Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)

42% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(3,071 ratings)

Anne of the Thousand Days is the belated film adaptation of Maxwell Anderson's 1948 stage play. The story concentrates on the romance between Britain's King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) and his ill-fated second wife Anne Boleyn (Genevieve Bujold). After holding out for marriage rather than an… More Anne of the Thousand Days is the belated film adaptation of Maxwell Anderson's 1948 stage play. The story concentrates on the romance between Britain's King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) and his ill-fated second wife Anne Boleyn (Genevieve Bujold). After holding out for marriage rather than an illegitimate union, Anne marries Henry after he sheds himself of Katherine of Aragon -- causing a rift between the Crown and the Church in the process. Anne's inability to produce a male heir leads Henry to look about for other suitable mates. Henry's sinister right-hand man Cromwell (John Colicos) arranges for Anne to be condemned on a charge of adultery. She is beheaded, while Henry disconsolately sits in Windsor Castle, regretting this callous example of political expediency. Richard Burton is ideally cast in Anne of the Thousand Days, but it is Genevieve Bujold who delivers the best, most complex performance in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 2 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Charles Jarrott
Written By: Maxwell Anderson, Bridget Boland
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Dec 18, 1969 Wide
On DVD: Feb 28, 1995

Critic Reviews

, TIME Magazine
It is a story fit for the second Elizabeth, though it has perhaps one minor fault: the first two hours.
Variety Staff, Variety
Anne of the Thousand Days is a stunning-acted, sumptuous, grand-scale widescreen drama of the royal bed chamber and political intrigues that created the Church of England.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
One of those almost unbearably classy movies, like A Man for All Seasons and Becket, that have a way of elevating the reputations of moviemakers without doing much for the art.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
It's about what you'd expect -- slow, dry, fleetingly intelligent.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A superbly acted costume drama.
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine
Some plucky performance don't manage to embue this historical drama with the regal spectacle the source material deserves.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The performances (by Burton and Bujold in the leads) are decent but the film is dull, overly long, and overwrought--the kind of Royalty picture that impresses Oscar voters.
Tom Milne, Time Out
Interminable plod through the story of Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn.
, Film4
Bujold gives a sweet and creditable performance, though, and Burton adds some humanity to a character often portrayed simply as a monster. Yet they cannot salvage this sprawling mess.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Lanning :

I just caught this the other night on Turner's month of Oscar-related films marathon. If you know me, you know that I'm not Ricard Burton's biggest fan. I know I'm in something of a minority, but seeing him play such a jerk as Henry VIII does nothing to help his… More
I just caught this the other night on Turner's month of Oscar-related films marathon. If you know me, you know that I'm not Ricard Burton's biggest fan. I know I'm in something of a minority, but seeing him play such a jerk as Henry VIII does nothing to help his cause with me. I mean he was nominated -- although not by me -- as best actor for this role in 1969, but like Hoffman and Voight in Midnight Cowboy, Burton was also up against The Duke as Rooster Cogburn, so you just knew that John Wayne had to be the odds-on favorite -- as in the proverbial handwriting was on the wall. I tell you, when Geneviève Bujold's head comes off at the end, there is nothing I want more than to see Henry's head come off instead. Especially with that disgusting final line about heading off to Mistress Seymour's home once he knows Boleyn is dead. I love the way the movie closes with Bujold's voice-over predicting that little Elizabeth, her daughter, will be greater than any English monarch before her. And arguably, that pronouncement became prophetically true. Bujold herself was nominated for Best Actress, but for once I agree 100% with the Academy: Maggie Smith stands as the hands-down winner for her job in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. I'm not really sure why Anthony Quayle was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I think Jack NIcholson had a better chance for Easy Rider, and I'll 95% agree that Gig Young did deserve it for a great job in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Stephen M

I usually find this sort of historical drama fascinating to read about but a bit dull on film, though "Anne of the Thousand Days" is distinguished by the excellence of its performances. The story covers the rise to power and fall from grace of Anne Boleyn. It also contrasts… More
I usually find this sort of historical drama fascinating to read about but a bit dull on film, though "Anne of the Thousand Days" is distinguished by the excellence of its performances. The story covers the rise to power and fall from grace of Anne Boleyn. It also contrasts the fluctuating fortunes of several of the key courtiers of Henry VIII, including Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell. Perhaps for budgetary reasons, we see next to nothing of the vanished Tudor London; the action takes place against a backdrop of National Trust/English Heritage exteriors and cardboard and polystyrene studio interiors. Interestingly, the spectacular cinematic potential of this turbulent age -- the reformation of the church, the dissolution of the monasteries, the burning of 'heretics' and the hanging, drawing and quartering of the treasonous -- is deliberately downplayed in favour of the causative machinations of a well-insulated court. I'm all for strong portrayals of women on film, but if the real Boleyn was half as insolent as Genevieve Bujold's I doubt whether she'd have kept her head as long as she did. Bujold never looked lovelier than she does here, and she and Richard Burton spar wonderfully well together.
Nikki M

Seeing how politics in the time of Henry VIII was interesting. Nicely done.

Cast

            Richard Burton as Henry VIII

            Geneviève Bujold as Anne Boleyn

            Irene Papas as Katharine of Aragon

            Anthony Quayle as Cardinal Wolsey

            John Colicos as Thomas Cromwell

            Michael Hordern as Thomas Boleyn

            Katherine Blake as Elizabeth Boleyn

            Peter Jeffrey as Norfolk

            Joseph O'Conor as Fisher

            William Squire as Thomas More

            Valeiie Gearon as Mary Boleyn

            Vernon Dobtcheff as Mendoza

            Gary Bond as Mark Smeaton

            Terence Wilton as Lord Harry Percy

            Denis Quilley as Weston

            Esmond Knight as Kingston

            T.P. McKenna as Norris

            Michael Johnson as George Boleyn

            Marne Maitland as Compeggio

            Nora Swinburne as Lady Kingston

            June C. Ellis as Bess

            Cyril Luckham as Prior Houghton

            Brook Williams as Brereton

            Lesley Paterson as Jane Seymour

            Kynaston Reeves as Willoughby

            Amanda Jane Smythe as Baby Elizabeth

            Nicola Pagett as Princess Mary

            Kate Burton as Serving Maid

            Liza Todd Burton as Beggar Maid

            Elizabeth Taylor as Courtesan

            Katharine Blake
            
See full cast