The Tudors (First Season)
The television series The Tudors is the result of a major collaboration between studios, distributors, and even directors.
Forget Keith Michel's obese, roast chicken-limb chomping, lecherous and repugnant King. Put in his place, the dashing Jonathan Rhys Meyers, a stable of gallant lads, and a bevy of beautiful, porcelain-complected wenches, and you have the modern (or should that be post-modern?) version.
Don't be mistaken: Rhys-Meyer's regent is still lecherous, but his Henry is a king worth losing your head over!
In fairness, The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth was a brilliant series, but it didn't explore the earlier days of the King's life, and it was, relatively speaking, restrained.
The Tudors is a bold rendition of the early life of Henry VIII. It's fresh, engaging (read: addictive) and, unlike many period dramas of that era, far from dreary!
Rhys Meyers is aided by a notable cast, including Jeremy Northam, Steven Waddington, and Sam Neill. Neill excels as a cold, calculating Cardinal Thomas Wolseley: so much so, that I don't know that I'll ever again be able to giggle at the joyous abandon at the end of his lamb ads.
This may not be Tudor history precisely as you studied it, but it's not without commendable historical references. In the first couple of episodes alone, there are allusions to Thomas Moore's gentle humanism, the protestant stirrings of Martin Luther, and even the eminent British composer Thomas Tallis plays a recurring role. In addition to presenting a fine portrayal of the early rule of King Henry, the series manages to place this period of English history in a broader cultural context.