Wolf Hall: These Costumes Deserve Their Own Crown (and an Emmy)

 

If you’ve watched Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, you probably already know how stunning the costumes are – but now the Emmys have made it official. The series is nominated for Outstanding Period Costumes at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards that will be broadcast on Sunday, September 14th at 8:00 PM EST on CBS. Joanna Eatwell (Costume Designer), Havva Buckles (Costume Supervisor) and Clare Vyse (Assistant Costume Designer) are being recognized for their spectacular work in the series, and particularly the episode “Wreckage”.

The costumes in this series are more than just historically accurate—they’re powerful, full of character, and absolutely gorgeous. We have already gushed about them in our “Best of Wolf Hall” posts, but this nomination gave us the perfect excuse to revisit our top five favorite looks from the series. Continue reading “Wolf Hall: These Costumes Deserve Their Own Crown (and an Emmy)”

REDUX: Backstage with Damian Lewis

The King and I 🙂

As we can’t wait for Damian to return to stage with guitar in hand in the fall, I just want to go back to the second leg of the “Mission Creep UK tour” and give you some backstage shenanigans! I missed all of this fun, or what? Continue reading “REDUX: Backstage with Damian Lewis”

Happy Birthday Henry VIII: Revisiting Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall

“Henry VIII is a monster, but he’s our monster. No other nation has a king who had six wives and cut the heads off two. We’re perversely proud of Henry.” – Hilary Mantel

source: BBC
source: BBC

Welcome to year 1535! In the most delightful deleted scene in Wolf Hall,  King Henry declares his age to the women in Thomas Cromwell’s household: “45 in June…”

Well, Henry is 534 years old today and popular as ever — to quote Damian Lewis:

“Henry, as a brand, is right up there with Coca Cola!”

I don’t think anyone can deny the recent contributions of Hilary Mantel’s brilliant work Wolf Hall & Bring up the Bodies — the books, the play and the TV drama to Henry’s as well as Tudors’ popularity in general! And BBC has completed filming of Mantel’s final installment in Thomas Cromwell series The Mirror and The Light with Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis resuming their roles. We’re looking forward to having the limited series on our screens later this year or early next year.

And now, in celebration of King Henry’s birthday, it is my utmost pleasure to take you back to the most memorable Henry moments in Wolf Hall TV Drama.

Long Live the King! Continue reading “Happy Birthday Henry VIII: Revisiting Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall”

Damian Lewis as an Onscreen Dad

Dad is a word which can evoke a minefield of emotions simply because the word is personal to each of us and our personal circumstances will affect whether the word evokes positive or negative emotions.

Being a Dad (in real life) can be all kinds of difficult and rewarding. With Father’s Day approaching we take a look at Damian Lewis as an onscreen Dad.

Damianista

“Love is the strongest power there is.” – J.K. Rowling

Probably because I lost my dad at a very young age, I am a true sucker for loving father-daughter relationships in fiction. So here goes a few of my favorite moments with Damian Lewis as an onscreen dad. Even though the characters in each relationship are quite different, there is an overarching theme: A lost soul who finds meaning in life through his love for his daughter.

Continue reading “Damian Lewis as an Onscreen Dad”

Damian Lewis as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light

“It seems fairly redundant to say “Damian Lewis is a good actor”, but, well, here we are: his Henry is outstanding, the biggest guy in the room in name and stature if not ever actual presence, something flawed in the hull and he knows it.”

– The Guardian

Wolf Hall is one of the best things that ever happened to TV. A slow-cooking, dark, and witty political drama, it has a contemporary feel. Peter Straughan’s script is wonderfully condensed, with most of the conversation coming directly from Mantel’s pen. Hearing some of the best lines I have ever read spoken by the characters is delightful. Peter Kosminsky’s directing is flawless. Every shot feels like a painting. And while some characters needed to be recast, the continuity is beyond impressive that you don’t feel the nine-year interval between the two productions.  The entire cast gives a masterclass in acting. Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, as the two leads, are electric together. Thus, the long wait was entirely worth it.

Continue reading “Damian Lewis as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light”