I am not big on these type of movies, but I have to say this one moved me.

After watching for a couple of weeks, at the rate of one episode per night, Michael Hirst's TV series «The Tudors" The Tudors - The Complete First SeasonThe Tudors - Season 2, I was appalled by the bad acting, the awful dialogue and the general lack of artistry of this movie. Only the lighting of some interiors, deftly imitated from Vermeer, and a few pretty --yet trite-- open air scenes earns it a second star with me. Otherwise, it can serve only as a foil against which one can better appreciate Hirst's apt and often incisive dialogue, as well as the incredibly lively and attractive acting of Rhys Meyer and Dorman as Henry and Ann (not to mention the splendid performances of the actors who impersonate Wolsey, Thomas More, Catherine of Aragon, the Earl of Wiltshire, and almost every other significant character). Historical accuracy might not stand high in the minds of the authors of either production, but where the soap opera succeeds in providing a quite impressive view of power struggles in 16th century England (and Europe), the present movie does not make it even as a sordid sex story.

I recently watched this movie, and I have mixed feeling about it. While it is true that historical accuracy is stretched and the dialogue isn't exactly period, I enjoyed the performance given by the actors chosen for the role, and much of the movie on its own account. However, the movie generally is choppy, not unlike a Reader's Digest version of something longer...I am left with the notion that this DVD is actually meant for Prime Time Television, edited for time allotted between commercials, and so left me feeling cheated. I wonder if Justin Chadwick (the Director) just lost interest in the project. SO, not a movie to buy, but not too bad a rental for a rainy day.