Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Dale Cooper If anyone knows how to make films about kings and queens, it the British. I wasn't wrote sure what to expect from this tale as I knew the story of Henry VIII and had read that this version had been lost for some time. It appears the camera negative was misplaced and now it has been found. This is all to the betterment of the film and the film maker, who in the DVD extras explains what happened.The story of an abandoned manor house where an injured Henry comes to seek refuge was no doubt one that was convenient for a film maker looking for an economic way to tell his tale. Once the film is underway you feel a real sense of damp presence and foreboding haunting. The mix of performances (with TP McKenna coming out clearly on top) makes this an unusual experiences but one that I can recommend. A change from the usual costume fare, this is one to be watched with the drapes closed and the doors firmly locked!!

Stephen McKenna 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.

Mark Deming, New York Times A commoner has an unusual run-in with the King of England in this offbeat historical drama. In 1547, Thorn (James Coombes) is employed as a servant and caretaker by a wealthy British landowner who has put Thorn in charge of his mansion while he's away for the winter. One night, Thorn is terrified to hear what he imagines are armed bandits breaking into the mansion, and he hides in fear of his life. However, Thorn soon discovers he has a very different breed of unexpected guests. With political unrest sweeping England, King Henry VIII (T.P. McKenna) is travelling incognito while trying to bring stability back to his domain, but his coach has been attacked by thieves and the wounded king needs a place to rest. Henry isn't so sure that the ambush was a simple robbery, however -- he thinks it could have been a cleverly disguised assassination attempt, and one of the advisors travelling with the king agrees. As Thorn observes the political intrigue that has suddenly appeared on his doorstep, he also has to deal with the randy goings-on of Henry VIII's assistants, who are openly and flamboyantly gay. Monarch was the first dramatic feature from documentary filmmaker John Walsh. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Barry Norman Monarch is an impressive debut for documentary director John Walsh. At first appearance this looks like a run of the mill costume drama, but the sparse location careful lighting and efficient use of money and sound effects brings an eerie quality to a film, which although shot on a low budget, does not fall into the trap many of Walsh's peers appear to have in recent years. Brit gangster flicks are almost a prerequisite for a British directorial debut these days. Opting for this historical retelling of one night in the life of Henry VIII shortly before his death John Walsh has managed to convey a grand story of a dying King in an intimate and poignant way, with a few chills along the way.Much of the sparseness can be attributed to the low budget yet this simply adds to the tension and feeling of emptiness in a Monarch who as lived with excess. Lighting and music are both careful and complex. The camera is confident a brave in many sequences allowing the story to unfold rather than driving the camera and Walsh avoids the hand-held horror of most first time feature directors, opting for a more considered and Kubrick like composition of each shot.Lighting by ex-Kubrick alumni Ray Andrew (camera operator on The Shinning) heightens the sense of a dark, damp historical past. You can almost smell the damp, yet the lighting and careful flesh tones and Walsh's composition is reminiscent of painter Caravaggio.The support players are good here too, feeling as through they have been at the court of Henry for some years are themselves ready to give up the ghost. Female cheaters are sparse here but their impact is powerful. Jean March from "Willow" and "Upstairs, Downstairs" impresses as a ghostly amalgam of Henry's past wives. Walsh has brought new life to an up to now, well trodden piece of English history.The plot is simple yet effective. A grand house closed for the season when one night the injured ruler is brought in and slumps by the grand fireplace. Henry is without the power and control of his palace and is vulnerable from those around him, and from his own sanity.TP McKenna towers as Henry VIII with on screen chemistry of the Jean Marsh putting a chill down the spine of most viewers. It is somewhat of a shame that little gems like this are not given a wider viewing. I look forward to what John Walsh can next offer up.