The Shadow of the Tower - Season 1 - 5-DVD Box Set ( The Shadow of the Tower ) ( The Shadow of the Tower - Season One )

The life of Henry VII is extraordinary. He was a virtual unknown with a very dubious claim to the throne who got where he did becuase of the mistakes and misfortunes of others. He was a cautious man who took a huge gamble in challenging Richard III but the gamble paid off. The fact that Henry remained King of England until the day he died and handed a secure and solvent kingdom to his much more famous son Henry VIII was amazing given the insecurity of the early years of the Tudor dynasty.

That insecurity and its consequences forms a large part of "The Shadow of the Tower". How Henry VII triumphed over almost every challenge is key to the story. The character of the King is the thread that holds all of the plays together and the performance of James Maxwell is brilliant in bringing Henry to life. Henry VII has been described as the cleverest man ever to sit on the throne of England. That comes across very well; shrewdness, cunning, sometimes ruthlessness. But humour too - and compassion. The episode where Henry meets a doomed "heretic" is moving and shows the King as a devout man, very much of his time and very close to the Church.

The King's humanity is brought in to focus as we see his relationship with his wife, Elizabeth of York, who begins almost as a trophy of the victory of Bosworth (and in this presentation a pretty reluctant one at that), but ends as a loved and lamented Queen.

The picture of some key characters is good: Perkin Warbeck is shown as a flashy fantasist pushed reluctantly to his fate. The Earl of Warwick is portrayed as an innocent pawn and his judicial murder is a dreadful stain on Henry's reputation.

A bonus disc includes "The Innocent" which gives a more detailed assessment of Warwick's tale - here he is played by a very youthful Robert Powell and James Maxwell shows why he was the natural choice to play the king in the later series.

Don't buy this if you want extravagant sets, rich costumes battle scenes or grand locations. The plays can seem a bit disjointed and some work better than others. They are a world away from "The Tudors" and are all the better for that.

The impression left is that "The Shadow of the Tower" lacks some of the impact of "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" or "Elizabeth R". I hadn't seen these since I was in my teens in a very flaky black and white TV broadcast when BBC2 reception wasn't too reliable. But since those days when my interest in the Tudors was ignited by the trilogy of Tudor series I have really wanted to see "The Shadow of the Tower" again. My interest in the Tudors has been life-long and my love of history propelled me, a Secondary Modern School pupil, to study history at degree level.

I doubt very much that "The Tudors" will have such an impact. All historical drama is fiction, but the best is grounded in reality and based on good research and decent writing. "The Shadow of the Tower" has these qualities.

I would recommend this series to anyone with an interest in Henry VII - truly a "wonder for wise men".

I am puzzled as to why this BBC production is currently only available in an American or European format. Don't let that put you off - just get rid of the subtitles.

Enjoy!

This series comes from a truly 'golden age' of BBC drama - when the Beeb supplied the drama/actors/script, and a.n.other supplied the cash! It was the third of the 'Tudors' trilogy of series, the first being 'Six Wives of Henry VIII' and the second 'Elizabeth R' (with Gelnda Jackson, THE Elizabeth for many people).

The series of thirteen linked plays covers key episodes in the life of Henry VII, the obscure but vitally important founder of the Tudor dynasty, from the battle of Bosworth (which effectively ended the Wars of the Roses) to his death. It was this Henry, cold but very astute, who laid the political and economic foundations of the state which his more famous son then used. He was in many ways ahead of his time (especially for an English King), being much more a 'Renaissance Prince' - he was at many battles but left the actual fighting and tactical direction to others more skilled in that area. But he thought beyond 'simple' campaigning - at least one rebellion was defeated by a proclamation!

With multiple writers you would expect the plays to be more 'patchy', but all of them work well. True, the 'early stuff' is certainly more gripping, when rebellions and usurpers threatened at every turn. And one episode is devoted to what we now know as the start of the Protestant movement; interesting but slow. However, the extra episodes do allow for greater character development in what might otherwise be simple cameos - the tragic Earl of Warwick (prisoner since the age of nine, trapped by birthright as the Yorkist heir); and most dangerous pretender Perkin Warbeck.

Anyway, if you're at all interested in historical drama (as opposed to the historically dubious 'soft porn' of the latest terrible 'Tudors' offering), BUY THIS NOW! I've waited over 30yrs for this chance - roll on the last remaining treasure, 'The Devils Crown'......

Covers the reign of Henry VII, shown on BBC in the 70/80's. Brought back memories of seeing it on tv. Great for those with an interest in history. Only problem is that after each episode you have to reset otherwise you get Dutch with subtitles, which was annoying if you wanted to watch the episodes back to back.

This aside, I enjoyed it and glad I bought it.