Henry VIII%27s 38-year reign as monarch of England saw that country transformed from a sleepy backwater of jousting tournaments and Catholic piety to a nation torn by religious and political strife -- all because of the king%27s desperation for a male heir. From the moment Henry Tudor casts aside his faithful wife Katherine of Aragon for the bewitching and determined Anne Boleyn, he sets himself on a course of disastrous marriages. The pious yet tragic Jane Seymour, bitter outcast Anne of Cleves, the adulterous child bride Katherine Howard and the devoted Katherine Parr all followed. The lucky ones were ruthlessly cast aside. The not-so-lucky ones were sent to their deaths. Ray Winstone stars as the cruel and colorful monarch who married six times, founded a new church and presided over a bloodbath. Helena Bonham Carter stars as the seductress Anne Boleyn; the stellar cast also includes David Suchet as Cardinal Wolsey, Emilia Fox as Jane Seymour, Sean Bean as revolutionary Robert Aske, Charles Dance as the Duke of Buckingham, Mark Strong as the Duke of Norfolk and Michael Maloney as Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. "Henry was a very troubled man," observes Winstone, who in the course of the film ages from the young athletic king to the burly icon familiar from Hans Holbein paintings. "This is a man who allowed two of his wives -- women he loved passionately -- to be murdered. At the same time, he wrote beautiful love letters, understood science and, to a certain extent, was a great ambassador. He was an intelligent, gentle, romantic man who lost his way when it came to love." Henry VIII, ascended to the throne as a lithe, handsome seventeen-year-old and died after an extraordinary 38-year-reign, an embittered, obese invalid.The rest of Europe looked on in amazement as Henry, desperate for a male heir, cast aside the older, but loyal Katherine of Aragon for a series of marriages, with wives who are better known for the way their lives ended rather than for how they were lived - the determined temptress Anne Boleyn; the pious yet tragic Jane Seymour; the outcast Anne of Cleves; the young, adulterous Katherine Howard and finally, the devoted care-giver Katherine Parr.This tale of Henry VIII depicts the sexual intrigue, betrayal and rivalry that existed within his Court, in a reign hallmarked by political and religious upheaval, violence and corruption.

Walt Whitman called Lillie Langtry "the essence of poetry." James Whistler confessed that even he couldn%27t capture her beauty in a painting. And George Bernard Shaw declared her "intelligent, daring, and independent." Francesca Annis portrays the acclaimed British actress and courtesan from the blush of youth to the blight of old age.
At a time when society expected women to be docile and demure, Lillie posed for celebrity endorsements, conducted her own business affairs, and paid her first husband to keep his distance. Even more scandalously, she openly entertained a string of lovers among Europe’s elite, including the very married Prince of Wales—all while managing to win the respect and admiration of his wife. With its splendid cast and exquisite production elements, Lillie vividly captures the complex woman who became one of the most infamous figures of the Victorian age.
The real Lillie Langtry (1853-1929) was the original Victorian supermodel and America%27s first "superstar." Inauspiciously born on the Isle of Jersey, Lillie began life as a small-town tomboy and went on to challenge Victorian society%27s attitudes toward women. Eventually sought after by painters, photographers, writers, and hostesses, the beautiful Lillie befriended Oscar Wilde, bedded the Prince of Wales, bore a daughter to Prince Louis of Battenburg, owned a California winery and winning racehorses, gained a British title, left a trail of broken hearts behind her wherever she went, and even had a town in Texas named after her. What the controversial Lillie did not gain through marriage, she earned as an actress and notable advertising figure who endorsed everything from soap and cigarettes to bustles.