Anne of the Thousand Days
Short description
Anne of the Thousand Days is a historical drama about King Henry VIII of England and his pursuit of Anne Boleyn. Married to Catherine of Aragon, who has given him only a daughter, Henry becomes determined to take the young court lady Anne as his queen. When the Pope refuses to grant him a divorce, the king turns his back on the Roman Catholic Church and establishes the Church of England, with himself as its head. His marriage to Anne produces another daughter rather than the male heir he sought, and the relationship ends in her being accused of adultery and treason.
Charles Jarrott directed the film, the first in his directing career, working from a screenplay by Bridget Boland and John Hale, with Hal B. Wallis producing. Richard Burton plays Henry VIII, Geneviève Bujold plays Anne Boleyn, and Irene Papas appears as Catherine, alongside Anthony Quayle, John Colicos and Michael Hordern in supporting roles.
Released in late 1969, the British production runs 145 minutes. Audience reception has been favourable, with a rating of 7.4 out of 10 on IMDb from around 8,700 votes and 7.2 out of 10 on TMDB, while the film critics' rating stands at 6.5 out of 10 from 14 reviews, somewhat below the viewer scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- A film adaptation of the play of the same name by American playwright Maxwell Anderson.
- A film adaptation of the play became possible only twenty years later. This was due to the themes touched upon by the author (marital infidelity, incest, illegitimate children), which were prohibited under the Hays Code, in effect until 1967.
- Most historians dispute the claim that King Henry was the father of Mary Boleyn's children. He officially acknowledged a son from his previous favorite, Bessie Blount, but did not bestow similar attention on Mary's children.
- It is doubtful that Anne Boleyn was eighteen years old in 1527. Her exact date of birth is unknown, and the period from 1501 to 1507 is usually indicated. Furthermore, Anne returned from France around 1522, and her relationship with the king began no later than 1525.
- Actress Elizabeth Taylor (uncredited) appears in one of the scenes, at the time the wife of Richard Burton.
- Henry did not attend Anne's trial and did not meet with her shortly before the execution. They last saw each other the day before her arrest. Anne was never offered freedom in exchange for relinquishing all rights – hers and Elizabeth's. Be that as it may, Anne and Henry's marriage was annulled on May 17, 1536, and Elizabeth, like Mary, the king's elder daughter, was declared illegitimate (although she remained among the heirs), and her chances of inheriting the English crown then seemed very slim.
- There is no evidence that Anne specifically influenced the king in his decision to execute Sir Thomas More.
- Mary Tudor was not present at the death of her mother, Catherine of Aragon. Henry forbade them from seeing each other, or corresponding, as early as the summer of 1531.
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