William Robison

In World War II the Allies and Axis deployed propaganda in myriad forms, among which cinema was especially important in arousing patriotism and boosting morale. Britain and Germany made propaganda films from Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 to the war’s end in 1945, most commonly documentaries, historical films, and after 1939, fictional films about the ongoing conflict. Curiously, the historical films included several about fifteenth and sixteenth century England. In The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), director Alexander Korda—an admirer of Winston Churchill and opponent of appeasement—emphasizes the need for a strong navy to defend Tudor England against the ‘German’ Charles V. The same theme appears with Philip II of Spain as an analog for Hitler in Arthur B. Wood’s Drake of England (1935), William Howard’s Fire Over England (1937), parts of which reappear in the propaganda film The Lion Has Wings (1939), and the pro-British American film The Sea Hawk (1940). Meanwhile, two Germa...

Henry VIII is both the main character and the central problem of The Tudors.1 While creator/writer Michael Hirst’s selection of Jonathan Rhys Meyers to portray Henry may appeal to a young audience, it is awkward otherwise. Meyers looks nothing like Henry. His spare physique inhibits discerning viewers from suspending disbelief and leads to unintentional comedy, notably when wrestles with Francis I (Emmanuel Leconte), who is a full head taller. In early episodes Meyers’ youth is an advantage; however, he never ages significantly save for a sparse beard and an unconvincing grayish tint to his hair, and he remains thin, unlike the morbidly obese older Henry, because he refused to wear a fat suit. As for acting, his only concessions to the king’s advancing years are an occasional limp and his inexplicable adoption in Season Four of a choked Scots accent. Meyers is not a bad actor, but he is miscast, Henry mischaracterized, and the history of his reign often misrepresented. Nor does Meyers compare favorably with stronger cast members, notably Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon, Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn, Sam Neill as Wolsey, and Jeremy Northam as More, all gone by the end of Season Two. Without the dramatic tension between Catherine and Anne and with an overall weaker cast and script, Seasons Three and Four are less engaging, and this affects Meyers’ Henry. Overall, his portrayal is a significant departure from traditional representations, yet The Tudors is so popular that Meyers’ hip but diminutive monarch could become the new popular image of Henry.2

Though much has been written about Wyatt's rebellion, it remains controversial. There is, first of all, lively debate about the rebels' motives in rising against Mary Tudor in January and February 1554. It is generally agreed that some rebels wished only to force changes in royal policy, while others sought to replace the queen with her sister Elizabeth and Edward Courtenay, the earl of Devon. But, while D. M. Loades and his adherents contend that the rising was caused almost entirely by opposition to Mary's proposed marriage to Prince Philip of Spain, others argue – to varying degrees – that religion was significant and that many rebels were protestants seeking to thwart a catholic restoration.