The White Princess

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I’m writing this review after the release of the first episode, and so far I like what I’ve seen. Like many of the viewers, I’ve read the books and I watched “The White Queen,” and my heart goes out to the creators of this production, because I suspect they are serving a judgmental audience.

Fans of historical European monarchies tend to be discriminatory in what we deem acceptable historical stories. Our margin for error is unfairly narrow. I say unfairly because, regarding personal interactions, our perception of truth is largely based on diaries and written correspondence between key figures–both of which are completely subjective resources.

Additionally, whenever a book is brought to screen, the readers almost always lament the necessary omitting of some scenes. Unfortunately, this leaves us with a sense of loss that we apply to our reviews.

So, to my fellow fans of this genre, I’ll tell you this: I tried to watch this show without casting judgment based on the books and the White Queen, and in doing so, I feel that the show was well executed and therefore has earned my 5 stars.

– Holly Mo

I loved THE WHITE QUEEN and was eager to see THE WHITE PRINCESS. Although fictionalized and romanticized, THE WHITE PRINCESS does cover a dark period in English history where warring factors vied for the throne of England.

THE WHITE PRINCESS is mesmerizingly beautiful in its settings and costumes. The rich colors of the costumes will delight any viewer. In this series, Princess Elizabeth of York is obliged to marry a man she hates – the King Henry VII. The Princess’ mother Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville continues to plot against Henry and to bring her son to the throne. Here is a totally fascinating part of English history. After King Edward IV died in battle, his brother Richard took the throne and the rightful heirs. Edward and Richard were sent to the Tower of London. Their fate has never been conclusively determined, though most believed they were murdered. By marrying Elizabeth, Henry VII strengthened his claim to the throne.

The plot of THE WHITE PRINCESS centers around Elizabeth’s growing fondness for Henry. As she bears two make heirs, her connection to the Tudor throne is now solid. In this version of the story, Richard was replaced by a peasant in the Tower and escaped. Elizabeth’s world collapses when Richard returns to claim his throne. Is he an imposter or is he her brother. This is an enticing dilemma for the queen and the meat of our story.

I’ve read a lot on the TUDOR period in England. It was short-lived and ended with Henry VII’s three grandchildren eventually each taking the throne. This was a era of intrigue, conniving, back stabbing and threats from abroad. Alliances were formed and broken. THE WHITE PRINCESS is less about love and romance as it is about political intrigue. It’s was a fascinating time.

The actors are all exceptional and two stand outs in my mind are gorgeous Jodie Comer as Princess Elizabeth and lovely Rebecca Benson as Margaret Plantagenet. There is something particularly magical about Benson’s portrayal of Margaret whose brother Teddy, another heir to the throne, is also imprisoned in the Tower of London. We can see the fear and angst in her eyes. Here is a show that is full of truly marvelous actors.

The British do historical dramas better than anyone else. THE WHITE PRINCESS is a delight to the senses and anyone with a modest interest in history will be fascinated by the beauty of THE WHITE PRINCESS

– Jack E. Levic

This is a sequel to the White Queen, which was pretty good. The books are fabulous and would be hard for any miniseries to follow completely. This White Princess is terribly disappointing. They used NONE of the actors except for King Edward’s mother, and even she is made to look different. And she has gone from an evil character to a benevolent one. The tone is much more soap than historical fiction. Essie Davis did a fantastic job with what she was given, but who could work with that? The dialogue sounded like is was present-day, not 1490. Did the writers or actors even take the time to read the books before producing this? Why is Lady Cecily (the younger one, Elizabeth of York’s sister) suddenly so evil? Were they just trying to “spice things up?” They have also made King Henry Tudor handsome and at times, sympathetic, when he was by all accounts (and certainly the books) a weak, narcissistic Mama’s boy. The actors (and acting) in the first series is so much better than this. It is a frustrating story, anyway, if you follow the history. In real life, good did not triumph over evil. Children were murdered, really many innocent people were murdered and that environment really did not diminish until the reign of Elizabeth I, long after all of these characters would have died. It might be a frustrating story, but they still should have stayed true to the actual story, this adaptation is like a soap opera that has taken its own strange path.

– lmhb

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Katie Powles, Jodie Comer, Jacob Collins-Levy, Michelle Fairley, Chris Barnicoat
Directors: Alex Kalymnios, Jamie Payne
Format: Box set, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR – Not Rated
Studio: LIONSGATE
DVD Release Date: August 29, 2017
Run Time: 558 minutes
ASIN: B0721Y7ZCW