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Anne of the Thousand Days
Anne of the Thousand Days
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Anne of the Thousand Days King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) of England discards one wife, Catharine of Aragon (Irene Papas), who has failed to produce a male heir, in favor of a young and beautiful woman, Anne Boleyn (Geneviève Bujold), whose one-thousand-day reign as Queen of England ends with the loss of her head on the block. Henry weds Anne and soon she gives him a child. The girl, Elizabeth (Amanda Jane Smythe), is a bitter disappointment to Henry, who desperately wants an heir. Anne promises Henry a son “next time”, but Henry is doubtful. Shortly thereafter, rumors begin that the King’s eye has already wandered. One Jane Seymour (Lesley Paterson) is at court for a moment. The Queen has her sent away, but, if Anne will bring Jane back to court, the King promises to sign the Act of Succession to insure that Elizabeth will be Queen. He was King. She was barely 18. And in their thousand days they played out the most passionate and shocking love story in history!
A fine costume drama , full pomp and passion .
Anne of the Thousand Days This fine movie comes so close to excellence ; Genevieve Bujold gives a performance full of power and passion as the French-educated courtesan who won the admiration , love and finally enmity of England’s most colorful King. Richard Burton, as Henry, rides rough-shod over all who oppose him in his pursuit of marital bliss (and a male heir). The supporting cast interacts beautifully – my only regret is that the part of the usurped Queen Katherine (Irene Papas) is given little screen time and portrays her as more abrasive than abject (historically, Katherine made a touching appeal to her husband at the trial of the validity of their marriage). Other historical elements such as the schism with the Church of Rome and the political machinations of members of the court have been downplayed in order to concentrate on the love story. Thus this movie should be viewed as a costume drama rather than an accurate representation of historical events. In spite of these and other inaccuracies I still heartily recommend this movie as a spirited rendering of Royal lust in “Merry Olde England” and on a broader level as a kind of morality play showing how the pursuit of one’s hearts desire is often more rewarding than the achievement of one’s ambition (or, as Henry and Anne both learned to their cost, when you get what you want you may then realize that you don’t really want what you get).
