User reviews

I really like to see diversity in historical fiction. I love Bridgerton which explains it is diverse because it is an alternative history, ie a 'what if' and is an amazing cast. The BBC however has completely lost the ability to produce a period drama of any merit. I find it not only silly to make a real person, who we know was white, a person of colour but it is also extremely insulting and disrespectful. How can they think it is okay to make a person of colour pretend to be a white person? It's shameful that this kind of mockery is accepted in the 21st century. The BBC should be ashamed of itself. I can only assume that the actors concerned took the part to become better known because there is no other reason a person of colour would deign to pretend to be white. This is not supposed to be historical fiction, it is supposed be a factual retelling of real events and real people. Once again the BBC has failed in its ignorance.

A lot of other reviewers are shaking off the glowing reports by the critics who think they have to love this offering because many of the original actors are back, we've waited so long for season 2, and the diversity hacks are at it again. Well I'm not impressed.

The writing has taken a dive, it reads like a poor high school dramatic offering. We have to be told by Cardinal Wolsey that Cromwell's being called a dog was because he's a butcher's dog - you know like wot because you're my dog & me old dad were a butcher. Honestly they should have included subtitles for the thickest of us. It was insulting.

There was a fair bit of out of character stuff going on. Cromwell, an extremely cautious man who kept his secrets & motions skilfully to himself apparently gets drunk with a table full of known tell tales & lets out a story that could easily have him executed for treason! And he doesn't seem to care about it when he's told just that by the same men. This was a total contradiction of the real man's character at a point in time when his enemies were growing & his position was extremely vulnerable, dependent entirely on the support of the capricious Henry.

I just can't be doing with the maiming of history by including black actors who should be ashamed of themselves cosplaying white people. Utterly degrading.

You may be under the impression that I was less than impressed. The book is worth reading. If you don't want your memory of the stellar first season utterly destroyed - avoid this travesty like the plague.

I'm a few episodes into the second series, I loved the first. I just don't understand why producers spend so much time and energy making historical costumes and sets so accurate just to then heavy-handily choose to distort the demographic reality of Tudor England! Fair enough if the show was set in the modern age. Why do they always seem to want to distort reality this way? Can you imagine the uproar if Boys in the Hood or Roots was remade to include white actors in lead roles.

Just horrible.

The language and ideas are all 21st C Mantel - Cromwell talks to Anne Boleyn about the "process" she must go through. Mantel is clearly putting her own politics (Left) on history and biographical assessment and is as cruel as she always is.

The talented, charming, intellectual, mannered, French educated, court educated, philosophical, restrained and progressive Anne Bolyn is portrayed as remarkably inarticulate and foolish and ridiculously pettish towards the wooden people sitting round her.

Everyone is obsessed with sex, gloominess and absurd meaningful glances. The actor of Cromwell is utterly lifeless and has no actual ideas or character of his own.

Not one iota of the glorious prose or poetry of the 1830s manages to penetrate the general gloom.

Henry VIII is portrayed without an ounce of reality either kingly or human.

NObody has good diction and the lighting is grim.

So the guy who engineered the murder of six innocent man and one woman is really a sensitive and misunderstood man? Anne Boleyn was a complete shrew? Henry a complete idiot? And Jane Seymour, who couldn't really read or write was a genius? And it was the beloved Thomas More who was really the mean one?

Of course the reality is Anne Boleyn was smart and charming, Henry thoughtless and selfish but shrewd, More had integrity, and Cromwell ruthless. Historians complain that while Wolf Hall was accurate in the details of living during this time, the portrayal of the characters is pure fiction. This filmed version is extremely sexist and goes out of the way to make Anne Boleyn look like the villain who deserved to lose her head and was blind to her circumstances. In fact, she knew what was happening and suggested Henry divorce her while she disappeared to a convent. Henry had Cromwell set up her murder, and he is no hero.

The third time through the series I was so angry watching it I just turned it off and read a book. The first time the portrayal of life the was fascinating, the second time I was shocked by the characters, and the third time I realized how horribly bad the show is.

This is one of the worst mini-series seen yet. Looking forward and anxious to this series; I was highly disappointed to see a boring and historical insult to British history. I do not recommend this boring historical drama. I was shocked to see Damian Lewis would take on a stale drama. His acting is mostly superb, but when compared to the lackluster, poorly acted other actors, I was dismayed. My biggest mistake was to buy the drama series before watching it. I now regret doing so. I found the costumes to be non-genuine. And the worst part of the drama is how nauseating the author portrays the entire series around Cromwell! He is portrayed as a hero; as if everyone sees him as a savior and Sir Thomas More as this dunce!

Really boring. I like history but there's nothing going on in this story. Was made to watch for uni but was a big sighhh to even get through the first episode. I guess from a cinematography perspective it's not bad with candles for lighting so there's something you can talk about there. But other than that wouldn't rate it.

I binge-watch a wide range of BBC/ITV and US shows, and I'll usually give a show or mini-series at least 2 episodes to see whether it seems worthwhile. I couldn't even get all the way through the first episode of Wolf Hall (and I was looking forward to seeing Damian Lewis). I can deal with the dimly-lit scenes, the played-out jiggly camera stuff, and even some of the heavy-on- dialog/light on action format, but everything was just too slow and boring to endure for even one episode. Even the characters movements seemed to be in slow-motion half of the time. It seemed to me that they were trying to stretch a two-hour movie into a 6 hour affair. Apparently the acting wasn't even engaging enough for my taste, because after just 40 minutes or so - I had to keep looking at the clock to see if it was running backward - I found that I really couldn't care less about any of the characters I had seen thus far. If you liked the Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy movie of 2011, this mini-series will be right up your alley.

I tried in 2015 so I tried again. It is impossible to see as it is filmed almost in total darkness. The reason is simple...cheaper to film. I tried listening and not watching. Well. Try that and see how long it takes for your mind to wander. And my review is too short! I am still listening and can not believe how uninteresting the characters are. The characters all sound the same....flatlined. Maybe I am the only one who thinks this masterpiece is hyped. OH...review is still too short. It is amazing that anyone takes the time. I have never written a review. This will be my last. I hope. I have 3 more characters. This should do it.

Could never stomach this as Rylance creeps us out. Never seen the fuss over him his limp and flaccid and we all know the tricks he uses a sort of obvious manipulation of audiences to create an energy of adoration for his weak and lack lustre performances. There's nothing truthful or radiant about Rylance he gives off the air of an ancient wizened skeletal corpse like energy vampiric and unliked in every part. This was no exception.