NutzieFagin I saw this whole series when I was about 10 yrs old on Masterpiece Theatre back in the 1970's and I remember it made a huge impression on me concerning Tudor history. It motivated me to read more on the time period and English history. There are six episodes, each devoted to the stories of his wives. But not only the stories of his wives backgrounds and who they were in history, it also gives the history of what was going on during Henry the VIII's reign---The Reformation of the Church of England and the break from Roman Catholism. The act of Succession. and the relations and intrigues between foreign countries lined up against each other like a chess board.The acting is superb! The costumes are rich and magnificent. Keith Mitchell looks so much like Henry the VIII, you think he's been resurrected. The settings or back drop may have been the only thing that the production company did not spend a lot of money on--lots of wood paneling and open hallways. But the Tudor homes and palaces were althoug opulent in construction--they did not have a lot of furniture or knick knacks of the homes of today. Young people should be compelled to watch this series. It is a kingly delight and not to be missed by future generations.

calvinnme I was only 13 when this series aired on TV back in 1971. Others have mentioned seeing it on PBS, but I clearly remembering it first airing in the U.S. on network TV - I'm fairly sure it was CBS - back in the summer of 1971. Isn't it amazing that in 30 years we went from great historical drama being summer TV fare to schlock like Survivor and Fear Factor? At any rate, this series stars actors and actresses that Americans have probably never seen before since this was entirely a British production. It consists of six episodes - one for each wife - each running 90 minutes in length. My favorite episodes were those about the second and fifth wives - Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, respectively. Dorothy Tutin plays the long pursued and then quickly rejected Anne Boleyn, mother of the future Elizabeth I. She is executed on trumped up charges merely because she had failed to produce a male heir and Henry could never come up with an excuse for another divorce just a few years after he had come up with a philosophical and religious reason for one to Catherine of Aragon. He would have completely lost face and one with Henry's pride could not have that. How ironic that it was Anne's daughter Elizabeth - not Henry's son Edward - that was the strong and able monarch and heir Henry had hoped to produce, and the one to clean up the mess he made of England's treasury when she assumed the throne. Katherine Howard, Henry's fifth wife, is the other wife that is executed, although the charges of adultery against her are true. Mitchell does an outstanding job of playing the heartbroken king when he learns of Howard's treachery. The thing is, Katherine Howard's treachery is not so much that as it is the expected outcome of a young healthy 17 year-old girl married to an old man 30 years her senior who can no longer be a real husband to her. She was truly a tragic figure, but typical of that era - a young girl treated as a commodity by her family and placed in an arranged marriage. It is odd that with all of the intelligent and beautiful wives that Henry had, the one that had his heart until the day he died was the shy and plain Jane Seymour, his third wife, mother of his only son, and the only one of his six wives to die a natural death while still his wife. Through all six episodes Keith Mitchell plays Henry the VIII spectacularly as he gradually ages from a lean eighteen year old that is full of life into a bloated self-indulgent old man who still has the passions he had a teen, but with a body that does not cooperate. Turns out kings like commoners cannot escape from the ravages of old age. If you enjoy this series, you might want to consider watching "Elizabeth R", starring Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth I. Both of these series are excellent, but that is the one that people have remembered over the years, plus it won an Emmy for Best Drama.

dirkgambit I have seen this series many times and enjoy it immensely every time I see it. I have read a number of biographies of Henry VII and this series is the most accurate portrayal of Henry VIII I have seen, making him a sympathetic character in spite of the way he treated some of his wives (in contrast, "The Private Life of Henry VIII," with Charles Laughton as Henry, is absolutely ludicrous in its portrayal of Henry and his wives). Watching this series gives one a good understanding of how a king could go through six wives, having two of them executed and one driven to an early death through mistreatment. Yet he is never exactly hero or villain, he is portrayed as a human being, who only once went into a marriage that was not for love, and quickly got out of it (through annulment). Anyone who is interested in the history of England's monarchy should enjoy this series. And a good follow up series is "Elizabeth R", with Glenda Jackson playing the title role (quite excellently).

star54 I put the first tape(Catherine of Aragon) into the VCR expecting something....quite different! I must give them credit for getting the history right:) Other than that,the writing was awful,the acting was overacted,some hilarious bloopers occured (e.g-a microphone popping up for about 30 seconds) I would recommend watching it just for a good laugh! Especially those interested in that period.After laughing our way through the first video,we popped Anne Boleyn in and again experienced pretty much the same,um,quality filming/acting! But a pleasant surprise came with Jane Seymour.The outdoor scenes were actually filmed outside,the script was much better written,and it was overall better! To our disapointment,the guy who directed it only did this one video.The rest were pretty much in the same pattern as the first two.Overall the best word to describe the series was interesting.The best was by far,Jane Seymour. My rating: *1/2 Enjoy!