Rating: 
Summary: A great series with poor technical quality
Review: The Six Wives of Henry VIII consists of three dvds in a boxed set. There are six 'plays', each running about 90 minutes and written by different authors. They include some of the most fascinating and controversial figures in English history. The tale of each wife is necessarily abbreviated but the most important points are covered. Katharine of Aragon's story includes a lengthy account of her first years in England. Anne Boleyn is introduced in Katharine's story, but her play begins after the birth of Elizabeth and mainly concerns her arrest and execution. The stories of Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves are done sympathetically, lending dignity to two queens who are often dismissed as boring cyphers. Catherine Howard's play adds pathos to a silly young girl's fatal brush with power. And Katharine Parr's play reveals how close she also came to losing her head. Throughout it all, Keith Michell portrays the definitive Henry VIII, conflicted, dynamic, and determined to always have his own way. The supporting actors are also very good, bringing Stephen Gardiner, Thomas Cromwell, Princess Mary and others to life.But I give the dvd set three stars because of its poor technical quality. The picture is often faded and the sound is inconsistent, veering from too quiet to too loud within the same scene. The dvds are also difficult to navigate. For example, there is no scene index so you cannot skip from scene to scene. If you stop watching and then start up again, you are forced to fast forward through everything you watched before. Since the scene index feature is one of the main reasons people watch dvds instead of videotapes, its absence means these dvds are no better than VHS tapes - and far more expensive. However, the opportunity to view this miniseries again is a reason to celebrate in itself. It's simply a shame the BBC did not put nearly as much effort into The Six Wives of Henry VIII as they did Elizabeth R. Beautifully transferred with lots of special features, the Elizabeth R dvds are a genuine treat for the Tudor enthusiast. The Six Wives is a necessary purchase for the compelling stories and thorough recreation of Tudor history, but watching it is a needlessly frustrating experience. I wish the BBC had put more care into this transfer.
Rating: 
Summary: ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT...
Review: This is a series of six individual plays which focuses upon each of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. Written by six different playwrights, they are uniformly excellent. While the production values are not high, that is because these plays were part of a televised series for which there were budgetary constraints. Although the makeup is noticable, the sets are uninspired, and the lighting is harsh, the costumes, however, are gorgeous. More important, the acting is superb. King Henry VIII is played to perfection by Keith Mitchell. He has set the standard by which all others in the part will be judged, and he is the linchpin around whom the entire series revolves. He plays the young, athletic, erudite, golden king in the first tape, and the viewer watches him age and deteriorate throughout the entire series, until he finally becomes the sore riddled, morbidly obese, self absorbed, tyrannical hulk of his later years. Each one of the six wives has her own unique story. The plays tell that story, each a first rate drama unto itself that segues into the next one seamlessly. All the queens are portrayed by very talented thespians, and the supporting cast is superlative. All in all, this series provides a fully absorbing historical drama that should not be missed. It is through the story of each of the wives that one is able to see England transform itself from a catholic country to a protestant one. It also provides a birdseye view of the political intrigues which fueled such a transformation. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Best acting I've ever seen, and I mean ever
Review: I now have five DVDs in my collection. This is because I see a movie once, and that's that--upward and onward. I'd rather spend my money on books. The first three I bought are music DVDs. This is only the second dramatic DVD I've ever bought.
Why? Keith Michell's performance as Henry VIII is simply the best I've ever seen, or probably will see, period. Even the almighty Olivier or Anthony Hopkins couldn't kick out a performance of this stature. I was only a kid (single-digit age) when I first saw this series, and it stayed with me ever since. The production can be almost laughably flawed at times--during the first play, "Catherine of Aragon," for example, you can easily see the microphones sticking up during the court scene, and in "Jane Seymour," you can see it's a doll instead of a real baby, but the acting overrides what's not so good. The supporting actors also give admirable performances, with the actress portraying each queen doing a fine job. Anne Stallybrass as Jane Seymour and Rosalie Crutchley as Catherine Parr are particular standouts. Basil Dignam as Bishop Gardiner, Wolfe Morris as Thomas Cromwell, and John Ronane as Thomas Seymour are also wonderful. But Keith Michell is the man. Over all six plays, running a total of nine hours, his performance is flawless. Young, handsome, and idealistic to old, fat, and full of self-pity and ego, he gets it right from facial expressions to dialogue delivery. And he can dance and sing so well, I'm getting ready to order a performance or two of him in some Gilbert and Sullivan productions. Now, to be warned, I only bought the DVD instead of the videotapes simply because I knew I'd be watching them a lot, and didn't want to wear out a tape. They list "scene selection" on the box, but the scenes are actually the choices between plays on each DVD. That's it. No extras, no nothing, so only buy the DVD if you are either going to watch them a lot, or want a DVD because it's easier to store. I spent a lot of time when I first got the DVDs trying to find the scenes for selection, when it finally dawned on me that I could choose a play, and that's it. Oh, well. After seeing this series for the first time, I became totally obsessed with finding out more about the era, and have since read dozens of books about Henry and his wives and his children. Although each wife's story is condensed to 90 minutes, all six playwrights do a fine job of elaborating the basics. Less dramatic license than I would have thought has been taken in many cases. Glenda Jackson is also marvelous in her six-play series, "Elizabeth R," which I recommend. But it's Keith Michell all the way here. I can't praise him enough. I'll keep looking for acting this good, but I doubt I'll find anything.
Rating: 
Summary: Great box set of Henry VIII's life and wives
Review: I take one star away because 1) when I bought this (at a local borders, sorry Amazon!), it had a duplicate of the second disc of 3 and no first disc. The Six Wives of Henry VIII without Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn leaves something to be desired. On a brighter note, BFS sent me the missing disc, no questions asked. Very professional, courteous, speedy customer service. Amazon is great too, I just didn't know they had this. I'd never seen it anywhere on DVD. I did get Elizabeth R from Amazon. It's wonderful. The two together are a treat, and some of the same actors make an appearance in both series.. I'd also highly recommend "Anne of 1000 days", "Mary, Queen of Scotts", Beckett, The Lion in Winter, and Lady Jane. Unfortunately only "Lion" is available on DVD! Terrible! The new "Elizabeth" got the story mostly wrong, but I liked it because of Cate Blanchett and the lush visuals. Still the Honorable Ms Glenda Jackson rules! The interview with her was wonderful and shows her brilliance. As mentioned elsewhere these would've been nice.
2) Lack of chapter stops, only 1 per episode, at the start 3) lack of commentary
Rating:
Summary: Majestic Performances...Mediocre DVD
Review: This review refers to DVD Complete Set(BBC/BFS Video) of "The Six Wives of Henry VIII"(3 discs)..... This classic BBC television series from 1970 is an outstanding production of 6 plays, all by different authors, depiciting the relationship Henry VIII had with each of his 6 wives.It's an entertaining and enlighting look at the monarch, played exquisitely from his youth to his sickly old age by Keith Michell.The six very different women, most of whom meet with a tragic ending are also portrayed brillantly by the actresses and will draw you into their joys and fears at being the Queen of England. Catherine of Aragon(Annette Crosbie), Ann Boleyn(Dorothy Tutin), Jane Seymour(Anne Stallybrass), Anne of Cleves(Elvi Hale),Catherine Howard(Anglea Pleasence) and Catherine Parr(Rosalie Crutchley),were all picked to serve a purpose for the Royal Court. Some served useful in forming political alliances, and some in gaining favors for social climbers in the court. But to Henry....They were there to provide him with sons..heirs to the throne..and God help them if they didn't. The production is wonderful. The costumes, make up, each play beautifully written, and the majestic performances will have you enthralled with each story and hanging on every word.The authentic look at this Royal soap opera is one any student of European history, or anyone who loves stories about Kings and Queens would be thrilled with.It is a five star performance. The DVD did not get the kingly treatment it deserved.Although there is nothing about it that will interfere with your enjoyment of this treasure, it is very dated. The costumes and magnificent jewelry need to be brightned up, the outdoor scenes are a bit grainy, and the sound(although clear and distinguishable) is a very low recording.The price is a little high considering what this could look and sound like on DVD with a restoration.So 4 stars for the package. It is absolutly worth the view and worth owning though.Unless a new edition comes along(this edition was released July, 2000), I would suggest to check with the sellers here, the prices seem much more reasonable.(I got a great deal at about half the price). You may lose your head over this one.....enjoy...Laurie
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I have just read the review of someone from London who finds Henry VIII & his Six Wives appalling. I had to disagree. True, the sets are less than perfect, but since this was a television series on a limited budget, one can let that point go. The acting, costuming and historical accuracy are beyond question. This is a must for anyone remotely interested in history. It is thanks in part to this series that I decided to become a History teacher.
Rating:
Summary: The Six Wives of Henry V111
Review: I purchased this DVD with some misgivings - based on a review I read on Amazon which stated it was very poor in technical quality. Having the viewed all the discs, I disagree. While it is true there are not additional features on the set (like interviews, directors comments, etc) I found the picture quality and sound to be good. There were no times when I had to raise the sound to hear. In other words, it is like watching the tapes - except on 3 discs which take much less space. The performances need no comment. This series has stood for years as superb and transfering it to DVD hasn't changed that
Rating:
Summary: Majestic Performances...Mediocre DVD
Review: This review refers to DVD Complete Set(BBC/BFS Video) of "The Six Wives of Henry VIII"(3 discs)..... This classic BBC television series from 1970 is an outstanding production of 6 plays, all by different authors, depiciting the relationship Henry VIII had with each of his 6 wives.It's an entertaining and enlighting look at the monarch, played exquisitely from his youth to his sickly old age by Keith Michell.The six very different women, most of whom meet with a tragic ending are also portrayed brillantly by the actresses and will draw you into their joys and fears at being the Queen of England. Catherine of Aragon(Annette Crosbie), Ann Boleyn(Dorothy Tutin), Jane Seymour(Anne Stallybrass), Anne of Cleves(Elvi Hale),Catherine Howard(Anglea Pleasence) and Catherine Parr(Rosalie Crutchley),were all picked to serve a purpose for the Royal Court. Some served useful in forming political alliances, and some in gaining favors for social climbers in the court. But to Henry....They were there to provide him with sons..heirs to the throne..and God help them if they didn't. The production is wonderful. The costumes, make up, each play beautifully written, and the majestic performances will have you enthralled with each story and hanging on every word.The authentic look at this Royal soap opera is one any student of European history, or anyone who loves stories about Kings and Queens would be thrilled with.It is a five star performance. The DVD did not get the kingly treatment it deserved.Although there is nothing about it that will interfere with your enjoyment of this treasure, it is very dated. The costumes and magnificent jewelry need to be brightned up, the outdoor scenes are a bit grainy, and the sound(although clear and distinguishable) is a very low recording.The price is a little high considering what this could look and sound like on DVD with a restoration.So 4 stars for the package. It is absolutly worth the view and worth owning though.Unless a new edition comes along(this edition was released July, 2000), I would suggest to check with the sellers here, the prices seem much more reasonable.(I got a great deal at about half the price). You may lose your head over this one.....enjoy...Laurie
Rating:
Summary: Classic BBC!!!
Review: Stylish BBC production that is like "Dynasty" for the 16th century: Backstabbing, social climbing, love and lust, the works. There are times that you cannot help but feel a bit sorry for poor old Henry VIII. He is so obsessed with having a son, that he doesn't see the people that are part of his court are using him for their own ends. You also feel sorry for the 6 wives. Each learn the price to be Queen of England, and each wife pays in their own way (divorce or death is the only way), and each marriage changes the course of English history (religion, especially, plays a big part.). Keith Mitchell does a wonderful job as Henry VIII, from young to old. Worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Series Brilliantly Acted!
Review: A very well researched and executed miniseries on the six wives of Henry VIII. Every performance is outstanding and the only thing that might detract from your complete enjoyment are the low TV production values of the period in which it was produced. Nonetheless, it will provide you with many hours of engrossing and enlightening entertainment. Don't miss it.
| 
