Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6496 in VHS
• Released on: 1995-02-28
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 146 minutes

Amazon.com
This lush, perfectly cast 1969 drama concerns both a doomed, royal love affair and a pivotal moment in British history. Based on Maxwell Anderson's 1948 play, Anne of the Thousand Days concerns the mess that surrounded King Henry VIII's decision to rid himself of his first wife, Catherine of Aragon (Irene Papas), and marry the young Anne Boleyn (Geneviève Bujold). Anglophiles know what happened next: Henry (Richard Burton) solved his problems with the Vatican's condemnation of divorce by having himself named head of the Church of England (see also A Man for All Seasons), while Anne's perceived problem conceiving a male heir made her vulnerable to plots by the nefarious likes of Oliver Cromwell (John Colicos). Director Charles Jarrott does a splendid job bringing all of these intrigues to life, though the story is ultimately about Anne, a naive young woman who prepares herself to navigate some of the dangers of Henry's court. Bujold and Burton never gave better performances, and this strange, tragic chapter in the history of the kings of England has never been more compellingly told on film. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

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, she catches the King's eye. She, however, is in love with a courtier whom she is to marry. The King, besotted by her, refuses to grant her permission to marry, and her courtier is forced to marry another. The King pursues Anne, while still married to the aging Katherine. Anne refuses to give in and become his lover, knowing that once she does, she will be yesterday's news. Holding Cardinal Wolsey responsible for the loss of all her hopes and dreams, she plays him like a fiddle, eventually bringing about his downfall. With Cromwell on the ascendancy, however, little does Anne know her troubles are just beginning.

Angry at the turn her life has taken, Anne becomes a doyenne of intrigue and, as with Wolsey, also plays the King like a fiddle, setting into motion the events that would bring about the great Reformation, which would transform England from a Catholic country into a Protestant one. While she finally succeeds in marrying the King, she fails to produce the son that Henry VIII so desires, though the fault is 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.

Not historically accuarate, but endearing
The woman that would become the mother of the greatest English monarch, Elizabeth I, is explored throughout this film. She was also the second queen of Henry VIII and the catalyst of the English Reformation. Inasmuch as Bujold gave a riveting performance as the stubborn, ambitious, and doomed Anne Boleyn, there were many historical inaccuracies. For historical purists like myself, this movie may be disappointing, but if you don't care, I highly recommend it. It is also visual candy for those that delight in costume drama.

This movie can be broken down into three sections, which in one poignant scene, Anne describes as the "thousand days".

The first section: Anne beguiles the most powerful man in England, Henry VIII, who has an almost torrid lust for her and must have her at all costs, including his immortal soul. I'll grant that historical accuracy. He breaks from the Catholic Church so he can divorce his first wife, Katharine of Aragon, to marry Anne. He strips those of power and office that cannot provide the consequences he so desires (the divorce). He also executes several opposers to the divorce, including the highly respected and beloved Sir Thomas More.

Second section: He beds Anne, marries her, and she becomes pregnant.

Third section: Anne delivers an unwanted female child who, in a sad irony, would become the future Queen Elizabeth I. Henry quickly tires of Anne, and after she delivers a stillborn son, her fate is sealed.

Bujold and Burton give superb acting performances and I was particularly moved at a sequence where the doomed and jailed Anne confronts her husband. In this sequence, she exclaims to him that "her" Elizabeth will be a "great queen" regardless of his aspirations for a son. The execution and the last sequence are quite moving. It is remarkable that not more movies were made about this fascinating woman, who though died in disgrace, left a great legacy behind. The legacy of Queen Elizabeth I.

Acting of the Highest Level
With the recent death of John Colicos, who portrayed Thomas Cromwell in the film, I had to add my voice to others who praise this movie. "Anne of the Thousand Days" makes for one tour de force of outstanding performances. Stars Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold exhibit the craft of acting at its most flawless as Henry VII and his ill-fated seond wife Anne Boleyn. The initial sexual attraction and subsequent verbal "duels" between the two characters are mesmerizing and delivered with force and passion. Both deservedly were given Oscar nominations.

But, it is Colicos who walks off with the acting chops as the manipulative Cromwell. Every time he is on screen, one can see a truly despicable historical presence. Whether the interpretation is accurate or not does not take away from Colicos's performance. It is the stuff that should have garnered an Academy Awards nomination.

Unfortunately, in this case, it did not! Why Anthony Quayle received one for his work is beyond me!

That complaint aside, I wholeheartedly recommend this splendid film.