The Age of Commercialism

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) is unhappy with his wife Catherine of Aragon and even his mistress Mary Boleyn. He next sets his sights on Anne Boleyn (Geneviève Bujold). She is unwilling to be his mistress despite the desperate pleas from her family. Henry cancels her engagement to her beloved. She acquiesces but holds out to be Queen. She gives birth to Princess Elizabeth. The dissatisfied King Henry starts pursuing Lady Jane Seymour. Anne's thousand days reign ends in execution. Competing for power are Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell.It's an old-style costume drama. The performances are solid. Burton and Bujold hold the screen well. Bujold's self-possessed Anne is compelling. Burton has easy power at his acting fingertips. Anthony Quayle is terrific as Cardinal Wolsey. The story is rather long and ambling. The old style does drag in the modern sense but the acting power is not in doubt.

first, it was noted that Richard Burton was first thought to be 'too small' to play Henry. but, at the time of his meeting and marrying Anne he was a fairly young man, several years junior to his current wife, and was known to be an avid sportsman; therefore, his size and girth were not an issue until many years later due to many causes.bujold is a convincing Anne in the film because she shows the same fire and ice that is historically noted. Anne has been perceived by many as being ambitious, naive, and covert. bujold seems to demonstrate all of these qualities well without having them conflict.in all, it is a good movie if one is looking to see one that is based in fact as it follows all the important points of the relationship of Anne and Henry. unlike some more recent films, this one does not try to overly dramatize or romanticize the story with tidbits of sensationalism in regards to Anne's relationship with other characters.

It's not a bad movie, but director Charles Jarrott shows little style putting together what is essentially a filmed play. Richard Burton blusters appropriately as Henry VIII and Geneviève Bujold is the strong willed Anne Boleyn. They have some great chemistry, but after the fifth or sixth confrontation, it all becomes a bit too exhausting to care what is going to happen (and it's very well known what DOES happen). The leads are fine and there's a good supporting cast. Irene Papas is Katherine, Henry's current wife. There's plenty of palace intrigue involving Anthony Quayle (very good as Cardinal Wolsey) and John Colicos (as Cromwell). There's even a Cliff's Notes version of the plight of Thomas More.

The Tudors have spawned a lot of movies over the years. Perhaps surprisingly, most of them (at least the ones I've seen, and I've seen a few) have been pretty good ones. "Anne Of The Thousand Days" is no exception to that rule. With a great cast and lavish sets, this manages to tell the story of the relationship between King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn - apparently destined against her will to be the King's mistress, but then, at her demand, and given no choice in the matter, the instigator of both political and religious turmoil as she demands to be not the King's mistress, but the King's wife - and Queen of England - a goal stymied by the fact of the King's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.As Henry and Anne, Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold put on excellent performances, and the supporting cast was also quite strong. Neither Henry nor Anne were truly vilified; neither were they made heroes. Henry was portrayed as a King overcome repeatedly by lust (the cycle emphasized near the end of the movie with the appearance of Jane Seymour at court while Anne watched at a dinner very reminiscent of the dinner at which Anne appeared at court while Catherine watched.) Henry will manipulate and threaten and do whatever it takes to satisfy his lust. Yet, one gets the impression that - while consumed by lust - Henry does have a sincere concern about the need for a male heir and a belief that England won't allow itself to be ruled by a Queen. He's also clearly portrayed as concerned by his split with the Church, although at the same time one sees that he believes his prerogatives as King take priority over the concerns of the Church or even of God, summed up by his comment that "when the King prays, God answers." Anne on the other hand is a figure of some sympathy. In this movie at least she didn't ask to get mixed up in royal politics; she was the unwilling attention of Henry's lust. Yet, once her destiny was sealed, she also is clearly manipulative, grasping after what she wants, determined to get as much as she can from the King. The politics of the court are well portrayed, and most of what we see is accurate to the historical record, although the movie chooses to end on an obviously anachronistic note, with looks ahead to the glorious coming reign of Anne's daughter, who would defy her father's belief that a Queen couldn't rule England by becoming the magnificent figure of Queen Elizabeth I. This is a worthy piece of the Tudor movie collection. (7/10)