"The Six Wives of Henry VIII" (1970) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1 January 1970 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

The legendary, BAFTA award-winning BBC historical drama!

Plot:

A six-episode dramatization of Henry VIII's relationships with each of his six wives. Each episode is devoted to one wife, and is a complete play in itself.

Plot Keywords:

Tudor | Royalty | Royal Family | King | England

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Keith Michell	...	Henry VIII (6 episodes, 1970)
Anthony Quayle	...	Narrator (6 episodes, 1970)
Patrick Troughton	...	Duke of Norfolk (5 episodes, 1970)
Bernard Hepton	...	Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (4 episodes, 1970)
Sheila Burrell	...	Lady Rochford (3 episodes, 1970)
Basil Dignam	...	Bishop Gardiner (3 episodes, 1970)
Wolfe Morris	...	Thomas Cromwell (3 episodes, 1970)
Angela Pleasence	...	Catherine Howard (2 episodes, 1970)
Anne Stallybrass	...	Jane Seymour (2 episodes, 1970)
Dorothy Tutin	...	Anne Boleyn (2 episodes, 1970)
Daniel Moynihan	...	Edward Seymour (Lord Hertford) (2 episodes, 1970)
John Ronane	...	Thomas Seymour (2 episodes, 1970)
Howard Goorney	...	Will Somers (2 episodes, 1970)
Patrick Godfrey	...	Sir Thomas Wriothesley (2 episodes, 1970)
Alison Frazer	...	Princess Mary (2 episodes, 1970)
Edward Atienza	...	Eustache Chapuys (2 episodes, 1970)

Runtime:

USA:540 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: In the "Anne Boleyn" chapter, at 12:11 (dancing scene) the boom mic is visibly seen.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Cult of...: The Onedin Line (#2.5)" (2008)

The crowning achievement of British TV, still unsurpassed

Impeccable in casting, sets, dialogue, and period feel. All of the principals are magnificent; but the actors who play Stephen Gardiner and Robert Barnes are simply extraordinary. The much-maligned Keith Michell is still the best Henry this century, easily brushing aside Robert Shaw, Richard Burton, and Charles Laughton. Michell's combination of vanity, insecurity, overweening machismo, and determination to stay top dog at all costs is painful but fascinating to watch. This TV series does full justice to all facets of the Tudor period; best of all, it reveals extra magical touches with each re-viewing. Which means, in short, that this is a video which you should buy, rather than rent.