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Anne Of The Thousand Days [VHS] [1969] starring: Richard Burton, Geneviève Bujold, Irene Papas, Anthony Quayle, John Colicos

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Rating: - Burton and Bujold are tops.

I have read some absolutely scathing reviews of this film by professional critics, and I cannot for the life of me understand why! The other reviews on these pages are far closer to showing what a truly memorable film this is. It is sumptuous to look at, and the performances are all in the acting masterclass league. Anthony Quayle, Irene Papas and Michael Hordern, as Cardinal Wolsey, Queen Katherine and Anne's father respectively, give committed performances, and John Colicos does a wonderfully reptilian turn as the completely unscrupulous Cromwell. But the film naturally belongs to Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold.

Burton, with his wonderful voice, brings out every aspect of Henry: his self-deluding sentimentality, his determination to get what he wants at whatever cost both sexually and politically, his almost child-like ruthlessness and bullying, going from dewy-eyed vulnerability one minute to petulant rages the next. Was there ever a better way to sum up Henry than when he demands of a friend that he be spoken to frankly man-to-man, and then erupts "I am the King!"

I have seen many good performances of Anne Boleyn, from Charlotte Rampling in "Henry VIII And His Six Wives", to Helena Bonham-Carter in the recent ITV1 production, but Genevieve Bujold to me is the definitive Anne. Fiery, intelligent, alluring, and with a steely ruthlessness of her own. In many of the scenes she is simply exceptional, most particularly in her execution scene, which brilliantly captures the horror of this young woman being put to death on a beautiful May morning. My only criticism of the whole film is that sometimes the actors have to struggle with a clunky script, but for a film which captures the whole diabolical ruthlessness of Henry VIII's era (for instance, parents being more than willing to sell their daughters into the King's bed for whatever goodies it may bring them) that is a very minor criticism indeed.

Rating: - THE QUEEN IS DEAD...LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!

This award winning production is a masterpeice. The cinematography is beautiful, the costumes are lush and magnificent, and the acting is superlative. Richard Burton, in the role of King Henry VIII, is superb, as his velvet voice mesmerizes the viewer. Genevieve Bujold, wonderful in the title role of the notorious Anne Boleyn, plays her part intelligently and with great presence. Irene Papas plays the role of the wronged Queen, Katherine of Aragon, with suitable pathos. Anthony Quayle is wonderful in the role of Cardinal Wolsey, prelate of the church and Chancellor of England, who eventually was brought low by Anne Boleyn. John Colicos does a remarkable job with the role of the ambitious Cromwell, who, regretably, would stop at nothing, even torture and murder, to see that his King got what he wanted.

While not historically accurate, it is still a sublime historical drama. It centers around Anne Boleyn's rise to prominence and her ultimate demise at the executioner's sword. While at court one day, Anne caught the King's eye. She, however, was in love with a courtier whom she wanted to marry. The King, besotted by her, refused to grant her permission to marry, and her courtier was forced to marry another. The King pursued Anne, while still married to the aging Katherine of Aragon. Anne refused, however, to give in and become his lover, knowing that once she did, she would be yesterday's news. Holding Cardinal Wolsey responsible for the loss of all her hopes and dreams, Anne played him like a fiddle, eventually bringing about his downfall. With Cromwell on the ascendancy, however, little did Anne know that her troubles were just beginning.

Angry at the turn that her life had taken, Anne became a doyenne of intrigue and, as she did with Wolsey, played the King like a fiddle. Her actions set into motion the events that would bring about the great Reformation, which would transform England from a Catholic country into a Protestant one. While Anne finally succeeded in marrying the King, she failed to produce the son that Henry VIII so desired, though the fault was Henry's and not hers, as we now know that it is the male who determines the sex of a child. The terms of Anne's reign would cost her dearly, and her legacy would be a bloody one. What had started out with high hopes would end tragically for her and set a precedent that would make all future wives fearful of coming to the same end. Ironically, Henry would never know that his child with Anne would become the greatest monarch that England has ever known, Elizabeth I.

This is a film that all lovers of period pieces and historical dramas will enjoy. It is simply a great movie.

Rating: - The best film on Anne Boleyn to date!

This is easily one of my favourite films of all time! The intellectual brilliance, fiery temper and razor-sharp wit of Anne Boleyn was brilliantly captured by Genivieve Bujold and Richard Burton (Henry VIII), Irene Papas (Queen Katherine) and Anthony Quayle (the Cardinal) were also fantastic.
The dialogue was superb and none more so than Anne's, because every scene she was in was a pleasure to watch. Her clothes as well were breathtaking. The real Anne Boleyn was famed for her fashion-sense and the film is certainly true to life, watch out for her coronation dress, the blue velvet gown when she plays chess and her elaborate masquerade outfit. The arrest, trial, imprisonment and execution are all done masterfully. I recommend that you buy this movie as soon as possible!

Rating: - Classic story classically told

A fine film with a literate screenplay. The sort of film that, in these days of Spielberg et al, is all too rare. The story of Henry VIII's obsession with Anne Boleyn (and the intrigues of those around) is well told and the surroundings, magnificent. If you liked "A Man for all Seasons", you will like this.

Rating: - Just wonderful!

This has been a favourite of mine since I saw it in the cinema on its original release. I taped it from a TV showing several years ago since it was unavailable to buy, but I have watched it so many times that the tape is almost threadbare! I just had to buy it when it became available. It hardly matters that Richard Burton bore little physical resemblance to Henry VIII - his performance was masterful, as was that of Genevieve Bujold and the supporting cast. It really helped in understanding at least some part of a complex period of history, fleshing-out the characters into three-dimensional people. It will remain one of my favourite films forever.

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