Monarch (2000)

Too much of everything

It is a performances centric movie

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

I was lucky enough to see this film at the cinema when it was released and now have my DVD copy in this beautifully remastered version.Great performances by the late TP McKenna; Jean March and Peter Miles, of Doctor Who fame.The film which is shot at Charlton House, with its dark and sinister interiors which really lends itself to the nature of this broody and macabre film.There is also a small cast which I think has helped play with the uncomfortable feel you get of the surroundings.The soundtrack comprising of a chamber sized orchestra and I believe some crash cymbals all help enhance the mood of the film throughout.This movie is definitely a must have to go with your DVD collection.

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.

The late T.P. McKenna will soon be making a comeback of sorts with the re-release of 'Monarch' on blu-ray. This was a film feature he made in 1996 for John Walsh making his drama debut. The enterprising young graduate of the London Film School aimed high with a part-fact/part-fiction account of an isolated King Henry VIII in the last year of his life who, after he is injured on a hunting trip, is forced to take refuge in a strange manor house, well away from the protection of his palaces and his court. There are fears of enemies within and without the walls as the king glowers in a virtual state of persecution. In his delirium a conflation of his wives attends his bedside (all played by Jean Marsh). Even Ebenezer Scrooge only had to cope with three ghosts in the one night. Cinematographer, Ray Andrew (noted for his camera work on The Shining, Das Boot and An American Werewolf In London) enhances the film's tension with a subdued, almost Stygian lighting plot providing each frame with a painterly quality. This is an assured feature film debut by John Walsh, however, it might be said to be a matter of regret that his notable successes as an award-winning documentary film maker have kept him from following up on his success with Monarch. Perhaps, with the restoration of the original negative for its blu-Ray release, Walsh will be inspired to return to the dramatic form. For now, a distinct gem of a movie has been remounted and will soon be ready for a whole new audience.

Taking a new approach to the costume drama, John Walsh makes an interesting debut for a documentary director more established these days for harsh realistic films on hate crime and politics. This effort from the late 90s is testament to a genuine film maker with something to say. He manages to weave a part fact and part fiction story around a single night. It captures much of the darkness of The Downfall but arrived some a good five years before it. The micro budget does show at times but given this a guerrilla shoot, Walsh has managed to capture a sense of style and grace when his contemporaries were running around with 'mockney' crime cappers. Sadly the lead actor TP McKenna passed away 18 months ago, but with an imminent blu ray release coming down the tracks, his mesmerizing performance can be enjoyed by all.