Two Films by Hirokazu Koreeda

Initially learned of and started to watch series "Asura" (2025) and then learned of film"Monster".  A lot of difficulty as my computer was not able to access Monster and finally learned I could catch it at a library computer.

Admired Hirokazu Koreeda for his previous films and thought I would combine coverage of both.  A series does offer more character development and room for more complicated plots.  On the other hand a film can make a definite point in short order.

Asura was an 8 part series that had been adapted from earlier Korean versions.   The really key part is how 4 adult sisters with different situations got along.  At times one could detect jealousy, but at others they would support each other.

The second youngest, Takiki hires a detective to follow her father and learns he has another family including a son.  The sisters aren't sure how to handle it, not wanting to upset their mother and ideally stop the relationship.  Takiki was thought of as too plain looking and too stiff to ever get married or even have much of a relationship with a man.  She herself  had given up hope of ever getting married, but the detective likes her, a lot.  He is a decent enough fellow who later confesses to the father that he was the one who spied on him.

Another development was the youngest and most attractive sister, lives with a boxer who has some initial success, but boxing is a dangerous game.

There are complications.  The sisters don't always see eye to eye on how to handle their father and even become more aware of the other woman and her son.  The father sees nothing wrong with his arrangement having two families.  Enough said.

 Hirokazu Koreeda is the link between these two films.  He is the director, writer and editor for both films.  He has 35 credits as director,  20 as a writer and 18 as editor including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013), "Our Little Sister" (2015), "The Third Murder" (2017), "Shoplifters" (2018) and "Broker" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/broker-japanese-korean-collaboration.html

Hajiri Taguchi was the producer for both films.  He has 31 producer credits including "Still Walking" (2008) Like Father, Like Son" (2013), "Our Little Sister" (2015), "The Third Murder" (2017), "Shoplifters" (2018).

Miyuki Fukuma was a producer for "Asura".  He has 6 producer credits and 3 for additional crew including "Still Walking" (2008), "The Third Murder" (2017) and "Broker" ( 2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/broker-japanese-korean-collaboration.html

Yu Aoi played Takiki.  She has 93 acting credits including"Hula Girls" (2006).

Rie Miyazawa played Tsunako.  She once posed in the nude and consequently was dropped by her studio and had to find another studio.  She has 65 acting credits.

Michiko Ono played Makita.  She has 117 acting credits including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013) and "Light of my Lion" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/12/light-of-my-lion.html

Suzu Hirose played Sakito.  She has 51 acting credits and 3 for soundtrack including, "Our Little Sister" (2015), "The Third Murder" (2017) and "Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle?" (2025). See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/03/who-saw-peacock-dance-in-jungle.html  That is her on the poster

Jun Kunimura played the father.  He has 232 acting credits including "Kill Bill: Vol 1" (2003), "The Wailing" (2016), "Japan Sinks:  People of Hope" (2021) and "The Boy and the Heron" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/japan-sinks-people-of-hope-emigration.html

Masahiro Motoki played Takao, the husband of Tsunako.  He has 59 acting credits.  He had to learn to play the cello to play the lead in the foreign film Oscar winner, "Departures" (2009).

"Monster" used flashbacks to point out there is more than one side to any event.  The director stated that all the characters were like prisoners.  A young boy exhibits strange behavior.  His mother goes to the school as she believes one teacher had used violence and insults against her son.  She meets with the principle, other teachers and the teacher Hori.  All are apologetic, but don't seem willing to do more than promise the incidents will not be repeated.  She is not satisfied.

Nothing is quite the total truth when you first experience an event.  Through the flashbacks we are given some background of the teacher, the principle and the other teachers.  We also view a friend of Minato, Yuri and learn more of the background of the two boys.  One phrase that comes to mind is "don't judge the book by the cover."

Ryuici Sakamoto was the composer who died shortly after this film and had it dedicated to him.  Born in Japan he did much of his composing in America.  He had provided some music for the Opening Ceremonies for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.  He had 124 composing credits, 44 for the music department and 22 for acting including "The Last Emperor" (1987) which won an Oscar for him, "Wuthering Heights" (1992), "The Revenant" (2015) and "Call Me By Your Name" (2017).   

 Soya Kurokawa played Minata, the lead.  Despite his youth he has 13 acting credits.

 Sukura Ando played Minata's mother.  Her great grandfather had been the Japanese Prime Minister Tsyohi).  She has 74 acting credits including "Shoplifters" (2018).

Eta Nagayama played Hori, the teacher.  He has 96 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for writing.

Shida Nakaumura played Yuri's father.  He has 107 acting credits and 1 for directing.  One of his films was "Letters from Iwo Jima" (2006), directed by Clint Eastwood.

The films by Hirokazu Koreeda are noted for their understanding of human nature.  "Asura" is on Netflix with subtitles or dubbed.  "Monster" was seen on Hoopla which is free with some library cards.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

Romantics Anonymous

 When I started to research for "Romantics Anonymous" (2025) I discovered I had already seen an earlier version, "Romantics Anonymous" (2010), seen over a decade ago.  In truth I don't remember much about the earlier French-Belgian version, but there were some differences. 

The 2010 version was an 80 minute movie while the Japanese version ('Romanchikku Anonimusu") was an 8 part series, giving them the advantage of character development.  The emphasis on the French-Belgian version ("Les emotifs anonymes") was on extreme shyness making it difficult for a couple to break the ice.  The more modern version chose to handicap each of the leading characters with unusual disabilities, one anxious about being touched (but not autistic) and the other anxious about eye contact known as scopophobia.  They also had a parallel romance  that complicated the main couple.

One common denominator is a focus on chocolate.  You will be tempted to taste some chocolates and they are very addictive.  There is a cut throat business angle with everyone wanting a cheap price, good quality and above all a profit.  Another angle is the father-son within the corporate structure.  Many of Sosuke's ideas are dismissed, but he does go beyond his father's wishes.  

By the second and third episodes the two leading actors become aware of each other's vulnerabilities, but each assures the other they will not fall in love.  Hana in fact has a crush on Hiro, a Kendo colleague who happens to be a close friend of Sosuke and oblivious to her.  Because of her scopophobia Hana avoids a lot of attention that comes with eye contact.  Her well regarded mentor Kenji trained her and encouraged her to present her chocolate creations anonymously, but in effect not part of any company.  She hides her secret, although everyone is envious of her creations and is perceived as a shy nobody .

It takes a talented crew to engage your attention over the series.  Here are a few key ones.

 Sho Tsukikawa was the director.  He has 32 director credits, 10 for writing and 7 as editor.

Yoshikazu Okada was a writer who helped adapt the French/Belgian script.  He has 79 writing credits plus 2 for directing.

Jean-Pierre Ameris was the writer for the original "Romantics Anonymous" (2010).  He has 19 writing credits plus 24 for directing and one for producing including "L'homme qui rit"(2012).

 

 

 

 

 

Dalpalan was the composer.  He has 27 composing credits and 4 for the music department including "The Good the Bad the Weird" (2008), "The Thieves" (2012), "For the Emperor" (2014), "Assassination" (2015), "The Wailing" (2016), "My Name is Loh Kinan" (2024) and "Killer Paradox" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/03/a-killer-paradox.html

 Kosuke Yamada was the cinematographer.  He has 24 cinematography credits and 4 for the camera and electrical department including "Beyond Goodbye" (2024).

Jinmo Yang was the editor.  He was educated in the United States.  He has 28 editor credits, 11 for the editorial department and 2 for visual effects including "Snowpiercer" (2013), "The Beauty Inside" (2015), "Train to Busan" (2016), "Okja" (2017), "Parasite" (2019) and "Mickey 17" (2015).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/09/parasite-breaks-oscar-tradition.html

Syd Lim was the executive producer.  He has 24 producer rests, plus 1 for acting and another for additional crew including "Oldboy" (2003), "The Beauty Inside" (2015) and "The Handmaiden" (2016).

Shun Oguri played Sosuke.  He has 137 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for writing including "Japan Sinks: People of Hope" (2021).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/japan-sinks-people-of-hope-emigration.html

 Han Hyo-joo played Hana Lee and is Korean.  She has 35 acting credit plus 1 for composing and 1 for soundtrack including "The Beauty Inside" (2015).

Jin Akanishi, played Hiro, close friend to Sosuke, a Kendo trainee and a jazz musician.  In reality he was a well established singer and song writer.  He has 24 acting credits and 1 for the music department and 2 for soundtrack including the Hollywood version of "47 Ronin" (2013).

Yuri Nakamura played Irene and on and off romantic interest for Hiro.  She has 135 acting credits including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013).

You might be put off by the initial demonstrations of the two leading characters' mental afflictions, but it does not become cartoonish and eventually you will feel a little of the anxiety caused by the sensitivities.  It is a typical enjoyable romance, with misunderstandings and a happy ending.  Available on Netflix with subtitles or dubbing.  If you like chocolates (or are you really strange?) you will find that part of the film of interest.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

Who Killed the Montreal Expos?

 "Who Killed the Monteal Expos?" has hit a nerve.  Although basketball has been my favorite sport since high school I was definitely a baseball fan.  During the players' strike 1994 the decision was made to sell the Expos to American interests.  At the time they were leading the majors.  The good players were traded or sold with little value in return.  In 2004 the team was sold to interests in Washington, D.C.

I felt betrayed.  I switched my interests to other sports and now basketball, my favorite was getting more accessible on tv and even in person. 

Montreal had a baseball history.  Jackie Robinson played there on a farm club as well as other blacks.  It was not the smallest market and did much of the time have good attendance.

The bottom line was money.  The documentary names names, but the truth is if more (a lot more) money had been available Montreal would likely still have the Expos.  By the 1980's player salaries had started to escalate and to make it worse that money was in American currency while revenues were in Canadian dollars which were declining in value.  Quebec politics drove out many anglophones who had been a significant portion of the fans.  There were no billionaires in Quebec and attempts to consolidate lesser fortunes started to fail.  

Near the end circumstances had conspired to make broadcast revenues shrink.  In one year TSN offered the Expos $5,000 per game while offering the Toronto Blue Jays $200,000 per game.  French broadcast rights were also difficult, yet vital for future success.

In 1994 the strike led to the season not being completed.  The players had long felt they were not getting their fair share of the money brought in by the fans.  The owners felt that the rising salaries were hurting the poorer teams (like Montreal) affecting the competitiveness needed to draw crowds.  Revenue sharing was seen as one solution, but was resisted by some owners.  Of course they all wanted to keep salaries under control.  As we know they kept growing, helping to freeze out prospective  Quebec and Canadian owners.

In addition to interviews in French and English with business people there were many conversations with former players, a few in French, notably Felipe Alou and the senior Vladimir Guerrero.  Alou who went on to being a successful and popular manager put his children into French schools.  One fan recalled that when she gave birth she had insisted a tv. would be put in the room so she could watch an Expos game.  

In my research I was reminded of some players.  Rusty Staub was an early star and with his reddish hair was nicknamed "Le Grand Orange."  He endeared himself to fans by learning French.  The Expos had 9 former players get elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Olympic Stadium had become a liability.  Parts of the building had collapsed and players were reluctant to play there for the poor playing conditions.  A new stadium was identified as a necessity, but gathering funds was very difficult.  Most American teams were able to get money from government, but Premier Lucian Bouchard was quoted as saying Quebec was closing hospitals and could therefore not open stadiums.

Jeffrey Loria and has stepson, David Samson are pointed as the main villains by some.  They had good intentions at the beginning in 1999, but felt frustrated with all the mostly money squabbles.  When Jeffrey sold the Expos that became the Washington Nationals he used the money to invest in the Miami Marlins taking all the Expo resources he could, including one computer an interviewee pointed out.

Here in Blue Jays territory Vladimir Guerrro, Jr. is a big star and it is nice to realize his father was a big star for the Expos.

Jean-Francois Poisson was the director of the film,  His experience has been mostly with documentaries in the Quebec market.  He has 14 directing credits, 11 for writing and 3 as editor.  Check out "Who Killed the Montreal Expos" on Netflix--subtitled for the French, but it is mostly in English.

I better understand the situation, but it also reinforces my feeling that money is the power that (mostly) guides our lives.  Just enjoy what you can with what access you have. 

There is interest in getting baseball back to Montreal.  Surprisingly considering many critical details it was stated in the credits that film was done "with the participation of Major League Baseball.  There undoubtedly will be a lot of competition.  

I already loved basketball, but the failure of the Montreal Expos played a part in my sports priorities.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/06/my-60-year-love-affair-with-basketball.html

The New Force--Women step forward

We tend to think of Sweden as one of the more progressive nations, but in 1958 there were traces of misogyny among the police.  During a shortage of police officers in Sweden it was decided to experiment with women.  

After a brief period of training several women were brought to a Stockholm district station and paired off with male officers to evaluate them.  As you might imagine there was some resentment and over the course of a few months some of the resentment eased.

In the first episode events took Carin to a brothel that led to a prostitute's murder, a coverup and trying to work with another prostitute to pursue a suspect.  

Another female officer Siv trying to help, lied to a detective in the pursuit of the suspect who was a brothel owner.  This resulted in some confusion and entanglement with the detective.

A third female officer, Ingrid (close friend of the other two) became involved with male officers trying to discourage her by their rough house ways of handling criminals.

There were political factions among the more senior officers.  One hoped the experiment would work while another was set against the effort.  Carin  had an upper class boyfriend whose mother was very snobby about her son's choice of a girlfriend.  

The plot weaves through six episodes with the final one full of surprises.  As women are integral to most western police departments you won't be too surprised, but the struggle is not over.

Some IMDB reviewers commented on what they considered inappropriate music that intruded every now and then and it took away from their respect for the film.  It was described as hip hop in one review and I would agree it would have been better to have some 60's rock n roll to depict the time.  However there was enjoyable background music (one segment I bought).

This series makes a good point of the feminist struggle going beyond the institutional battles to the personal prejudice encountered in their social lives.  Credit is well deserved and here are a few contributors.

Rojda Sekersoz was listed as a conceptual director.  She has 7 directing credits and 3 for writing.

Julia Lindstrom was the director.  She has 8 directing credits, 2 for writing and 1 for editing.

Patrik Ehrnst was the writer.  He has 7 credits for writing, 6 for producing and 1 for the editorial department.

Iryna Gmeyner was the composer.  She has performed musically under the name April Snow.  For this film she collaborated with pianist Martin Hederos.  Iryna has 8 composer credits, 3 for the music department and 1 for acting. 

Andres Lennartsson was the cinematographer.  He got some of his experience living in Prague, Czech Republic before returning to Sweden.  He has 34 cinematography credits.

Sofia Lindgren was the editor.  She has 61 editor credits, 9 for the editorial department and 1 for the script and continuity department including 11 episodes of "The Bridge" (2011). 

Agnes Raes played Siv.  She had 8 acting credits.

Josif Asplund played Carina.  She started in musical theater at age 6 until her teen years. She has 19 acting credits including the English version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2011).  I saw the Swedish version.

 Malin Perrson played Ingrid.  She has 24 acting credits.

Hannes Fohlin, played Oscar, the detective.  He has 30 acting credits.

Rasmus Luthander played Carina's boyfriend Arne.  He has 20 acting credits including "Let the Right One In" (2008).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/06/swedish-movies.html  that includes a paragraph on "Let the Right One In" plus other Swedish memorable  films.

Domink Henzel, played Carl Fischer, the officer against female participation.  He is well known for tv. commericals and being a standup comedian.  He has 28 acting credits.

Leonard Terfelt played Jack the brothel owner.  He has 18 acting credits including "The Bridge" (2011).

Women have made a lot of progress around the world.  We sometimes forget there have been countless battles.  "The New Force" can be seen on Netflix subtitled or dubbed.

The Marionette

Terry Fallis has never failed me.  His books have been engaging and hard to put down.  His humor brings on chuckles.

In "The Marionette" the hero, Norval James is a very successful spy novelist who visited Tajikstan for research and got into a jam, evolving to some uncomfortable imprisonment, but was rescued by some Canadian embassy staff.  From there he is introduced to a government employee, Angus McLintock (from a previous novel, "Operation Angus) who tells him about a unique situation requiring his unusual qualifications.  It seems a foreign leaders who is great fan of Norval's books is in some sort of trouble and is in charge with some 15 Canadians kept against their will at a Mali mining site.

Looking at a video the leader of Mali had arranged all of Norval's books out of chronological order to send a message that he needs help.  It turns out his country has nationalized a gold mine and forced some of the Canadian staff to work under duress.  CSIS has been tasked to rescue them and stumbled upon the leader's obsession with Norval's books..

Norval had had great ambitions to join CSIS some 20 years previous to become in effect a spy, but despite a promising start in the testing he was dropped without an explanation.  Instead he turned to writing fictional spy books.  Now he is brought together with the actual CSIS whose members seem skeptical and even when persuaded to work with him strongly demand that he stay in the background while professionals make the key decisions.

The leader of Mali is indeed a big fan and it does turn out that he is something of a puppet, or Marionette hoping someone will disentangle him from his mess.  It seems he is more of a hostage with his young unsuspecting daughter being used as leverage.  Norval works with Lauren Cooper who pretends to be his research assistant and for awhile they have a tricky relationship.  You know somehow they will smooth out their relationship and develop a complicated rescue plan.  Along the way there will be some laughs, but also a little suspense.  

 Terry Fallis, with a political background does a little satire.  One of his comments reminds me of another writer, Robert J. Sawyer with connections to McMaster University who spoke at the Hamilton Public Library.  Robert was a prominent science fiction writer who had some of his books turned into television scripts.  It turns out Robert did not include any explosions in his stories, but television people felt they were necessary to make the shows successful.  Robert pointed out lots of money had been spent and he okayed it.  

Terry was a graduate engineer student at McMaster while Robert had just agreed to let his literary papers be housed at McMaster.  He had received similar offers from other universities, but chose McMaster because they were treating him as a writer and not merely a science fiction writer.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/04/memories-of-robert-j-sawyer.html

 Terry, winner of the Stephen Leacock award has also had stories turned into television shows.also finds ways to subtlety make fun of writers.  Nobody is safe.

I look forward when Terry visits the Hamilton Public Library next month.

An earlier blog covering several of Terry's books:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/10/terry-fallis-with-little-humour.html

And another blog about a more recent book:   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/10/a-new-season.html

Jane Goodall and her famous last words

Jane Goodall is one of those people we wish there were more of in the world.   Most of us live in urban environments with our pet dogs and cats, but mostly separated from nature.   We forget we are part of nature.

The concept of "Famous Last Words" is to interview notable people to not be aired until after their death.  Originated in Denmark.  Very personal.  This is really the first episode to be aired.

 

In the interview she is very conscious that when her audience sees the film she is already dead.  Most of it is her story and opinions.  To some the idea might seem morbid, but Jane seemed appreciative of the opportunity.

The interviewer, Brad Falchuk, also the publisher had learned she liked a shot of whiskey to warm up and so they both enjoyed some whiskey together.  He was very good at putting her on ease to express herself freely.  The cameras were mobile and most important not visible.

As a youngster she had a strong curiosity about animals including worms.  Most mothers would be upset with their daughter handling worms, but Jane was encouraged to express her fondness for animals.

She was one of three women chosen by Louis Leakey to study primates in their natural surroundings.   Although she did not have a Bachelor's degree she was admitted for a Ph.D at Cambridge.

When she first arrived in Africa she was soon alone and not sure where the chimpanzees were to be found.  She was not bored, but found other creatures to observe.  One such study was of dung beetles who perform a task that helps balance nature.  She did meet up with some chimpanzees and had to earn their trust.  As she got more comfortable she was able to observe their similarities to humans.  Chimpanzees were able to make tools, go on organized war parties against other chimps, could pass on information to future generations and were emotionally complex. 

Her first husband, Hugo von Lawick  was a photographer assigned to take still shots and film of her with the chimps.  They became attached and married and had one son Hugo.  She related in her last words interview that her son took the divorce very hard.  After an education in England Hugo preferred to build boats in Tanzania.

Her second husband was Derek Bryceson who had been a director of a natural foundation.  They were married until he died of cancer five years later leaving her a widow for the rest of her life.

Opinions might have been carefully expressed in public, but here she strongly lets us know she does not like Donald Trump.  One can only hope that more people will respect her views than that of Donald Trump.  Elon Musk and Putin were also singled out as vile people.

Some phrases she used were "Your life matters", "Don't lose hope" (she felt the world was in terrible shape) and we are all "part of nature."  When asked how she saw her purpose she replied "

This photo has a personal connection for me.  I met Bruce Lawes at a horse show where he was exhibiting a really visually dynamic realistic painting of a horse.  I have followed him partly through his former agent, Glenda Fordham a Facebook friend.  I had seen this photo earlier and can imagine he took the pains to get the painting as realistic and memorable as possible.

She died in her sleep in Los Angeles on October 1, 2025 and the film was released only a few days later.  The film can be seen in full on Netflix.  Her last words can be found here on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfLKHY52ERc

The film was based on a Danish series "Det Sidse Ord" in 2020.  

Wolf Hall

"Wolf Hall" (2015) takes us back to the 1500's.  The focus is not on the infamous Henry VIII, but his councillor Thomas Cromwell.

Cromwell is trained in the law and had traveled around Europe.  He had a relatively low position, but carefully uses his persuasion powers to work with King Henry VIII.   When we meet him he working under Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who is about to be let go by Henry VIII for his failure to annual the marriage to Anne Boleyn.  

Cromwell delicately endears himself to the king and over time becomes his chief advisor.  He has critics and opposing royal court members, but is very deft at handling them.

You don't want to go to bed right after the ending.  Although the story is fictionalized if you knew your history it wouldn't be a surprise. 

A lot of talented people helped to make this worth your while.

Peter Kosminsky was the director.  While in high school he was a producer for a touring play of "Twelfth Night" that included fellow students Hugh Grant and composer Rachel Portman.  He ended up at the BBC directing documentaries.  He has 19 directing credits, 11 for producing and 6 for writing including "Wuthering Heights" (1992) and "White Oleander" (2002)

Peter Straughan was the writer.  Early he was a bass guitarist and played for over 4 years in bands.  He has 15 writing credits, plus 2 as director and 1 for producer including "The Debt" (2010), "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (2011), "Our Brand is Crisis" (2015), "The Goldfinch" (2019) and "Conclave" (2024).

Debbie Wiseman was the composer.  She is asked to be a conductor for different orchestras.  She has 149 composing credits, 37 for the music department and 2 for acting.

Gavin Finney was the cinematographer.  The director trying to present a 1500's indoor lighting had scenes filmed by candlelight.  He has 56 cinematography credits plus 7 for the camera and electrical department including "Unforgotten" (2015-2017).

David Blackmore was the editor.  He has 58 editor credits.

Mark Rylance played Thomas Cromwell.   Mark has been involved with theatre.  From 1995 to 2005 was artistic director for Shakespeare's Globe.  He has won theatre awards on both sides of the Atlantic including 3 Tony awards.  He has 40 acting credits and 2 for producing including "Bridge of Spies" (2015), "The BFG" (2016),  "Dunkirk" (2017),  "Ready Player One" (2018), "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (2020), "Don't Look Up" (2021), "The Phantom of the Open" (2022) and "The Outfit" (2022).  See ...  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/05/bridge-of-spies.html  

Damian Lewis played King Henry VIII.   Damian has also had a theatrical career.  He has developed a credible American accent.  He has 40 acting credits, 4 for producing and 3 for soundtrack including "Band of Brothers" (2001), "Keene" (2004), "Much Ado About Nothing" (2005), "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (3019) and "Dream Horse" (2021).  See...http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/02/band-of-brothers.html

Claire Foy played Anne Boleyn.  She has 33 acting credits including "The Lady in the Van" (2015), "The Crown" (2016-2023), "First Man" (2018), "The Girl in the Spider's Web" (2018) and "Women Talking" (2023).

Jonathan Pryce played  Cardinal Wolsey.  I will always remember him singing "If you want to die in bed" which is part of his career in theatre.  He has 140 acting credits, 1for producer and 4 for soundtrack including "Brazil" (1985), "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992), "Evita" (1996), "The Woman in Gold" (2015), "The Wife" (2017), "The Two Popes" (2019), "The Crown" (2020), "One Life" (2023) and "The Thursday Murder Club" (2025).

Timothy Spall played the Duke of Norfolk.  He was diagnosed with leukemia in 1992, but has since recovered.  He has 167 acting credits including "Life is Sweet" (1990), "Secrets & Lies" (1996), "Topsy Turvey" (1999), "Desert Flower" (2009), "The King's Speech" (2010) and "The Journey" (2015). 

Mathieu Almaric played a French diplomat, Eustache Chapuys.  He has 142 acting credits, 24 for directing and 14 for writing including "Munich" (2005), "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (2007), "Les Herbes Folles" (2009), "Poulet sux Prunes" (2011), "Venus in Furs" (2013), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) and "Eternity's Gate" (2018).  Read about Mathieu in a very challenging role, http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/10/paralyzed-men-in-4-foreign-movies.html

I watched the award winning "Wolf Hall" on DVD.  Looking forward to the second season.