The White Queen: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] [2017]

A portrait of awful people, those who constituted the English ruling class in Britain (as well as France and Flanders) in the late 15th century. They were grasping, devious, treacherous, hypocritical, vicious, vengeful, petty, spiteful, jealous, religious, superstitious, immoral and unprincipled. Power centred on the sword and in the vacillating minds of monarchs. Absolutism meant living on the edge of whims made in the royal palace and living with the consequences of these shifting moods if you were a commoner without rank and redress of wrongs done to you. In an atmosphere of fear and distrust like this there were only ever two sides to choose from. Either you were with the king and his royal house or with the next usurper of them. In the first case you were a non-entity except when exploited by taxes or conscripted to fight in battles. In the second you lived dangerously as a traitor and if caught became the headless horseman of your own apocalypse. One shrewd nobleman, Sir Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby (1435-1504), hedged his bets by playing both sides of the divide, loyal one moment to the king (when it benefitted him), then a turncoat the next when it didn’t. But he had to be well connected and very clever to get away with it. Being powerful helped a lot too. This Wikipedia definition of him:“A landed magnate of immense power, particularly across the northwest of England where his authority went almost unchallenged, even by the Crown.”But most did not have Stanley’s power. Instead, they acquiesced to the powerful nobles and royals above them.Some people will say it’s unfair to apply 21st century moral standards to people in 15th century Europe. I think they’re wrong, as the human condition remains as it is, indelible. Verification of this comes from the 1948 U.N. Declaration of Universal Human Rights. Murder, rape, torture and plenty of other inhumane acts apply in all conditions in all places at all times. They are universal criminal offences. This is called civilisation. That Britain in the late 15th century was uncivilised is on vivid display here in this fine drama of political intrigue, deceit and cruelty. If you think our times are awful now (and they are in some ways where, for instance, 95% of all oxygen on Earth is polluted and over 15,000 nuclear weapons still exist) we live in a relative paradise compared to the absolute hell these people had to live through.Yet it’s a feature of dramas that protagonists must occur in them. Otherwise there’s no point in telling stories. If we are good, or hope to be good, we want to identify with what is good. In a story like this goodness looks thin on the ground, yet there is genuine affection, love, tenderness and devotion in it. Parents love their children and do their best to protect and instruct them. Some friendships based on trust and fidelity endure. The king (Edward IV, House of York) truly loves his Queen (Elizabeth Woodville, House of Lancaster), and she in turn genuinely returns the love. He says to her at one point that everything he has ever done or tried to do as king was because of her and his love for her. This may feel like overwriting on the part of Philippa Gregory and her screenwriters, but I’m not so sure. The historical accounts seem pretty emphatic that this marriage was one of profound mutual attraction, otherwise known as love as first sight. Elizabeth, a commoner, was not a customary or expected choice. Why should a king, the most powerful person in the land, stoop to marry a commoner? The accounts say he did so because he couldn’t help it. What good were alliances and state policy for him if, as the most powerful being in the land, he couldn’t even choose his own happiness? So he turned his back on tradition and protocol and followed his heart. This isn’t a point of sentimentality in the story. Instead, it’s quite touching, and if you are in love or have ever been in love you might agree with me upon seeing their romance and attachment. Their love is something bright in an otherwise dark drama.The problem with politics is that it pollutes so much, especially the soul. Most of the characters in this story are soulless, having sold out at some point along the way, making their Faustian bargains with contingencies that would benefit them politically, socially, financially, etc. Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry Tudor (future King of England as Henry VII) is one of the worst hypocrites. Not only is she scheming and conniving, she’s also pious, believing anything she thinks, says and does has God’s explicit blessing. I kept hoping against hope that Ford Prefect, the alien who visits Earth in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy would show up in the drama and ask her:“And just who is this God person you keep rattling on about and prostrating yourself to?”Reasonable question, though one seldom or never asked back then.But there are other machiavellian hypocrites worse than Margaret. One is Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick. Sleazy and repellant, he’s the kingmaker behind the scenes, the kind of guy you would never lend a tenner to for the next round. He drips with ambition and scheming, mellowness not part of his psychological remit. I knew he would die in battle at some point, but his death could not come soon enough for me. People aren’t human to him, especially his marriageable daughters. They are pieces on the political chess board, means to an end instead of sentient ends in themselves. Again, modern romance on my part? I don’t think so. If a man as father cannot love his daughters in any age he’s hardly fit to think himself a man and father. I despise him for this. Even his nearest and dearest, or what should be his dearest, are corrupted by his cynical ambition. In fact I was unable to stifle a laugh when someone at his funeral called him “a good and noble man”, similar to Paul Manafort, a Trump criminal associate, who is said to have “led a blameless life” in the opinion of the judge who sentenced him to prison.But worse than the hypocrites are the murderers. Is it true that King Richard III murdered the young sons (aged 8 and 12) of his brother King Edward IV after Edward died in 1483? Richard claimed he didn’t do it. If not, someone did. Margaret Beaufort is shown to be a candidate in this drama, as she stood to gain everything by their deaths if King Richard could be deposed (which he subsequently was by death in battle in 1485). His slayer was Henry Tudor, son of Margaret Beaufort, who then ascended the throne as Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty that included his son Henry VIII and granddaughter Queen Elizabeth I.How did the so-called War of the Roses end? Through political compromise. The eldest daughter of the White Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV, married Henry VII, thus uniting the two Houses of York and Lancaster (Tudor) and putting an end to the civil war that raged between cousins in the same extended family for over 30 years. So, that’s one positive point in the story, a political act that ushers in a period of temporary peace (before Henry VIII disposes of wives and takes on the Pope). The daughter of the White Queen is also an Elizabeth — Princess Elizabeth, whose story is told in the equally superb BBC series, The White Princess, which is just as good as this series, if not better. For one thing, it has subtitles, which ought to be compulsory by my reckoning. Nothing is wrong with my hearing. What’s wrong is muffled dialogue that cannot be deciphered no matter how high the volume is turned up. The BBC budget for The White Queen was £25 million. That’s a lot of money for a 10-part mini series. Granted, the costumes and sets are fantastic, so beautiful. I could feel I was in the 15th century. Also, much of the drama was not filmed in England but on location in Belgium (Bruges, Ghent, and elsewhere). Home probably would have been cheaper but they needed authentic late medieval buildings and could find plenty of them still standing in Flanders. Even so, how much extra would subtitles have cost them? I could catch only about 90% of what was said, which means the BBC owes me the missing 10%. Maybe they should send me the script to pacify me. Anyway, an unfortunate omission. The White Princess has subtitles, so maybe others apart from myself complained. If so, power to the people, right on!The production is billed as history seen through the eyes of women, following the novel of Philippa Gregory (same title) on which the series is based. Fair enough. Three of the important leads are women: Elizabeth Woodville (the White Queen, consort to Edward IV); Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor (Henry VII); and Anne Neville, daughter of Richard Neville (Earl of Warwick) who initially marries a prince in the House of Lancaster (another Edward) then later as a young widow marries Richard III, her cousin. These women have to scrape, scratch and claw for what is theirs, or what they take to be rightfully theirs. Their manners are no better than those of the men, although they openly fight less (at least not with swords). None are people you’d want to know, with the possible exception of Elizabeth Woodville (although she’s an occultist who engages in witchcraft and divination to try to get what she wants). Maybe a Halloween friend only.Despite the iniquities and inequalities of our age, I’m glad of central heating, indoor plumbing, electricity, umbrellas, democracy, trial by jury, a free press, weekends, and the absence of the plague and executioner’s blade. They did their best to survive back then, but as this series shows so well, it was a constant struggle and The Simpsons were not part of their world. Civilisation would have to wait.

I am enjoying these cd's. I am reading Philippa Gregory's books of the same period as well. It's a complex period in history and hard to know who is on whose side.The series has a good cast and is a good watch.Jacqueline

Whatched the first disc, very confuseing but still trying to understand this medieval series it seems to be all about who owns the land in this country, but will see how it goes. michael

Based on the successful novel by Philippa Gregory, this historical fiction focuses mainly on the women behind the powerful men in the "Wars of the Roses" - the family battle for the English crown in the mid to late fifteenth century between the Houses of York and Lancaster.It overflows with intrigue, strategising, politicking, plots, murder, romance, witchcraft, magic, and lots more besides. Shown over ten hour-long episodes, it is gripping from the start, and tells the lesser known Tudor story - the story of how the Tudors came to power in the first place.The actors performances are tremendous. The female actresses really shine through, especially Rebecca Ferguson's fantastic portrayal of "the White Queen" Elizabeth Woodville. She displays cunning, romance, decisive decision-making and loyalty in a stand-out performance. Faye Marsay is memorable as Lady Anne Neville, "the Kingmaker's Daughter" and queen consort to Richard III. And, Amanda Hale gives an emotive and driven portrayal of Lady Margaret Beaufort - "the Red Queen" and mother of Henry Tudor.The striking Max Irons is on the mark as Edward IV, although he does look incredibly youthful - right up until the time he dies! James Frain is scary and imposing as the strategising Richard Neville - 16th Earl of Warwick and known as "the Kingmaker". And Aneurin Barnard gives probably the most definitive performance of all as Richard III. He starts off as a quiet and honorable man in the shadow of his two elder brothers, but is drawn to the power of the crown which he grabs, and his moral compass never recovers.It has to be said that the well-known image of Richard III as one of the worst kings in English history is not on display here, as it is suggested that he did not order the murder of the "Princes in the Tower", and also he did not poison his wife in an attempt to marry a younger woman and produce a male heir. In fact, he is portrayed in quite a favourable light - certainly a relatively new and not entirely improbable depiction of a much maligned historical figure.But it is the role of women that defines this series. Although the men carry the titles of power, it is the women who appear to have at least an equal strength and level of influence. Their powers of magic and sorcery are taken very seriously, but their real power lies in them influencing men near to them - husbands, brothers, uncles and sons. The driving forces of the "Red" and "White" queens being the virtual power-brokers for their son and husband respectively is illuminating.The costumes are very well produced - all performers look striking and authentic to the period. The set designs are impressive, but at times they do not look totally genuine. Very few authentic sets were used - almost all were designed from scratch by the production crew. Period dramas come alive when "real" sets are used - this was one negative here. And, it was sometimes difficult to distinguish which interior set was which - many looked similar. This was partially explained in the extras as the set designer said he did use the same set for many locations and altered it for each, for example with tapestries, furniture or lighting.Having said that, the grand Gothic Hall in Bruges Town Hall representing Westminster Hall was a stunning location, as was the atmospheric Church of Our Lady - also in Bruges - representing St Stephen's Chapel. The problem was that these stunning locations were only used briefly - there could have been more of them.Philippa Gregory gives an interesting interview in the extras, explaining her enthusiasm for focusing on the female contribution to the historical events. She points out that most historical records say almost nothing about the women - she certainly set the record straight here. And, she points out that the series differs markedly from her novel - the series incorporates many more characters than she had in the book - but she says she is pleased the screenwriters freshened it up with a different emphasis.Overall, "The White Queen" is a fantastic series that appears to accurately portray events of a lesser known time in English history - the "Wars of the Roses". Even if it uses artistic license to fill in holes in the recorded history, it is done in good taste and with a high degree of probability and authenticity.

Bought for my son. Very good and worth the watch. Recommend

NIET LEUK, door slecht gehoor kan ik DVD niet spelen, er is GEEN ondertiteling. Site Amazon vermeldt dit wel. MISKOOP dus! bedankt AMAzon....

Je suis très satisfait de l'envoi de ce DVD neuf, comme indiqué dans l'annonce. Il est arrivé en bon état, sans aucun dommage. La livraison fut même des plus rapides. C'est avec joie que j'ai pu visionner de nouveau cette série qui nous plonge au cœur des intrigues de pouvoir à la cour des Plantagenêt, au sein des luttes fratricides intestines entre les Maisons de York et de Lancastre.

Llego mucho antes de lo programado, en perfectas condiciones, estoy muy satisfecho con la compra.

Pedido recibido correctamente y a tiempo. Me ha encantado la serie y la recomiendo de verdad. Se trata de la adaptación de unas novelas históricas,con lo cual tampoco hay que exigir completa rigurosidad con lo que sucedió realmente, cuando muchos de sus episodios todavía constituyen un enigma para los historiadores. Sin embargo, la trama es muy entretenida, los personajes sumamente atractivos y la recreación, la música y los escenarios estupendos, como suele pasar en las series de la BBC.Como dato muy interesante, decir que, aunque no se indica, la versión italiana tiene audio y subtítulos en varios idiomas, incluido el castellano, lo cual fue todo un puntazo. Muchas gracias a la persona que lo indicó en una de las opiniones publicadas con anterioridad.

Ich bin ein großer Fan von Historischen Serien und habe daher auch schon vieles gesehen ua.: Die Tudors, Borgia (zdf), Die Borgias... aber The White Queen....einfach nur Wow. Es hat alles was eine Serie für mich haben muss. Liebe, Intrigen, Macht, Kämpfe, Verschwörungen usw. Ich liebe diese Serie und kann sie jedem nur wärmstens empfehlen der die soeben genannten Serien mag.Einzige Manko: Die Serie endet nach "nur" 10 Episoden. Würde gerne eine weiter Staffel sehen aber leider....