Post by Elly on Jan 5, 2006 2:13:16 GMT 10
Watched this BBC drama series recently taken from Phillipa Gregory`s book, it sticks pretty closely to the book and is an excellent show.
A tale of sex and royal intrigue revealing the little-known story of Mary Boleyn, who was mistress to King Henry VIII before he married her sister, Anne.
Starring Jodhi May, Natascha McElhone, Jared Harris and Steven Mackintosh, the film tells how the happily married Mary (McElhone) is forced by her family to become Henry VIII's mistress after catching his eye at Court.
Initially horrified by her predicament, she quickly falls in love with the young King (Harris), but, whilst she is pregnant and in confinement, the King's wandering eye turns to her ruthless, ambitious sister (May) and their scheming relations - including her brother George (Mackintosh) - make her step aside so Anne (May) can manoeuvre herself into becoming Queen.
Novelist Philippa Gregory feels that Mary Boleyn has been an overlooked figure, as she says "nobody has really bothered very much with Mary Boleyn, as she was just one of a number of the King's lovers - but I thought it was a fantastic story, very provocative."
Gregory says it is impossible to know whether Mary Boleyn actually had a child by Henry VIII, but she did have two children, Henry and Catherine, during the time she was his lover and she believes they were likely to be Henry's.
"The truth of the matter is that women were used as bargaining counters in the game of power and making your family more wealthy," continues Gregory. "The power play between the prominent families at the time is terribly important. Because all the power is concentrated int he hands of one man - and becasue he is fundamentally free to do whatever he likes - it's a recipe for tyranny. Everyone in the court has to focus on what he would like."
www.bbc.co.uk/drama/boleyn.shtml
A tale of sex and royal intrigue revealing the little-known story of Mary Boleyn, who was mistress to King Henry VIII before he married her sister, Anne.
Starring Jodhi May, Natascha McElhone, Jared Harris and Steven Mackintosh, the film tells how the happily married Mary (McElhone) is forced by her family to become Henry VIII's mistress after catching his eye at Court.
Initially horrified by her predicament, she quickly falls in love with the young King (Harris), but, whilst she is pregnant and in confinement, the King's wandering eye turns to her ruthless, ambitious sister (May) and their scheming relations - including her brother George (Mackintosh) - make her step aside so Anne (May) can manoeuvre herself into becoming Queen.
Novelist Philippa Gregory feels that Mary Boleyn has been an overlooked figure, as she says "nobody has really bothered very much with Mary Boleyn, as she was just one of a number of the King's lovers - but I thought it was a fantastic story, very provocative."
Gregory says it is impossible to know whether Mary Boleyn actually had a child by Henry VIII, but she did have two children, Henry and Catherine, during the time she was his lover and she believes they were likely to be Henry's.
"The truth of the matter is that women were used as bargaining counters in the game of power and making your family more wealthy," continues Gregory. "The power play between the prominent families at the time is terribly important. Because all the power is concentrated int he hands of one man - and becasue he is fundamentally free to do whatever he likes - it's a recipe for tyranny. Everyone in the court has to focus on what he would like."
www.bbc.co.uk/drama/boleyn.shtml