Monarch (2000)

I missed this film the first time round, but this just making 'finding' it now all the more intriguing. This is a cleverly simply story set in one stormy night in a house. There is a break in and then things start to kick off. Sounds like the outline for a low budget crime thriller right? No – this is period costume drama set during one night in the life of English King Henry 8th. The one who killed almost all of his wives.From a grunge indie inception to a full blow 35mm cinema experience this film certainly challenges the perception about first time feature films and their directors. John Walsh was 26 when he wrote, produced, directed and edited this mini epic. The cast is headed by Irish acting legend, the now late TP McKenna as King Henry and a ghostly appearance of Jean Marsh as one more of his former wives. Given the tight budget and innovative style, I would like to see what Hollywood makes of him.

No not Lord of the Rings, but an earlier telling of the story of Henry VIII. Not seen for nearly 20 years, Monarch is a good example of historical retelling. Set one night in an all but abandoned house, Henry VIII and his small court arrive unexpectedly during a thunder storm. I really enjoyed this film and despite all of it budget short comings it does hold the attention. An exquisite cast headed by Jean Marsh and the late great TP McKenna make this an essential master class for anyone who is thinking of playing a king. Young HBO pretenders to the crown take stock here, this is how to be a regent and not a hair gelled bed hopper. There is quiet desperation here and a metaphor about a monarchy in a modern society. Henry would never have survived the court of public opinion today. But then he was very much a product of his time, he flourished when it was a time of the tyrants. Well worth a look and yes a 10 out of 10, not because it's the most accomplished film ever made, but I wanted to give John Walsh a bog hand for his efforts on a shoe string. He shot at a location that was portrayed as an abandoned Jacobean manor house in a stormy night, when the harsh reality was this was a community centre in the daytime that was being used every day in the middle of a busy south London town, the magic of the movie eh?

The part fact, part fiction description on the film's summary belies a humble truth, which is that John Walsh's film was a docu-drama at a time when the phrase was not in common use to describe this kind of historical retelling. Sure there have been numerous Henry VIII bio-pics but this is very much in the vein of the film The Downfall, cleverly confining the action and narrative to one night at the end of Henry VIII's life. Stellar performances form the late TP McKenna and the brilliant and chilling Jean Marsh. A calm camera approach and a script sparkling with good one liners, Monarch has much to recommend it. The fact that John Walsh went on to have a major career as on the UK's foremost documentary film makers after tackling this subject is no great surprise. Walsh's return to cinema last year was the documentary feature film ToryBoy The Movie. His eye for politics, scandal and what makes society tick have become trademarks. Challenging the perceptions of the issues that bind us and the world we surround ourselves with have become the heart beats of his work. Monarch is well worth rediscovering.

A commoner has an unusual run-in with the King of England in this offbeat historical drama. In 1547, Thorn (James Coombes) is employed as a servant and caretaker by a wealthy British landowner who has put Thorn in charge of his mansion while he's away for the winter. One night, Thorn is terrified to hear what he imagines are armed bandits breaking into the mansion, and he hides in fear of his life. However, Thorn soon discovers he has a very different breed of unexpected guests. With political unrest sweeping England, King Henry VIII (T.P. McKenna) is travelling incognito while trying to bring stability back to his domain, but his coach has been attacked by thieves and the wounded king needs a place to rest. Henry isn't so sure that the ambush was a simple robbery, however -- he thinks it could have been a cleverly disguised assassination attempt, and one of the advisors travelling with the king agrees. As Thorn observes the political intrigue that has suddenly appeared on his doorstep, he also has to deal with the randy goings-on of Henry VIII's assistants, who are openly and flamboyantly gay. Monarch was the first dramatic feature from documentary filmmaker John Walsh. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi