WOLF HALL (2015)

Hillary Mantel’s dense, intensely involving novels on the rise of Thomas Cromwell, the commoner son of a blacksmith who became Henry VIII’s Lord Chamberlain (WOLF HALL; BRING UP THE BODIES) were manna from heaven for long suffering FoTC’ers (Fans of Thomas Cromwell) who’ve always seen him get a raw deal in hagiograpics focused on Thomas More or Anne Boleyn.  (Though even as villain, Leo McKern, of RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY fame, managed to gain rooting interest against Thomas More’s principled MAN FOR ALL SEASONS/’66.)  But Mantel alone gave her spirited Tudor tutorial a Cromwellian POV.  And it’s spirit that went missing from this superior, well-received 6-parter, in spite of its obvious qualities in period detail, historical sweep, acting & art direction.*  But so somber, so sober, so measured in pace (you keep wishing someone would break out in a sprint).  Since it’s initial broadcast, the final book in Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy has come out, THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT, charting his fall.  So, with its own 6-part dramatization appearing after a decade’s wait, time’s ripe for a revisit.  And surprise, a decade on, WOLF HALL 1 - 6 plays better than when it came out.  (Better to these eyes, anyway.)  With its sense of detail, character, devious court politics and quiet bravura acting trumping the pervasive hush and sorrowful tone that had seemed to smother what worked.  It may also have been helped by unmet expectations on Mantel’s opaque plotting, non-linear jumps and lack of rooting interest in THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT.  (A surprisingly tough read.*)  With the same creative team on board, we’ll soon see how they do with less triumphant source material.

READ ALL ABOUT IT:  *Before WOLF HALL, in A PLACE OF GREATER SAFETY, Hilary Mantel did a similar revelatory rethink for the French Revolution, reversing character traits on everyone from Danton to Robespierre.  Though with scores of unfamiliar characters and historical twists, it’s an even more daunting read than THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT.  But worth the effort.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  *Those qualities include all the principals: Mark Rylance, Damien Lewis, Anton Lesser, Claire Foy (Cromwell, Henry, More, Boleyn);  Peter Straughan script; Peter Kosminsky direction.