Firebrand

9/7/2024

This rather sumptuous historical drama starts off with a caption that tells us we are all taught from history books about men and war. That appears to serve the purpose of excusing what comes next from at attempts to reflect what little is actually known of Katherine Parr. She was the final wife of England's Henry VIII and was known as a woman who favoured the translation of the bible from Latin into English to broaden it's access by the people. She (Alicia Vikander) quickly finds a powerful enemy in Bishop Gardiner (Sir Simon Russell Beale) who strives to prove the point of her friend, the rabble-rouser, Anne Askew (Erin Doherty) that it's important to the clergy and, indeed, to the King himself (Jude Law) that the interpretation of God's word is left to those more qualified - and certain