DVDs in the Works

Shakespeare leaves the Henry VII story when Henry Tudor (as Earl of Richmond) has slain Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth Field and ended the Wars of the Roses. Usually played by a hunky young actor in shining armor, he promises to marry Elizabeth of York and we expect that they will live happily ever after, bringing peace to England’s green and pleasant land. When we next see him (if at all) he is a fading father doddering through the early scenes of a Henry VIII biopic.

Leave it to the BBC to realize that a grievous gap had occurred. After presenting The Six Wives of Henry VIII in 1970 and Elizabeth R in 1971, they embarked on The Shadow of the Tower in 1972, thirteen episodes shot in color. It is the first and thus far only dramatic biography of Henry VII, and we were astonished when we discovered its existence last year. Even more astonishing, when we started digging around, was that the pilot for this series was done three years prior, before either Six Wives or Elizabeth R. Was it simply quixotic to give the big-budget miniseries treatment to the Tudors’ darkest horse? Unlike Six Wives and Elizabeth R, the name of Henry VII doesn’t even make it onto the marquee. No doubt BBC’s bosses deliberately obscured the subject matter with the title “Shadow of the Tower.” On the other hand, it helps to view the reign of Henry VII already aware of future history. Certainly the paranoia of his tenuous hold on the throne was visited on his descendants. The Shadow of the Tower is due out later this year, and for completists, we’ll have all three miniseries available in a gift set (an 118-year value!).

And for those of you who are willing to go along with Shakespeare’s slant on history, let us remind you that we released An Age of Kings last year, giving you a more or less complete history of the English monarchy from Richard II to Richard III. Add this onto your order and you have two solid centuries of English monarchs behaving badly.