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There are so many of these shows with only one central character whom the audience is supposed to be rooting for. It is harder to be realistic and portray everyone as having personal motivations and to see history pan out as a result of these individuals promoting their own causes. But life is like that, complex.
My friends are interesting because they are equally complex. I enjoyed the Borgias because each major role was a gem and had great actors and you sympathized with them in one episode and you were sometimes aghast at their actions in the next. There were multiple levels to the characters, just as there are in real people.
Shoveling three novels and 30 years of very confusing history into even 10 hourlong episodes requires that "The White Queen" become a series of vignettes rather than a cohesive narrative, a "greatest hits of the Wars of the Roses," as it were. Years collapse into minutes, intricate policy is condensed into cardboard personalities, and the characters are swiftly categorized as good or evil.
I read that review as well, and I think it is slightly unfair. For starters the War of the Roses was 30 years long, but while the first episode is a kind of orientation episode that shows Edward and Elizabeth getting married, and sets out the main characters, the second episode starts halfway through the War at a time of intense fighting.
The character of Elizabeth's mother ( Jacquetta of Luxembourg) is fully fleshed out and is one of the best performances so far (by Janet McTeer) . If you watch the series for no other reason than to see her performance it will be worth your time. Jacquetta is a woman almost completely ignored by historians for over 6 centuries.
All that said, it is television, it is not a thousand page novel. The production is completely conscious that woman who read Romance novels will be it's primary audience. The author is fully prepared to defend the witchcraft in the series, as charges of being a witch were an ever present issue, and people certainly believed in spells and hexes.
Deviations from actual history are relatively minor compared to most TV and film adaptations. One of them is that King Edward V was born a year and a half before his grandmother died, but I believe they are going to put his birth after her death. But given the grotesque deviations in The Tudors, these portions of dramatic license are pretty tame.
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Originally Posted by goldengrain
There are so many of these shows with only one central character whom the audience is supposed to be rooting for.
It is characteristic of the visual medium. Everyone knows that Romeo is the second most interesting young male character in the play, but no one has ever dared make a film where Mercutio upstages Romeo. As a play you can do it sometimes, but most effectively and famously by having the two lead actors play both parts on different nights.
I haven't watched yet, just read the linked review which covers one of the problems with White Queen. It was up against Hell on Wheels last night one of my favorites. BBC has co-produced WQ with Starz. I loved the Borgias and The Tudors and have never seen anything on Starz that matches them for quality.
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Shoveling three novels and 30 years of very confusing history into even 10 hourlong episodes requires that "The White Queen" become a series of vignettes rather than a cohesive narrative, a "greatest hits of the Wars of the Roses," as it were. Years collapse into minutes, intricate policy is condensed into cardboard personalities, and the characters are swiftly categorized as good or evil.
I think the show is okay. I plan on watching all ten episodes, although I agree it isn't as good as the Tudors.
I like James Frain. The Lady Margaret Beaufort character is interesting, but like someone else summarized before if you don't know your history then that part of the storyline could be confusing.
I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm not 100% liking the actors playing Edward and Elizabeth.
I like James Frain. The Lady Margaret Beaufort character is interesting, but like someone else summarized before if you don't know your history then that part of the storyline could be confusing. I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm not 100% liking the actors playing Edward and Elizabeth.
Janet McTeer (Elizabeth's mother) and James Frain (Earl of Warwick) are the the incredible talent in the show. They both grew up in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) and have decades of on screen acting experience. They are by far the best part of the show.
Amanda Hale (The Lady Margaret Beaufort) is also a graduate of RADA.
The actors playing Edward and Elizabeth are both age 27, and have very few credits. Clearly there "bodice ripping" looks were a big part in the casting.
But despite some faults, the story is still a bold move. In 100 years of movies, the only emphasis in any film or TV series about the War of the Roses has concentrated on the three years of the reign of Richard III.
Richard III died at age 32, but he is invariably played by a much older man. It's nice to see his character played by an age appropriate actor for once.
I tried to watch this last episode, but turned it off shortly into it. The person who plays Edward overacts so much it is actually painful to hear. How did they select him?
I am watching this because I am a fan of the era and have read all of Phillippa Gregory's books so I do follow what is going on. Agree though that getting 3 books in ten episodes is confusing because it does feels very rushed. They did a good job casting Warick, Lady Jacquetta and Margaret Beaufort I think. This is how I pictured them from the books.
I LOVED The Tudors, loved the Borgias and so far I like the White Queen.
My primary problem is that I haven't found the love affair between Edward and Elizabeth to be believable. One second it looked like he was about to rape her and she was pulling a knife on him and threatening to slit her throat, the next they are wildly in love and he is risking his reign for her. Hmmm.
I still like it, but it's not in the class of The Tudors.
I tried to watch it but it is just not very good. Phillipa Gregory takes wild liberties with her books and there are people who seem to think that her historical fiction is more historical than fiction.
I hope that those who are enjoying series continue to do so; it is always nice when we find something that we find pleasurable.
I tried to watch it but it is just not very good. Phillipa Gregory takes wild liberties with her books and there are people who seem to think that her historical fiction is more historical than fiction.
The series has weaknesses, but I don't understand the last comment. Most historical dramas have inaccuracies, often deliberate ones taken to enhance the tension. The White Queen has far less inaccuracies than most series or movies. The Tudors twisted historical events beyond recognition. Braveheart was more fable than history. Elizabeth and the sequal to Elizabeth had glaring inconsistencies.
White Queen is presented as romantic entertainment, but as far as I can see it makes a strong attempt to follow historical record.
Some of the principal actors were chosen as much for their looks as their acting ability. But the actors that play Warwick and Elizabeth's mother are among the strongest theatrical actors alive.
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