The mystery surrounding the disappearance of 12 year-old King Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York has been the cause of speculation and fascination for over five centuries. In 1491, eight years after the Princes in the Tower were presumed murdered, a young man told an astonished world that he was Richard, back to claim the throne of England. Was this man Richard, Duke of York, or was he Perkin Warbeck, a brilliant imposter? There are many versions of what might have happened during his final interrogation in the Tower of London. This riveting drama presents one of them.
The background surrounding the mystery of the Princes in the Tower is extremely complicated, and I find it amazing that the producers were able to do as fine job of the history as they did. While taking some dramatic license, the story is based on a well-documented historical meeting between the Bishop of Cambray and the Spanish Ambassador who visited the prisoner — the so-called “Pretender” — in the Tower after his capture by the first of the Tudors, Henry VII. This is more a docu-drama, and those who are looking for a movie should look elsewhere. Nevertheless, if you like a good mystery, you’ll find this absolutely riveting. If this production has a fault, it’s that Henry VII, whose cold and calculating nature was well known even at the time, is portrayed too sympathetically. What is captured well is the darkness and horror of this period of the Wars of the Roses; the ruthless and predatory nature of the dominant personalities involved; and the terrifying predicament of the “Pretender.” Much of what is portrayed is actually historical fact, including the torture that “Perkin Warbeck” was subjected to. The general thesis of this drama is powerful– and daring, viz. History is written by the victors, and the Pretender may well have been who he said he was — Richard, King of England, executed by the usurper, Henry VII. – Amazon reviewer
Starring Mark Umbers, John Castle, Roger Hammond, Sally Edwards, Nicholas Rowe.
Note: This is billed as a drama, but some viewers find it to be closer to being a docudrama.