Tag: Helen Phillips

Lady Tudors’ Fun Facts About Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light – Ep 6 Light

Welcome back to Court and to the final episode of “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”

We have come to episode six, Light, and this may be my favorite of the entire two seasons. This episode did something I did not think was possible – make me feel sympathy for Thomas Cromwell. This series did what I feel the books did not do – show that Cromwell did feel remorse or at least questioned the actions he took to stay at the top of Henry’s good graces. As someone who is an “Anne Stan” I will always have a negative opinion of the real Cromwell. The absolute horrible lies he created to take Anne Boleyn down are unforgiveable. Yes, Henry tasked him to help him put Anne aside, but to manufacture the tales of her sleeping with basically every man at Court (and an incestuous relationship with her brother George) was overkill. He had to know that this was going to lead to the death of six innocent people. One can only imagine that is exactly what he wanted. Continue reading “Lady Tudors’ Fun Facts About Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light – Ep 6 Light”

Lady Tudors’ Fun Facts About Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light – Ep 5 Mirror

Welcome back to Court and to episode five of “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”

This episode is called “Mirror”, and I can only think that is because what Henry saw in the mirror of Anne of Cleves’ eyes was something that shook him to the core.

This week I want to focus on Anne of Cleves and her marriage to Henry. I have always had a soft-spot for Anne of Cleves; I can only imagine what it felt like coming to a country where you did not know anyone, did not speak the language, and did not know any of the customs but were expected to be its Queen. Continue reading “Lady Tudors’ Fun Facts About Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light – Ep 5 Mirror”

The King’s Painter: Hans Holbein The Younger in Wolf Hall

“He’s a genius – all the information is in his paintings.” – Joanna Eatwell, Costume Designer, Wolf Hall

I had written about the authenticity of the costumes in Wolf Hall  as well as how much the series’ brilliant costume designer Joanna Eatwell values Hans Holbein the Younger’s work in achieving this authenticity here back in 2015.

It turns out that Eatwell digged into the paintings of Holbein for research. From Lucy Worsley’s interview with Eatwell in 2015:

He’s a genius – all the information is in his paintings.

He not only painted members of the court, he also painted merchants and even some of Henry’s courtiers and staff, so we have a complete cross-section which is incredibly important for a piece like this.

Eatwell argues, in an audio interview with the BBC Academy, Holbein is a “master in his craft” and his paintings are realistic but also propaganda. The paintings make a statement about the person in the painting which she calls the “photoshop” of the times.

Continue reading “The King’s Painter: Hans Holbein The Younger in Wolf Hall”

Lady Tudors’ Fun Facts About Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light – Ep 4 Jenneke

Welcome back to Court and to episode four of “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”

This week I thought we would look at the birth of Henry’s son Edward, his christening, and the death of Queen Jane, along with other fun facts about this week’s episode “Jenneke”.

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The episode opens to Henry admiring an enormous portrait of himself (and Jane) that is on display at the Palace of Whitehall. Henry wants Holbein to make copies to send abroad, and copies of this portrait were made which is why this portrait is one of the most known of Henry. This portrait shows Henry at fine health, and we know that is not the case. This portrait projects what Henry wants the Court and the world to see, not necessarily the reality. Fun fact about this portrait: when Henry’s daughter Elizabeth becomes Queen in 1558, she prominently displays this portrait in her Presence Chamber. This would be the first thing a courtier would see when entering, reminding everyone who her father was and her lineage. She wanted to make sure each person in her presence knew she was a Tudor and the legitimate Queen. Unfortunately, the portrait was destroyed in a fire in 1698. Continue reading “Lady Tudors’ Fun Facts About Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light – Ep 4 Jenneke”

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light – Episode 4 Jenneke

“What good is my rule if I can’t save John? If he [Henry] can burn John Lambert, he can burn any of us. Any of us.” – Thomas Cromwell

This episode stands out for me as the best of the four we’ve seen so far. I love it that we get to see both Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII at their most human in happiness and sadness. But then as someone who teaches politics for a living, I also love the political intrigue with everybody playing mind games to get ahead in the court by eliminating others. Cromwell has a big target on his back as the second powerful man in England and his humanity makes him vulnerable.

Continue reading “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light – Episode 4 Jenneke”