Warning: This post contains some mature themes in it. Although I have tried to discuss them tastefully, there’s no way to take them out of this story – it’s Henry the Eighth, after all.
It is one of the great soap operas in history. When he divorced his first wife, Henry the Eighth also changed England from Catholic to Protestant – the most prominent aspect of the story. But presenter David Starkey had already covered this particular soap opera eight years earlier in 2001. Why, then, did he return to this subject in 2009? I’m sure that his fascination with Henry the Eighth must have been part of it. After all, this topic was the subject of David Starkey’s dissertation, making him a true expert on this area. But there is one other reason, which was that his previous film was called “The Six Wives of Henry VIII.” Thus, it is mainly focused on the wives. Mr. Starkey thus hadn’t gone into as much depth on Henry the Eighth himself. But now, as Mr. Starkey says in this film, he was finally ready to write Henry the Eighth’s biography. And he tells the story with such human interest that it will be likely to appeal to a wide audience.
Henry the Eighth
Episode 1: “Prince (1485-1509)” – his early life before he became king
To some degree, I will endeavor to compare and contrast these two films here. But like the films themselves, I also wish to tell a story here, and make it as interesting as possible for my viewers. Thus, the first episode is entitled “Prince (1485-1509).” It covers Henry’s early life, before he had become the next king of England. This is one subject that “Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant” explores in more depth than “The Six Wives of Henry VIII.” After all, this is the part of Henry’s life before he had ever gotten married, and before his life had become intertwined with that of any wife. His first wife, Catherine of Aragon, had once been married to Henry’s elder brother Arthur, who was then the next in line for the throne. But Arthur died before he could ever become king. Thus, the Spanish-born Catherine of Aragon was later married to Henry instead, within a few months after Henry the Eighth’s becoming king himself. Ironically, Henry then seemed quite keen on marrying the young Catherine. The first episode concludes with Henry becoming king, and getting married for the first time.
Henry the Eighth
Episode 2: “Warrior (1509-1525)” – the early part of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon
The second episode is entitled “Warrior (1509-1525).” It covers the early part of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Thus, both films spend a comparable amount of time on this period. But the focus here is more on Henry during this period, rather than on Catherine. The “Wives” film is also better at covering Catherine’s own early life. By focusing more on Henry, this film also talks more about the politics of this early part of Henry’s reign. For example, they also discuss Henry’s military ambitions for the continent of Europe. They cover such topics as Henry’s complicated relationship with Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. They also cover the Battle of the Spurs, the Battle of Pavia, and the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Time does not permit me to develop these topics here, although interested readers may examine the above links for more information about them. Suffice it to say here that this episode ends when a new factor is introduced – namely, Henry’s relationship with Anne Boleyn.
Catherine of Aragon
Episode 3: “Lover (1526-1536)” – his relationship with Anne Boleyn …
The third episode is entitled “Lover (1526-1536).” This covers the most famous (or infamous) period in Henry’s life – his relationship with Anne Boleyn. This is when this film starts to turn into more of a soap opera, to either your happiness or your discomfort. Both films spend a comparable amount of time on this period, but the “Wives” film is more focused on Anne Boleyn herself, and includes coverage of her early life to boot. By contrast, this film is instead focused more on Henry during this period. Nonetheless, the topics are extremely connected here, and many elements are much the same in both films. Most prominently, Anne Boleyn refused to become one of Henry’s mistresses. She insisted (at least initially) that he must marry her before she would ever go to bed with him. But that was a problem, because Henry was still married to Catherine of Aragon, and the Catholic Church forbade divorce (as it still does). This eventually led to Henry leaving the Catholic Church, and forming his own church instead – the Church of England.
Anne Boleyn
… and England’s resultant conversion from Catholic to Protestant
Henry’s marriage to Catherine was now annulled, on the grounds that it had been “invalid” in the first place. Henry pointed out how Catherine had once been married to his late brother Arthur, and pointed to a verse in Leviticus that seemed to invalidate the marriage on these grounds. (Specifically, Leviticus 18:16.) Anne Boleyn was a Protestant, so she was completely in favor of all of this. The Church of England was thus formed. But ironically, Henry became dissatisfied with Anne Boleyn as well, and later had her executed on grounds of alleged infidelity. It seems unlikely that she was ever actually unfaithful to him, because she was cold and calculating, and knew that this would not be in her interest. But these charges mattered more than the truth, and so Anne was indeed executed in 1536. And that is where this third episode ends.
Henry the Eighth
Episode 4: “Tyrant (1533-1547)” – his last four marriages, covered at breakneck speed
The fourth and final episode is called “Tyrant (1533-1547).” It backs up about three years, and examines some other parts of this period. For example, it covers the politics of Henry’s reign during this period. But the marriages are one area where the “Wives” film gives much better coverage. Specifically, the “Wives” film had one episode covering Henry’s third wife Jane Seymour, as well as his fourth wife Anne of Cleves. It had another episode covering Henry’s fifth wife Catherine Howard, as well as his sixth wife Katherine Parr. By contrast, this entire period is compressed into one episode in “Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant.” Thus, this film goes over his last four marriages with astonishing speed, and does not develop any of the last four wives as characters in this story. Rather, it focuses on other aspects of this period, such as the aforementioned politics of Henry’s reign. There’s a lot to go over here, such as his totalitarian religious and secular policies. Indeed, there’s a reason that this film was called “Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant.” Among other topics, they cover “the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Pilgrimage of Grace, the Device Forts, the foundation of the Royal Navy, the English Reformation, the Great Bible, the Six Articles … and the fate of his tomb effigy (melted down by Oliver Cromwell) and coffin (now containing Horatio Nelson).” (And I have here quoted from the Wikipedia article on this film.) These things all make for interesting television to most history buffs.
Conclusion: Both of David Starkey’s “Henry VIII” films are great, each in different ways
Both of these films are excellent on the storytelling. Both of them have strong soap opera elements, and both of them talk about the politics as well. But “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” has more emphasis on the soap opera elements, while “Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant” has more emphasis on the politics. Even in “The Six Wives of Henry VIII,” one might argue that Henry is the central figure in the series, since it’s the wives’ relationships with him that makes them characters in this story. Thus, even “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” tells you a lot about Henry himself. But “Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant” is even better as a biography of Henry, and as an examination of his reign. So it depends on what you want from each film. True enthusiasts of this topic will probably want to watch both of these films, as I did. To me, each one offers something that the other doesn’t, and works as a human drama. It’s certainly one of the “sexiest” topics of the Renaissance & Reformation era, and attracts much interest for this reason. It works as a soap opera, but it also had massive effects on the politics and religions of Europe. Thus, people will continue to return to this topic, making both of these films timely and relevant for our day. I highly recommend both of them to anyone who is interested in the topic, or in great storytelling. I also recommend David Starkey’s other film about Henry’s daughter Elizabeth (later to become Queen Elizabeth the First), and his larger series “Monarchy” – giving an overview of the monarchy as a whole.
Warnings about this DVD:
The DVD for this program is in a Region 2 format. Therefore, it will not play on most North American DVD players.
But if you’re still interested in getting this, you might consider some other information about this DVD. Even with the cost of shipping across the Atlantic, I actually found it cheaper to order this DVD from Amazon Britain than from Amazon USA. For all I know, this information may have changed by the time that you read this. But you might consider both of the links below, if you’re worried about prices.
If you liked this post, you might also like:
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This list covers Europe through the Renaissance. For Europe since the Renaissance, click here.
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