I've been watching another of those wonderful BBC mini series from 1972 called The Shadow of the Tower, done two years after the extremely successful the Six Wives of Henry VIII. This one is about his father, Henry VII, the bloke who snatched the crown out of the bushes from Richard III at Bosworth Field. Not as well known and given short shrift here in the States (I've never heard of it before) it is, nevertheless, a drama about an important king and a fairly devious man. Of course, you had to be to become king, especially when your right to the throne is rather dubious and circuitous. (John of Gaunt's eldest son by his mistress Katherine Swynford, John, was eventually legitimized by King Richard II but none of the legitimized children were allowed to inherit the throne of England. John had a granddaughter, Margaret Beaufort, whose son became Henry VII, taking the throne from the last Plantagenet, Richard III. Henry in turn married Elizabeth of York who was also related to John of Gaunt, thus ending the York and Lancaster feud known as the War of the Roses. The Tudor rose encompasses both roses.)
Now, this production is in the old-fashioned BBC vein of costumed people standing around Talking With Importance, but I like it for the special outlook it gives us. We are very rarely given a drama of a monarch between one high profile king like Richard III and Henry VIII. We are bridging the gap here pretty much between the medieval and Renaissance eras. Henry VII was supposed to be a very calculating fellow and really knew how to settle his dynasty once and for all on its throne. And if for nothing else, despite a little scenery chewing, the actor James Maxwell does a smashing job of playing him and looking like him.
Don't know why the picture is in black and white. The production is in colour.
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