Review of Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) by John T — 23 Mar 2013

The story of the courtship, marriage and divorce of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn earned Best Actor and Actress nominations for Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold, respectively as well as a Best Picture nomination. The movie moves quickly through the tale despite being two and half hours in length, but glosses over or completely ignores several relevant historical events such as the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey, the moral reservations to Henry's divorce of Catherine of Aragon and the Act of Supremacy by of Sir Thomas More which led to his execution, the break with the Pope and the establishment of the Church of England, the looting and destruction of the monasteries, the burning of 'heretics' and execution of enemies he deemed treasonous.

Burton, who won an Academy Award, and Bujold give superb acting performances, particularly when a jailed Anne confronts her husband exclaiming to him that their daughter Elizabeth will be a great Queen of England despite Henry's aspirations for a son. John Colicos, who previously starred as a Klingon Commander on Star Trek was excellent as Thomas Cromwell. My one criticism is with the final sequence, in which Henry, made aware that Anne has been beheaded, rides off to meet his future Queen, Jane Seymour.