4.0 out of 5 star rating
The initial installment of Wolf Hall, premiered in 2015, seemed to hint at the significant political turmoil that has transpired over the past nine years: a catastrophic rift with Europe, the inexorable ascension of a dictator, the demise of the Queen. It remains to be seen if its delayed comeback, set between 1536 and 1540, will prove equally prophetic.
Continuing right from that point – with the concurrent public beheading of Anne Boleyn, one of Henry VIII’s six wives – it’s clear that the intrigue of the Tudor era remains just as foreboding.
This time, we’re delving into “The Mirror and the Light,” the concluding installment of Hilary Mantel’s imaginative trilogy that follows Thomas Cromwell’s extraordinary rise from a blacksmith’s son to Henry VIII’s influential minister. A word of caution for those who might have dozed off in history class: things don’t end rosy for our main character.
In a foreboding tone, the spectral figure of Cardinal Wolsey (played by Jonathan Pryce) tells his protege, “When misfortune strikes, you’ll know its sting,” signaling the deceit that lies ahead as a caution.
Once more, Mark Rylance demonstrates his status as a renowned British actor, offering yet another subtle and layered portrayal that skillfully encapsulates the intricacies of this self-made manipulator.
At first, Cromwell, who has been elevated to the position of Lord Privy Seal, reveals little. Despite displaying physical violence (“Leave while you still have your head,” he warns a critic as he forcibly removes him from court), he maintains a calm demeanor, possibly making him more terrifying than Damian Lewis’s character, whose monstrous nature becomes increasingly apparent and is plagued by gout.
Yet, as Cromwell is compelled to challenge the monarch whom he has loyally served (“I’m a faithful hound, ready to protect whatever you ask of me”), his facade gradually crumbles due to two factors: one being the perceived danger to the princess he may be fond of, and the other being threats directed towards himself.
In another’s perspective, it might seem challenging to empathize with such a cold demeanor. However, Rylance, in collaboration with screenwriter Peter Straughan, delves profoundly to uncover the human aspect hidden beneath.
Of course, Rylance is far from the only actor at the top of his game. What Lewis lacks in physical resemblance he makes up for in mercurial swagger as a man with a psychopathic fickleness over his various ‘divorced, beheaded, died’ wives.
Henry wonders if he has wed a simpleton,” Henry says only a few days following his marriage to Jane Seymour (played by Kate Phillips, who seems to have been given the most underdeveloped character), prior to exclaiming, “I’ve escaped from hell and entered paradise.
In another part, Lilit Lesser portrays empowerment for women as Mary, the devout Catholic princess, who in essence, refuses her own father’s rule with the statement “Not my king.” Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who manages to remain seemingly untouched by time during the almost decade-long interval, stands out for his character’s strong moral compass (“Was it necessary for things to end this way, so brutally?” his Privy Councillor Rafe Sadler questions Cromwell, not without reason, after witnessing Anne’s beheading at the hands of a graceful Frenchman).
Instead of Bernard Hill, Timothy Spall dominates each scene with his portrayal of the boisterous Duke of Norfolk. As Cromwell remarks shortly thereafter, he speaks to women as if they were fortifications and sees it as his mission to conquer them, making a crass comparison between a ruined tapestry and toilet paper in the process.
You might anticipate such a humorous twist from contemporary shows like ‘The Great’, or Mary and George, as well as many other popular streaming series that have playfully reimagined royal period dramas since Mantel’s work was last adapted for television.
Instead of some color-based casting choices causing controversy (with Egyptian-born Amir El-Masry replacing Scottish actor Jack Lowden as Thomas Wyatt and Sarah Priddy, a British-African actress, portraying Lady Margery Seymour), these are the only points where this production resembles others.
People who’ve delighted in Nicholas Hoult’s energetic portrayal of Emperor Peter III might find Wolf Hall a bit more serious and less exciting overall: the speed can sometimes feel slow as ice, the sets, although accurate to historical detail, are often dimly lit by candles; and the intricate plot twists may need a summary like CliffsNotes to fully understand. This is high-quality TV that’s intended to be savored slowly rather than consumed all at once, which explains why the BBC chose to air a new episode every Sunday evening instead of releasing all six episodes at once on iPlayer.
Instead of finding The Mirror and the Light simple to adore, it may be more challenging to truly cherish it. Similar to its forerunner, which received numerous awards such as eight Emmy nominations, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe, this work is likely to be remembered as a brilliantly manipulative opus by Machiavelli.
Read More
- ZK PREDICTION. ZK cryptocurrency
- CYBER PREDICTION. CYBER cryptocurrency
- BTC PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- SHIB PREDICTION. SHIB cryptocurrency
- COMP PREDICTION. COMP cryptocurrency
- ETH PREDICTION. ETH cryptocurrency
- LDO PREDICTION. LDO cryptocurrency
- JASMY PREDICTION. JASMY cryptocurrency
- FARM PREDICTION. FARM cryptocurrency
- AVAX PREDICTION. AVAX cryptocurrency
2024-11-10 11:34