Film Review: Black Death

This morning saw the film Black Death staring Sean Bean (last seen in Game of Thrones), Eddie Redmayne (Jack in Pillars of the Earth), and Carice Van Houten. Set in the 1300's during the first outbreak of the bubonic plague in England, Redmayne is Osmund, a young monk who, with a small group of men lead by tough guy Ulrich (Bean), set out to find a village of people who have somehow managed to survive & not gotten the deadly sickness. Not only that, but people who have managed to make their way into the village and "died" somehow come back to life. After a few obstacles, the group make it to the village, and while at first everything seems fine, the men soon learn that it's everything but. A nice turn of events here reminded me of the 1970's cult classic The Wicker Man, albeit set in the medieval times with the sword fights, blood and guts that go along with the era. That aspect also reminds me of one of the last films I reviewed, Ironclad, and would make a good double feature with that movie. Like Ironclad, this film is not for the squeamish, but if you stick through it, you'll be rewarded. Decent acting, good visuals, and a strong storyline make this film and I recommend it for fans of the medieval era. 3 1/2 out of 5 🙂

The Tudors by G.J. Meyer

In 1485, young Henry Tudor, whose claim to the throne was so weak as to be almost laughable, crossed the English Channel from France at the head of a ragtag little army and took the crown from the family that had ruled England for almost four hundred years. Half a century later his son, Henry VIII, desperate to rid himself of his first wife in order to marry a second, launched a reign of terror aimed at taking powers no previous monarch had even dreamed of possessing. In the process he plunged his kingdom into generations of division and disorder, creating a legacy of blood and betrayal that would blight the lives of his children and the destiny of his country.
The boy king Edward VI, a fervent believer in reforming the English church, died before bringing to fruition his dream of a second English Reformation. Mary I, the disgraced daughter of Catherine of Aragon, tried and failed to reestablish the Catholic Church and produce an heir. And finally came Elizabeth I, who devoted her life to creating an image of herself as Gloriana the Virgin Queen but, behind that mask, sacrificed all chance of personal happiness in order to survive. 
The Tudors weaves together all the sinners and saints, the tragedies and triumphs, the high dreams and dark crimes, that reveal the Tudor era to be, in its enthralling, notorious truth, as momentous and as fascinating as the fictions audiences have come to love.

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Tauted as "the complete story of England's most notorious dynasty," this non-fiction book doesn't quite deliver, but only just. I wish more of Henry VII's reign would've been covered, but the rest of this thick read (the last listed page number is 623) is quite good. It not only goes in decent depth through the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizzabeth I, but also goes on asides through such topics as "The Old Church," "Schooling and the Schools" and one I found quite interesting, "Torture" among other things. What I also like about this book is that it's easy enough to read while not being over simple. Like all biographies, there's an insert of color photos as well. While I don't tend to favor biographies, this is one I find enjoyable and informative...not easy to do with biographie, especially on a subject that's been done to death like the Tudors. But then again, I'm one of those that never grows tired of seeing them presented in fresh, new ways. Anyway, if this happens to be your first time reading about the Tudors, or like me, an old fan, this is deffinately worth a read. Just be sure you have the time to finish it! 3 1/2 out of 5 🙂

Make Merry In Step and Song by Bronwen Forbes

The rest of the title is "A Seasonal Treasury of Music, Mummer's Plays & Celebrations in the English Folk Tradition" and that's exactly what this book is...four chapters of fun songs, dances and plays done by season and one on songs that are magical but not seasonal. About that, I will have to warn that this book was written by a pagan author so some of that is reflected in it. Don't let that keep you from reading this if you're not though...the bits in here that deal with that can easily be phased out if necessary and is not overwhelming. And if you are pagan, even more reason to read it (on that note, I also encourage you to read Bronwen's other book Small Town Pagan...it's awesome and makes me more sad she passed away and we'll never get another book by her)! All the songs, dances and plays, being rooted in the as before mentioned folk traditions, make excellent additions to Medieval/Renaissance Faires or themed events and I heartily recommend you do so if possible. The book is an easy read and the instructions are clear and done step by step. The chapters start with a bit of backround on the things presented and a short atmosphere setting tale. This is deffinately one to read to keep you in the faire spirit the whole year 'round! 4 out of 5 stars :-)

TV Review: The Tudors

From the spring of 2007 until the spring of last year, Showtime aired this series about Henry VIII (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers), his six wives, and his court. I own all four seasons on DVD, and still love watching it every now and then: the acting is decent, the costuming is lovely at times, and the end of season two was great. It is, of course, a bit trumped up for Holywood though, and there were some glaring errors: Henry's sister Margaret marrying the old king of Portugal for example; in reality, it was his sister Mary who married the old king of France. Margaret actually married the king of Scots. Not to mention the fact she smothers him to death to get out of being married to him. I also wasn't sure what to make of how Henry's being visited by the ghosts of his first three wives near the end of his life was done. Then there's the fact they killed Henry Fitzroy off at around 5 or 6 when in reality he lived to be 16 or 17. I also have a bit of beef with them having Meyers play Henry...while a fine actor and he played the part well, Meyers looks absolutely nothing at all like him. Surely out of all the British actors out there, they couldn't find one that at least somewhat fit both in looks and ability to play Henry well? Come on now. Nonetheless, the series is well worth watching for any fan of the Tudors and those that don't mind their history a bit like a soap opera, and I recommend it at least for the fun value of it. 3 out of 5 stars 🙂