The Tudors Analysis

Critical Review of The Tudors For the past several years, film writers and directors have used historical characters and events to create a wide range of genres for entertainment. One such example is “The Tudors”, created by Michael Hirst. The Tudors aired on Showtime from April 2007 to June 2010. Although the show is named after the Tudor Dynasty as a whole, it mainly depicts the reign of King Henry VIII. The show’s first season begins with the year 1518 and its fourth or last season ends with the year 1547 with Henry’s death. The Tudors mainly focuses on King Henry’s six marriages, his monarchical rivalries, and the politics of his court. In context to actual historical events, a historical drama such as The Tudors should be critically …show more content…
Setting is one of the most important factors in representing a historical drama as actual history, and it comprises of two parts: costumes and filming locations. Michael Hirst, the creator of The Tudors, hired Joan Bergin, an award-winning costume designer for films, for The Tudors. To make this series “more relatable to a modern audience, none of the actors wore wigs or codpieces, despite [the] fact that men of this era wore longer hair and ridiculous clothing [appendages]” (“COSTUMES of the”). The costumes, although appealing to audiences, are inaccurate in context to actual history. Several people who watch historical dramas have no knowledge of actual historical events, thus creating a blurred version of actual history. Although The Tudors is an English period drama, most of the filming took place at Ardmore Studios in Ireland. Some of the other filming locations were Dublin City, Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Jail, Phoenix Park and Lord Meath 's estate at Killruddery House (“SET Locations of”). The Tudors - aside from the inaccurate costume design and the filming locations - had an accurate representation of the pomp and luxury of the English court. The next factor in examining a historical film is historical