CinemaSerf

Nova Pilbeam draws the short straw in this interesting, if not exactly enthralling, depiction of the power-struggles that followed the death of Henry VIII in England. Edward VI (a rather lively performance from the 17 year old Desmond Tester) is not the healthiest of young men, and those in his council - initially led by Edward Seymour (Felix Aylmer) then by the Earl of Warwick (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) try to manipulate the succession. The latter prevails and upon the untimely death of the young king, he places the Lady Jane Grey - whom Henry VIII directed be 4th in the line of his own succession (she was his great niece) - ahead of the Princesses Mary and Elizabeth and so she is now, reluctantly, the Queen. To cement her precarious position she is quickly married off to a rather jolly, put politically unaware Guilford Dudley (John Mills) - the son of Warwick, so he can consolidate his control over the new puppet queen. Unfortunately for him, Princess Mary (Gwen Davies) raises troops and subverts this cunning treason. The story is established history, and the plot follows it fairly honestly. Pilbeam does elicit some degree of sympathy as she is clearly a pawn in the games of others - and both Aylmer and an on-form Hardwicke manage to create some sense of the duplicity with which these two men sought to usurp the Royal authority. The sets and costumes look fine, the dialogue maybe a bit too wordy, but it even features some genuine music written by Henry VIII and if you like a good old historical drama, then this will happily pass 80 minutes.