Film Review – Firebrand (2023)

She was one of Henry VIII’s six wives, the one who survived – and, more significantly, outlived the King. Yet, of all of them, Catherine Parr is both the biggest enigma and the one with the most remarkable story, both as a religious radical and the first woman to have a book published in England and in the English language as well. If history, as seen through the eyes of Karim Ainouz’s Firebrand, is to be believed, she survived a whole lot more than marriage to Henry.

The film plunges us straight into the most challenging period of her time as Queen, and one which demonstrates Henry’s trust in her – the three months when he was away fighting the French and she was proclaimed regent to act in his place. All eyes are on her, with politicking nobles jockeying for position so that the king will favour them when he comes back. But his return is less than glorious: his ulcerated leg has deteriorated and the constant pain makes him bad tempered and paranoic. Now back in his shadow, Catherine soon finds her own life in danger for multiple reasons: her radical Protestant faith could be treasonous, as could the rumours surrounding her relationship with Thomas Seymour. And there’s also the possibility of a pregnancy.

It’s all about survival in a situation full of political machinations and there’s enormous potential for real threat, even if some of the issues at stake don’t have the same significance for a contemporary audience. Keeping her religious leanings under wraps is essential, the King’s impending death means the succession is an even hotter topic than ever and, of course, he still wants a son – or “a spare”, to use his all-too-familiar term. Yet, with all that going on, this version of the Tudor court is surprisingly flat and devoid of tension. There’s plenty of whispering in corners, moody candlelight and gruesome shots of Henry’s decaying leg, but the complicated politics fail to raise the slightest tingle. What menace there is comes from two sources. Bishop Stephen Gardiner (Simon Russell Beale longing to be Hilary Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell), the King’s trusted advisor, knows all about Catherine’s religious sympathies and is constantly on the lookout for the slightest slip-up. And Henry (Jude Law) himself, dominates his wife mentally and physically (did we really need a bare bum shot?).

The glum and uninspired script make this a frustrating and slow experience – and it also leaves a large question mark in your mind. Whose story is this really? Most of the screen time is devoted to Catherine, with and without Henry, but the film seems to belong to somebody else. Her voice opens the film, her face closes it and she is always there, either visibly or in the wings, so that much of what we see is through her eyes. Princess Elizabeth is mature for her age, highly intelligent and astute and with a survival instinct to match Catherine’s. And the story of her life points to her having learned much from her father’s behaviour, life at court in general and her stepmother.

This is a baffling film, one that promises much but is disappointingly stodgy. Alicia Vikander, who plays Catherine, can break out of it.

★★

In UK cinemas from 6 September / Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Simon Russell Beale, Eddie Marsan, Sam Riley / Dir: Karim Ainouz / MetFilm Distribution / 15