Watch Monarch For Free

Touches You

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

i must have seen a different film!!

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

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.

Jeez this really is a divisive one. Many of the reviews here show that there are fans of this movie and what can only be described as haters of this movie. Well my score gives my hand away. There is an otherworldlyness quality here that I found quite unsettling. Ideally watched after midnight in darkened room. Not a horror and not really a costume drama in the sense of Downtown Abbey or even The Tudors, this sits in a movie hinterland. The plot is simple and allows for some tension exploitation. Why did this works for me is the real question. The casting of Brits is great from wicked witch actress Jean Marsh to legendary TP McKenna who has played in many an epic picture. The music hear is like a creeping ivy across the senses. The lighting and the camera-work restrained and seemingly more from an experience hand than a directorial newbie John Walsh. Watching the DVD extras of the remastered film it becomes clear that this was a guerrilla shoot. But rather than opting for a bunch of guys killing each other in the woods or a sub Tarrentino gangster effort, Walsh has really tried to get to grips with the idea of royal celebrity and this little film has a big voice when it comes to something to say. Why others don't like this film is perhaps more to do with modern tastes and the Game of Thrones hunger for all things shiny and sexy, something this film certainly isn't and it's all the better for it. For now this rough little gem will be sat on its own until either Walsh or someone else decides to add to this damp smelling historical playlette.

A sensationalist headline for a sensational performance. This small indie film is not like it other indie films, it's a costume drama for a start. A young director at the time, John Walsh took the brave step of casting older actors and some heavy weight ones at that. Jean Marsh is famed for her iconic Upstairs Downstairs role, which she created. A Hollywood career beckoned with witches, and wizards tripping off her acting lips. For the role of the most feared king of England, TP McKenna. A respected Irish actor of stage and screen, his contemporaries include, Peter O'Toole, Lawrence Olivier and Richard Burton. Ironically he would take a supporting role in Burton's own Henry VIII epic Anne of A Thousand Days.The film has been remastered from its original camera negative and I have been honoured to have a sneak preview. Often reviewers say the film "blew them away" or "it's the best film I've seen this year". Here I'm not going to say that. But the film is a strange one. I can honestly say it left me with a very uneasy feeling, a haunting piece that seems to look into the very soul of the king of England. The performance from TP McKenna is a towering achievement, it's Olivier-esque. Sadly TP McKenna actor died in 2011, but I am sure he would approve of this revisiting of his work and in its new HD glory, is saved for future generations.

For all is money and bed room antics, The Tudors is not a patch on low budget feature Monarch. Why? Because I found out more about Henry VIII form this hidden gem of a movie than I did with four series of the soap opera with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I'm a big fan of The Tudors. It has a Game of Thrones take on history. But as an avid follower of British Monarchy, this film Monarch gives me more food for thought. That said it is everything The Tudors isn't: low budget; all set in one location; during one night; a cast that all seem well passed middle age. Despite that it works well as a companion piece. Big TV mini-series have the scope and budget to make the spectacle as real as possible for the viewer, but for most of the cast there is little progression in their characters from one series to the next. I would say take a look at Monarch and see if you agree with the reviews here that the film is like a little time capsule and has captured a new view of Henry VIII, undeniably the most written, talked and filmed about Monarchs of all time. The late Irish actor TP McKenna plays Henry here and turns in a first rate performance. The film was the brain child of the now well- known social and political film maker, John Walsh. I want to see more dramas from him.