狼厅

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn pop out for a stroll in ‘Wolf Hall’ (Pic: BBC)

This Sunday (April 5), the recent BBC of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Out the Bodies comes to PBS, starring Mark Rylance and Demian Lewis. It's the story of Thomas Cromwell, a lawyer and former mercenary from a poor background who ended up becoming an advisor first to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, and then to Henry VIII. And in doing so became one of the most powerful men in England.

It's particularly auspicious moment in British history, as Thomas becomes involved in Henry's attempts to legally dissolve his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, woo Anne Boleyn and sire a male heir. And in doing so, create a permanent rift between the English church's break and Rome, which is set against the background of protestant reforms, and leads directly to Henry's dissolution of the monasteries, claiming all the treasures found for this own coffers.

"Voila! The King of England will be a bachelor."

Wolf Hall is a fascinating fictionalized account of a man who historians have often decried as cold, scheming and vicious.

So before it all kicks off, here are ten useful snippets of information you may wish to get clear before immersing yourself in all the political shenanigans and dark, candlelit corridors:

1. Almost nothing of note happens in a place called Wolf Hall. Actually, Wolfhall (or Wulfhall) is the site of a manor house, home of the Seymour family in Burbage, Wiltshire. The family's daughter Jane would go on to become Henry's third wife.

2. Wolf Hall is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Ulfela, an Anglo-Saxon name, and it will have been a small village; a meeting point between several farmsteads. This later became Ulfhall and then Wulfhall. So the Seymour manor house was not named Wolf Hall, it was built in Wolfhall.

3. There is a Cromwell family tie to Wolfhall too, as Cromwell's son Gregory later married Elizabeth Seymour, sister of Jane and (like Jane) one of the servants in Anne Boleyn's household.

4. The original manor house at Wolfhall was a medieval timber-framed manor house with a long gallery, a 'Little Court', a 'Broad Chamber', a chapel, a kennel for hounds, and a tower (which was pulled down in 1569).

5. Henry stayed there in 1535, during his marriage to Anne Boleyn, which may have been when he first began to pitch woo at Jane Seymour.

6. He was not the first reigning monarch to use Wolfhall as a staging post. Edward I visited in 1302, on a journey across Wiltshire between Marlborough Castle to Ludgersall Castle.

7. Although Thomas Cromwell was instrumental in clearing the way for Henry to marry Anne Boleyn, it was his skill as a match-maker that later caused his fall from grace. Having arranged the marriage between Henry and his fourth wife, the German princess Anne of Cleves, Cromwell was surprised to discover Henry did not take to Anne at all, and in fact had the marriage annuled on the grounds that it had not been consummated. He was later arrested for treason.

8. The title of the book, and therefore the TV series, uses the name of the Seymour home as an atmospheric hint that we are in the realm of the Latin expression homo homini lupus, or "Man is wolf to man". In other words, this is a dog-eat-dog world, which Henry at the head of the pack.

9. By 1571, the manor house at Wolfhall lay derelict, as the family had moved to nearby Tottenham House, taking some of the materials to build their new home. It was used for servants quarters for a while, and finally demolished in 1723. Some elements did survive into the early 20th century, including a barn which was said to have played host both to a wedding feast for Henry and Jane, and a subsequent feast just for Henry when he revisited after Jane died. But that burned down in the 1920s.

10. There was a Victorian railway junction with the name of Wolf Hall, but that's gone now. However, there is still a dairy farm that uses the name

转载自10 Little-Known Facts About the Real Wolf Hall

P.S.

From Wikipedia

Episodes Title

Episode 1. "Three Card Trick"

Episode 2. "Entirely Beloved"

Episode 3. "Anna Regina"

Episode 4. "The Devil's Spit"

Episode 5. "Crows"

Episode 6. "Master of Phantoms"

对于这段历史，我知之甚少，唯一于两三年前，有涉猎 The Other Boleyn Girl(另一个波琳家的女孩) 英文原著。因为是原著，对于眼花缭乱的未知的形容词名词，我都懒于一一查证，只读了个大概。故，此篇小评，仅从我个人感受出发，略谈一二。

该6集迷你剧，以主人公Thomas Cromwell (托马斯·克伦威尔) 的视角， 呈现了 Henry VIII (英王亨利八世) 第一次废后风波。Cromwell 追随的原主公 Thomas Wolsey (托馬斯·沃尔西) —— 时任大法官，国王首席顾问，因未能如亨利八世所愿，与罗马教廷成功协商英王的离婚请愿，骤然失宠，同时被英王与仇家驱往苦寒之地。Wolsey 颓然失势，大厦将倾，身边仅留Cromwell 一忠臣不离不弃。为向英王求情以期主公重获帝心，Cromwell 前往宫廷，会见帝王， 而Wolsey则发往谪迁之地。

Cromwell 不愧为Wolsey 的得力谋臣，他极快地获得了帝王的喜爱，为主公谋得了些许补助。同时，Cromwell 也得到了自己敌人，英王的情妇以及欲结婚对象——Anne Boleyn (安‧波林) 的召见。Cromwell 获得了未来王后的喜爱，并领了新差。正当Cromwell 疲于两边周转时，噩耗袭来，英王以叛国罪逮捕 Wolsey, 欲押往伦敦塔，而 Wolsey 却在途中因病过世。

Cromwell 得知后大为悲痛，却将哀恸深埋于心，赴往英王的宴会。宴席上，权臣为了庆祝昔日权宦 Wolsey的坠亡，特排了话剧，将 Wolsey恶意丑化魔改。 Cromwell 掩于人群中，将所有饰演者的脸深深烙印心中。为抱旧主大仇，Cromwell 决心加入下议院，逐步攀登，接近帝王。Cromwell 如愿得到了帝君的喜爱，并委以重任。Cromwell 修立法案，使亨利成功废后并迎娶新后。

英王对新后十分宠爱，然好景不长。新后始终未能为英王诞下王子，随着母族干政，权倾朝野，英王逐渐失去了耐心。英王授意Cromwell 协助自己，废黜新后。Cromwell 展开调查，成功发现新后与多人通奸，其中甚至包括她的亲兄弟。Cromwell 将通奸者一一捕获，发现他们与深埋记忆中仇人的脸庞逐渐重合。最后，新后被问斩，Cromwell 得以赴命。

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第一集，初始的黑底白字，在古朴的琴声下，历史的肃穆感向我铺面袭来。在断断续续哀婉的琴声后，有一刹那的寂静，我纳罕着，期待着；随即，画面陡然转变，正片开始，主题曲 Wolf Hall 倏然奏响。

伊始

印象最深的，就是这部剧肃穆沉重的背景音乐，和忧郁暗沉的影片色调。鉴于对历史了解甚少，无法评说是否真实还原历史。但就个人观感，我愿意相信，这样的历史是真实的。我愿意相信，那个时代人们的衣着生活是那样的，那样的朴素乏陋，又因着几百年岁月的浸染，显的端庄神圣。我像一个窥探者，透着历史沙漏中的间隙，得以窥见，千百年前，一代权臣的蛰伏，破出，与展翅。我也如撒旦，透过人面人心与人行，得以知晓人内心深处的欲望与黑暗。

分享Debbie Wiseman的单曲《Wolf Hall》://y.music.163.com/m/song/31192013/?userid=304436804(来自@网易云音乐)

1

克伦威尔可以跟三教九流对话，丝毫不显得威势逼人。他那双老虎般的眼睛，一直关注着周围的变化。他观察着每一个人，剥析的眼睛毫不留情，把每一个人像洋葱一样撕扯的层层清楚。

他总迈着稳健的步伐，走向他被需要的人。第1个，他当年的靠山：沃尔西大主教。第2个，迫切想离婚、娶安的英国国王亨利八世。第3个，用身体钓鱼的安，以及她的舅舅诺福克公爵等一干同党。

曼特尔的得体写得恰如其分，这便是高妙。它让读者不断产生兴趣，一个都铎时代的人会怎么说话？如何应对各种挑战？

他看得太清楚了，权力就是被需要。而性，就是权力一母双生的兄弟。

而在这场血腥的情色游戏中，连穆斯林的军队打到了贝尔格莱德的消息，都成了电视机上的白色噪音。克伦威尔以“从不拒绝”为心诀（Never Refuse)，像一个忠实的心理医生呵护着患者的欲望。

只要不拒绝，并达成心愿，肮脏的交换条款，都不需要他启齿。别人追求一言九鼎，他只喜步步为营。他是一只多么耐心的大猫啊。

就像中国书法的藏锋一样，只要你学会把自己的欲望压抑的嵌入到别人的欲望里，你就会渐渐发现：别人都要来玩你的游戏，连皇帝都不例外。

2

虽然一切权力来自于渣男皇帝，但某种程度上，是大家在玩一个带“皇帝”棋子的游戏。人来人往，升升降降，都如芸芸众生，而我归然如山不动。这才是权力。

连常被人提及自己是铁匠的儿子的侮辱，都不过是个游戏。

语言的双关极为巧妙。

比如第3集亨利8世喝醉，克伦威尔主动把他的肩膀接过来说了一句，lean on me。也像是种请求的意味：依靠我吧。

亨利八世吐露心言，“在安面前，我会颤抖。” I shake。在莎士比亚时代，粗俗的双关语中，就是我打飞机的意思。连handshake都可以是那意思。

不要忘记，从都铎亨利八世开始，英国抛掉了天主教的道貌岸然，追寻无节制的世俗欢愉。哪里管什么圣女的克里斯玛大指责呀？

很多年前看过都铎王朝，印象很深得是亨利八世为了一个男性继承人多么执着可笑，对于其他情节印象不深。此次看狼厅，觉得主角的表演自然中规中矩，但是印象最深的镜头却与主角无关：

一是托马斯.莫尔在自知必死无疑时的那段陈词，在那一刻，我深深体会到英国当时的宗教改革面临的巨大阻力，心中受到巨大的震动。精神信仰领域的改变是如此困难，且以如此惨烈的方式体现出来，让人心中恻然。

二是安妮.博林之死，我记得都铎王朝时我也见过安妮.博林被斩首，并无太大的感受，但是在狼厅中那一幕让我尤其不忍，几乎无法直视。鲜活的生命瞬间香消玉殒，心中感受难以言喻。

本文首发于“来之洲”公众号

首先声明一下，我觉得狼厅不适合对英国历史不够了解的朋友看，狼厅是根据一部得了啥啥严肃文学大奖的小说改编的，咱中国人看狼厅，就跟外国人看《大明王朝1566》似的，如果对英国的都铎王朝的历史一无所知，那看着片子纯属浪费时间。如果你对英国的历史有那么点了解，至少看过都铎之类的肥皂剧，恰巧你有比较喜欢《大明王朝1566》之类剧情复杂的历史正剧，那狼厅就非常适合你了。

英剧有个好处，就是从不拿观众当傻子，改编于严肃小说的电视剧《狼厅》，没有为历史基础不好的观众做任何的历史说明，也没有为理解能力不够适合本片的观众做任何添油加醋的剧情设置，全剧没有傻白甜的人物，没有幼稚的权谋，没有平白无故的阴谋，更没有洗白为了权力而贡献阴谋——成为亨利八世最强打手的男主——克伦威尔。

电视剧的画面像极了伦勃朗的油画，细腻、精致，全片完全采用巴赫风格的古典乐配乐辅以管风琴，内敛而雅致，为电视剧奠定了中世纪故事的基调，仿佛打开了电视剧，你的所见所闻就到了都铎王朝。

前面说过，《狼厅》电视剧改编于严肃小说，而改编于严肃小说的一个好处就在于，电视剧剧本的结构非常好，譬如第一集，克伦威尔担任的是主教Worsey律师秘书类职位，Worsey随着亨利八世与罗马教廷的矛盾而下台，而克伦威尔也借着主教下台和安娜柏林的上位而上位了；而最后一集则和第一集的权力路线反过来了，最后打到了安娜柏林，为Worsey报仇，首尾呼应。尤其是最后的结尾，克伦威尔在安娜柏林死后回到狼厅，站到亨利八世身旁的画面，预示着克伦威尔通向权力之路达到了巅峰。围绕着克伦威尔的几条故事主线，叙事风格整体比较散漫，东一个画面，西一个蒙太奇，但整体节奏并不散漫，安娜柏林上位快，死得也很快，如果同样的剧情放到横店拍，估计要拍十几集了。

此片（我觉得）最有趣的点，则在于我越看克伦威尔，越觉得他的上位姿态与同为中世纪的大明朝的著名宠臣严嵩非常类似，两位都是踩着原上司的官帽出的名，虽然出身平平，但都因为最高权力卖命而无限接近权力巅峰，依靠着最高权力干掉了一个又一个的政敌，两人的家族都显赫一时，甚至于两人的结局，也有那么点像，都被原本信赖的皇帝干掉，不得善终——只能说这就是拥抱权力的代价了。

另外想来，好像亨利八世和万寿帝君也有那么点像，除了对克伦威尔/严嵩这类“佞臣“的态度类似之外，他们还都很克妻……