Firebrand

 “In a rotten, blood-soaked, island kingdom, there once was a queen by the name of Katherine Parr…”

Poised, historical and lavishly costumed, Firebrand is a juicy period court drama that navigates the intrigue of the Anglo-Catholic schism and the English Reformation amidst the faltering marriage between an ailing king and a reforming queen with fantastic performances from Jude Law and Alicia Vikander

Discussion Points:

I went into this expecting a fairly standard English period drama about Henry VIII and his final wife, Katherine Parr, the only wife to survive him. And it is that at points, but it’s also a surprisingly exciting and engaging church history film examining the contributions that Parr made towards the English Reformation and her theological studies and teachings. It definitely also shows what her marriage to Henry was like, and Jude Law is absolutely monstrous as the gout-ridden glutton, but this is Alicia Vikander’s film through and through. I loved the stunning costuming and impressive prosthetic work for Henry VIII’s gout ridden legs and whilst the films cinematography is sadly quite flat, the stunning period sets still pop. If you have any interest in Katherine Parr, Henry VIII, the English Reformation or English period court dramas - then I highly recommend Firebrand.