User reviews

I am always fascinated by the drama among the Plantagenets and Tudors Dynasty; this TV series about 4 Plantagenet Kings and their successors, has less academic but more story-telling and drama approach, which is entertaining and informative to me and the younger generations.

I think (no specific order) Dan Jones, the scriptwriters, the directors, the soundtrack guys, the casting director, the actors are outstanding. In a limited budget, it managed to re-enact with drama authenticity and the power of the true stories.

The fourth episode about Richard II and Henry IV is the most epic one. If I were a casting director , I would be interested at the directors, the soundtrack guys, the actors who played the kings and queens, supporting actors are also very strong. Dan Jones is making another TV series about the War of the Roses, I cannot wait to watch.

Thoroughly enjoyable and well presented documentary series about the Plantagenet kings by Dan Jones.

The reenactments of specific events by modern actors are very well done as they are often filmed in the original location. For example, the murder of Thomas Beckett is actually filmed in Canterbury Cathedral where it took place.

The series uncovers a dark, vengeful and bloody history of the Plantagenets showing they really did play the Game of Thrones for real!

Not sure what a previous reviewer was watching as this series is well worth watching.

It is hard to imagine anybody that was not exposed to the Plantagenets through reading history or fiction such as the Cadfael series.

However, there is more depth and Intrigue into the true story of the people in times of this era than you usually get in a general introduction.

What makes this presentation essential is that it is the individual viewpoints of the historian that make history part of our lives. It is important to get different viewpoints instead of just a homogenized introduction. In this presentation, we get the viewpoint of Dan Jones who studied under David Starkey at Cambridge.

Because it focuses on the violence of Plantagenets themselves this presentation can be a little gory at times but also shows the brutality that might've been missed in other presentations.

Before and after watching this entertaining in-depth program with exclusive extras, be sure to read the 12-page viewer's guide with a map of the Plantagenets realm; timeline; and articles on the time before and after the Plantagenets.

For the people who already know of the times and people involved, one may be a little disappointed at first as it appears that Dan Jones skips over vital information; but take heart the information that comes out at a later time and also from interviews. So, what you think is missing at first is just placed a little differently in the timeline.

Four episodes on 2 disks Approximately 188 minutes 16:9 widescreen Color Stereo Documentary STH subtitles This is based on the book "The Plantagenets: the warrior kings and queens who made England" by Dan Jones.

Without a doubt, Dan Jones, who is both a genius story teller & gripping presenter, gives as thorough a history as possible given the format. I love how he's able to give context to a fairly straightforward biography so that the viewer ends up not only knowing about the Plantagenets but the world they both shaped & were shaped by.

My only "gripe" is that this doesn't cover Richard I as much as I would like or the 3rd Crusade. While it does feel like a pretty large miss, what he does present is absolutely top-notch. Dan Jones fills in the gaps in the historical record better than anyone. Like anything he's done, must watch.

Within the first five minutes, the narrator had made more than one significant misstatement of history. I hate "history" documentaries that tell a false story. He never substantiates the assertion that the Plantagenets were the bloodiest dynasty. Troubadours wrote poems and songs in Eleanor's honor, but the narrator mischaracterizes them as "bawdy... about bedding her." They sang about her beauty, striking appearance, cleverness, wit, etc. A few were flirtatious, but none were bawdy. This documentary shows Henry II hit Eleanor of Aquitaine, which did not happen. The documentary skipped from Henry II to Henry III, skipping one critical generation and two kings-- Richard "Lion Heart" and John I, Henry III's father. In skipping John I, it skipped the attack John I led against France, the barons' uprising, and the Magna Carta, which is the most relevant part of English history to modern times. It completely omits John and Isabel's son Richard of England, the Commander-in-Chief of the Crusaders. It omits too much and makes too many dubious and false claims. I recommend skipping this documentary and reading books if you're interested in British history. The British (not Scottish) Tudors were psychopaths. James waged a war against his own citizens. Plantagenets were superior sovereigns.

I regret spending my money to buy this series. It borders on pure rubbish! The only take-away message is that this dynasty was stupid, incompetent, and masters of misdeeds. The only good to come out of their rule is the ascendancy of the English Parliament and the developing limitations on royal prerogatives. What's the point otherwise!

The use of French by the actors is commendable but the armor worn by the cast is laughable and quite ludicrous. They wear chain mail from the 1100s up to the end of the 1300s, and it only covers the upper part of their bodies. Their lower torsos remain completely unprotected. This garb has no basis in reality and there is no attempt to show the evolution of armor, with the increasing use of plate by the upper classes with the passage of the centuries. Apparently the makers of this series never bothered to look at English brass rubbings of the periods covered and really show their gross sloppiness and perhaps reveal an effort to curtail the expense of producing this so-called historical documentary.

I have rarely been so harsh in judging the quality of a British series but I feel that my adverse reaction to this show is fully justified.