A BBC historical series represents a summit meeting for history buffs and quality television lovers. The reign of Henry VIII is an inexhaustible source of historical fiction – literary or for the screens of all sizes. Few other historical periods have gathered in a few years so many exceptional historical personalities, dramas and intrigues combining faith, betrayal, eroticism, violence. Few other moments in history have represented crossroads for the character of a people and for the evolution of one of the world’s great religions. Lovers of literature and historical films never seem to be satisfied with new perspectives of the characters of the saga that took place at the English royal court in the first half of the 16th century. BBC’s ‘Wolf Hall‘ directed by Peter Kosminsky is an achievement of excellent quality in this genre, benefiting as a starting point of a valuable literary source which are the novels of Hilary Mantel, winner of the Man Booker and National Book Critics Circle Awards, books received excellently by an enthusiastic audience of readers that turned them into best-sellers.
The action of the six series of the first season of ‘Wolf Hall‘ takes place between 1529 and 1536, from the downfall of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and until the decapitation of Anne Boleyn. On the foreground of the historical scene we have the rise of the ambitious courtier to the throne of England, with the price of King Henry’s divorce and the schism that separated the Church of England from Catholicism. The book and the series, however, focus on the figure of Thomas Cromwell, whose ascent begins at the same time as that of the Boleyn family, of which he will separate politically when dictated by the king’s interest and his own personal interests. The impressive rise of the ambitious jurist to the position of chief minister of the king, despite his modest origins and the fact that he was not a man of the church, made Cromwell an interesting and central character in ‘Wolf Hall‘ and other recent works dealing with this period such as the series ‘The Tudors‘. Mark Rylance‘s exceptional interpretation gives Cromwell’s figure intelligence, dignity and humanity. Rylance is considered today the best English theater actor, which is equivalent to a royal crown, and his appearances in films are no less memorable. I liked him immensely here, as well as in Spielberg‘s ‘Bridge of Spies‘ (written by the Coen brothers). I hope to have the opportunity to see him on stage one day.
The whole team of actors achieves good and very good performances, most of them enjoying enough substance in the text to create true and individual characters. The physical resemblance to the King painted by Holbein no longer seems to be a requirement for the role, which allows Damian Lewis to be a cynical and authoritarian Henry VIII, though he does not rise to the height of some previous creations of this role. Claire Foy models Anne Boleyn with a mixture of ambition and vulgarity, the character regaining her dignity only in the end we know from history books. The cinematography is excellent, using the image resolution achieved today in television productions. The historical locations, the sets and the costumes manage to recreate the atmosphere with authenticity and without ostentation, the color palette oscillating between the Renaissance combinations in the light of day and the shadows of the interiors at night with lighting from candles and lanterns, in resonance with the labyrinthine plots. Overall, ‘Wolf Hall‘ manages to meet almost all expectations of fans of the genre.