Firebrand

I am a huge fan of historical dramas and I have always been strangely fascinated by the Tudors so I was really excited to see Firebrand last night.  It is definitely a revisionist take on Katherine Parr but I enjoyed it.  While King Henry VIII (Jude Law) is away fighting in France, his sixth and final wife Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander) is appointed regent and she takes this opportunity to promote her radical Protestant beliefs which are shared by Edward and Thomas Seymour (Eddie Marsan and Sam Riley, respectively). When Henry returns early because of the worsening of a previous leg injury, he is angry, humiliated, and paranoid.  He takes it out on the radicals and burns Katherine's childhood friend Anne Askew (Erin Doherty) at the stake.  She must now suppress her beliefs because courtiers with anti-Protestant sentiments, such as the Bishop of Winchester Stephen Gardiner (Simon Russell Beale), suspect her of conspiring with Anne.  After her relationship with Henry breaks down after a miscarriage, Gardiner begins investigating her and, when conspiracies and betrayals threaten her very survival, she must take matters into her own hands.  What I loved most about this narrative is all of the palace intrigue which is portrayed very well with close-up camera work that shows the claustrophobia of being watched constantly, especially in a dance sequence between Katherine and Thomas, and with a tension-filled score that definitely had me on edge.  Adding to the unease is an outstanding performance from Law who is almost unrecognizable and fully embodies Henry's mercurial moods and debauchery.  Vikander gives a much more subdued performance but it worked for me because, even though Katherine is very progressive for the time period, she is still trapped by the dangerous whims of the king.  The costumes and production design are as stunning as you would expect from a period drama.  However, the pacing gets bogged down with a subplot about Katherine's influence on Henry's children, particularly Princess Elizabeth (Junia Rees) and her future reign, that isn't developed very well.  Also, the screenplay definitely makes use of *ahem* dramatic license with the ending.  This is a very serviceable historical drama with compelling performances and gorgeous visuals but I recommend waiting to see it when it streams.