolsey was depicted very well. The only problem I have is the fact that they spent so much time on Katherine and how Henry was scheming to get rid of her that even the conflict with Ann (by far the most exciting) took a back seat, and his last four wives were crammed into about 30 minutes. Either the part with Katherine should have been shorter or the documentary should have been longer.



Just one American's opinion,



EW"

Wonderful movie

Mommie Dearest | USA | 12/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a brilliant piece of documented work. The costumes and backgrounds were stunning. I've seen different movies depicting Henry, and (WHAT I've read) they never depict the real King that he was. Most movie versions of his life depict him as a a type of lovavle bulldog. As if he was nothing more then a grumpy uncle. That depiction resembles a half truth about Henry the 8th. In real life he was ruthless, a bully, and by the end of his life insane with power. This is a wonderful dvd. I don't know why it matters who was interviewed, like other reviewers have rambled on about. Whether from England or USA, both sides have had to pick a book up to learn their, and other nation's history. Who cares!

Personally, I've watched this dvd several times. This tops my favs. along with the History Channel's "The French Revolution" (both French and American historians were interviewed...hope no one finds out ;) )"

The negative reviewers dont know what they are talking about

Christopher Green | 06/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I read the negative views on this doc, and they do not know what they are talking about. I am a grad student in social psychology and I happened to run into this doc on NGC looking for something to watch. I was glued to the set after 5 minutes after seeing the special effects and how the narrator's voice was excellent. A lot of dramtic re-enactments, but they are so well done and entertaining. I used to hate history and most of all the history documentaries (since they had boring voices and turned into sleep aids in class), but the Icons of power series which includes this DVD has gave me an interest in history now and I enjoy going on the internet and learning more about Henry 8 and the tudor dynasty. This DVD might confuse OLD fashioned "BORING" speaking history buffs, but I think NGC made this to tailor interest to young viewers to keep it from being boring and they did their job perfectly!!!!!! Be happy that for once in a long long time that younger people are interested in 14th century history with the help of NEW AGE history documentaries!!!"

Not the best informative documentary

Justine Kelly | Massachusetts | 08/05/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I was excited to watch this DVD due to the good reviews, but was quite disappointed. I should start by saying that I didn't make it past Anne Boleyn because I found it so dreadful, but here is my review of the first half.



The reviewer before me who said this documentary is "flashy" was spot on. The producers seemed to be too concerned with making it over-dramatic than informative. But I think what was worst about the documentary is that there were no well-known, respected TUDOR historians doing the commentary (not even the prominent American Tudor historian, Retha Warnicke). I don't count someone who wrote a book called "Sex with Kings" as an authority on the subject. I could maybe overlook this if these so-called "historians" even got the facts right. I think I turned it off shortly after two of them talked about the fact that Henry made Wolsey break up Anne Boleyn's engagement to "her true love" Henry Percy because Henry VIII wanted Anne for himself. They fail to mention the fact that this engagement was made in secret between Anne and Percy, much to the embarrassment of their families--rather, these "historians" act as if this was a planned betrothal. They also fail to mention that the reason the marriage was broken off was because Percy was already promised to Mary Talbot, and Anne was not highly ranked enough to marry a future Earl. I can only assume that the "historians" made this mistake because it dramatized the story even more.



To sum up, the documentary is inaccurate and over-dramatic."