The White Queen is a dramatisation of England's Wars of the Roses, the era that inspired George RR Martin's Game of Thrones novels. Told from the perspective of 3 ambitious women, all vying for the English throne, The White Queen has power plays and backstabbing, House loyalties and shifting allegiances, battles, and a little witchcraft for good measure. Loved this series!
Viewers should be aware though, that there are 2 different cuts of this show - the BBC UK PAL version and the Starz USA/AUS NTSC version. The UK cut is 590 minutes, whereas the USA/AUS cut is 580 minutes. 10 minutes doesn't sound like much, but some of the changes are significant. In the USA version they've ramped up the sex scenes, by trimming dialogue and side story scenes. eg.1 UK - a main female character gives a male ally tips on how to get her husband to change his mind. USA - she speaks to her ally, but ineffectually tells him nothing. eg.2 UK - The guardian of the Lancastrian heir comes in after the heir and a girl have had sex. USA - The heir and the girl are shown having sex, before the guardian arrives. Definitely tit-illating, but adds nothing to the story. eg.3 UK - a character is surprised and captured, but his companion is shown making his escape. USA - The companion's escape isn't shown, but only mentioned later. And a quite major change - eg.4 UK - A female lets another woman know she is in a position of control. Later when the final battle rages, she is shown contemplating the outcome. USA - After showing her strength, the female is suddenly full of doubt. She confronts her man, and they make love the night before the decisive battle. Too improbable - as by doing so she jeopardises both her options, and her man would surely be focused on the next day's crucial battle.
To my mind, the UK version is infinitely superior to the USA version. The UK version makes the story much clearer, is more believable, and the less graphic sex scenes allow it to appeal to a wider audience, too. If you're able to, watch this version.
Viewers should be aware though, that there are 2 different cuts of this show - the BBC UK PAL version and the Starz USA/AUS NTSC version. The UK cut is 590 minutes, whereas the USA/AUS cut is 580 minutes. 10 minutes doesn't sound like much, but some of the changes are significant. In the USA version they've ramped up the sex scenes, by trimming dialogue and side story scenes. eg.1 UK - a main female character gives a male ally tips on how to get her husband to change his mind. USA - she speaks to her ally, but ineffectually tells him nothing. eg.2 UK - The guardian of the Lancastrian heir comes in after the heir and a girl have had sex. USA - The heir and the girl are shown having sex, before the guardian arrives. Definitely tit-illating, but adds nothing to the story. eg.3 UK - a character is surprised and captured, but his companion is shown making his escape. USA - The companion's escape isn't shown, but only mentioned later. And a quite major change - eg.4 UK - A female lets another woman know she is in a position of control. Later when the final battle rages, she is shown contemplating the outcome. USA - After showing her strength, the female is suddenly full of doubt. She confronts her man, and they make love the night before the decisive battle. Too improbable - as by doing so she jeopardises both her options, and her man would surely be focused on the next day's crucial battle.
To my mind, the UK version is infinitely superior to the USA version. The UK version makes the story much clearer, is more believable, and the less graphic sex scenes allow it to appeal to a wider audience, too. If you're able to, watch this version.
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