Monarch

Injured in a fall, King Henry VIII is taken to an isolated house accompanied by 'loyal' staff - however an assassin is within. Away from court Henry is vulnerable and sees visions of his wives and contemplates his life with the groundskeeper's son.

Interesting oddity which although more televisual than cinematic is nicely written, with TP McKenna strong as the dying king. Absorbing and worth catching if you enjoyed the BBC Tudor series The Six Wives of Henry VIII or Elizabeth R which are similar in tone.

I'm surprised none of the other reviews here so far have spotted that this film is a bit of a Doctor Who-fest. An average film might have 50 or so in it's cast and if there was an odd actor who appeared in from the 50 year old sci-fi series, it would not be too much of a surprise. What is startling here is we have a cast of about eight leading players and half of them have been in Doctor Who.

Peter Miles played the evil Nyder in Genesis of the Daleks and appeared in the Dinosaur Invasion of Earth, plus a few others. James Coombes was a Cyberman and Jean Marsh (who plays a ghostly Queen here) was in her evil witch persona for the Sylvester McCoy epic Battlefield. Plus she was also an early Who girl and married Jon Pertwee. Lastly the Monarch form this film's title, the great and sadly late, TP McKenna joined the seventh Doctor for The Greatest Show In The Galaxy.

Has this film been given a spit and polish form the vast film archives of the British Cinema vaults to coincide with the 50th Anniversary hoopla? Either way it's a welcome addition. And having seen John Walsh's furiously funny ToryBoy The Movie in cinemas, I am a fan pure and simple. He gets my vote every time :)

This is masterful filmmaking by director John Walsh. It's beautifully shot, wonderfully acted and built around a moment of suspense Hitchcock would have been proud of. But Walsh's greatest masterstroke is his choice of subject matter. On the surface, King Henry VIII seems like a gossipy story that has been the most retold one of the 20th Century.

But as the drama ­develops, the enormity of the ­situation hits you. The monarch had long ceased to wield political power, there was something very shaky about the monarchy. In this stylish film, King Henry VIII (TP McKenna) is an arrogant and dangerous but also vulnerable and susceptible to the tricks played by his own mind. Thanks in part to the ghost Queens played by Jean Marsh.

This is on a very small intimate scale, but the claustrophobic sets, haunting music and refined direction make this one of the most tense costume dramas I have seen.

Monarch is a terrific display of the finest Filmmaking, with a compelling story that mixes some true history with fiction, portrayed by superb actors that really make you care about their characters under impecable directing of John Walsh. Definitely recommended!

If anyone knows how to make films about kings and queens, it the British. I wasn't wrote sure what to expect from this tale as I knew the story of Henry VIII and had read that this version had been lost for some time. It appears the camera negative was misplaced and now it has been found. This is all to the betterment of the film and the film maker, who in the DVD extras explains what happened.

The story of an abandoned manor house where an injured Henry comes to seek refuge was no doubt one that was convenient for a film maker looking for an economic way to tell his tale. Once the film is underway you feel a real sense of damp presence and foreboding haunting. The mix of performances (with TP McKenna coming out clearly on top) makes this an unusual experiences but one that I can recommend. A change from the usual costume fare, this is one to be watched with the drapes closed and the doors firmly locked!!