Wolf Hall BBC2

[Richard Tarleton]

The first sentence is unfortunate, but from there on an interesting piece. I haven't kept up with Tudor historiography, and was interested to read about the revisionism (of Elton's thesis) by the likes of Starkey (an Elton pupil, hadn't realised that) in recent years.

[Flosshilde]

No, but somebody did, and that somebody is the person I wouldn't trust.

It's not clear from the link who it is.

The guilty party - Michael Chiarello, Carleton University, History, Graduate Student, who uploaded the paper (as it says at the top left). If you click on his name you go to http://carleton-ca.academia.edu/MichaelChiarello

[Serial_Apologist]

The guilty party - Michael Chiarello, Carleton University, History, Graduate Student, who uploaded the paper (as it says at the top left). If you click on his name you go to http://carleton-ca.academia.edu/MichaelChiarello

Proves the necessity of an independent editor. I had to read my own proofs - I should know!

[Barbirollians]

Wonderful final episode .

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Wonderful final episode .

absolutely!

Also an excellent conversation on BBC4 after the last episode between Mark Rylance Peter Kosminsky and Kirsty Wark ... well worth hearing their points of view - most especially Mr Rylance's sources of inspiration including Robert Mitchum and Brad Pitt [in the Assasination of Jesse James] for their stillness and silence ... as well as some historical comparisons with the contemporary world

Mr Rylance was on DID a week or so back

[ardcarp]

Kirstly Wark talked to Mark Rylance on BBC4 tonight. He wore that same expression of slightly supercilious 'can't be surprised by anything' as in character...apart from right at the end when....yes, he smiled. About an ice-cream van arriving on set. I was surprised by KW (doyenne of all things cultural) referring to their location as the Chapel of St Peter ad Vinicula.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05471yp

[edashtav]

Kirstly Wark talked to Mark Rylance on BBC4 tonight. He wore that same expression of slightly supercilious 'can't be surprised by anything' as in character...apart from right at the end when....yes, he smiled. About an ice-cream van arriving on set. I was surprised by KW (doyenne of all things cultural) referring to their location as the Chapel of St Peter ad Vinicula.

Well-spotted! My face wore that same expression of slightly supercilious 'can't be surprised by anything' when Kirsty committed her faux pas.

[Anna]

I won't say much yet as I know many here will not have seen the last episode, but I think the Telegraph review says it all (beware -contains spoilers!) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...le-review.html
A triumph from start to finish, imho

[DracoM]

Sorry, Anna, but not for me. The deification of Rylance at the expense of what Mantel actually wrote has done it.
VERY decent telly, oh yes, of course. Better than very decent actually. But the book? Hmm.

[vinteuil]

Mme V (who has read the books) and I (who haven't) are clearly in a minority, having been underwhelmed by the tele series. The amount of praise and eulogy it has received has been quite remarkable; we just don't get it.

[french frank]

Mme V (who has read the books) and I (who haven't) are clearly in a minority, having been underwhelmed by the tele series. The amount of praise and eulogy it has received has been quite remarkable; we just don't get it.

I watched the first episode and I did think it was very good, BBC-type classic serial quality. I just wasn't terribly interested because historical fiction, erm, doesn't interest me.

[Richard Tarleton]

I thought the most interesting part of the Kirsty Wark interview (I only saw the shortened version) was when they seemed to express doubt about whether HM would be able to retreat into her bubble sufficiently to write the third novel, after all the exposure she has had over the books, play, TV series, awards etc., because the characters no longer exist simply as they did in her writerly imagination - whether she can detatch herself sufficiently from Mark Rylance's Cromwell, was I think the gist of it.

[gurnemanz]

Following glowing reports, we're late adopters of this series, (up to Ep 3 and now hooked) - just in time to beat iPlayer cut-off dates. I think one reason why Rylances's portrayal is so convincing is that, although one of our greatest actors, he has been very sparing over the years in his TV work.

[Flosshilde]

I thought the most interesting part of the Kirsty Wark interview (I only saw the shortened version) was when they seemed to express doubt about whether HM would be able to retreat into her bubble sufficiently to write the third novel, after all the exposure she has had over the books, play, TV series, awards etc., because the characters no longer exist simply as they did in her writerly imagination - whether she can detatch herself sufficiently from Mark Rylance's Cromwell, was I think the gist of it.

From an interview published last October -

“There comes a stage where you do have to sit at your desk with all your research materials about you and start stitching it together in a systematic way and that really is the work that I hope to start next month and continue in the months ahead and I think 2016, I hope.”

The delay between books two and three is, in part, due to the novels’ adaptation for the stage, a process Mantel was heavily involved in, working alongside adaptor Mike Poulton. “I have spent a significant amount of time with the production and certainly it’s delayed the writing but I think it’s a good delay and the book will be the better for it.

“The last year has been completely transformative for me because it’s shaped the way I think of my future as a writer. I’ve become so much a part of the theatre now that it’s not something I want to give up.” (http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-...cromwell-novel)

[Stanfordian]

I won't say much yet as I know many here will not have seen the last episode, but I think the Telegraph review says it all (beware -contains spoilers!) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...le-review.html
A triumph from start to finish, imho

Hello Anna,

I think the scene around the beheading of the King Henry's wife was one most moving pieces of TV I've ever seen.