Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972)

On his deathbed, King Henry VIII looks back over his eventful life and his six marriages.

Director:

Waris Hussein

Writer:

Ian Thorne

Stars:

Keith Michell, Donald Pleasence, Charlotte Rampling

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keith Michell	...	Henry VIII
Donald Pleasence	...	Thomas Cromwell
Charlotte Rampling	...	Anne Boleyn
Jane Asher	...	Jane Seymour
Frances Cuka	...	Katherine of Aragon
Lynne Frederick	...	Catherine Howard
Jenny Bos	...	Anne of Cleves
Barbara Leigh-Hunt	...	Catherine Parr
Michael Gough	...	Norfolk
Brian Blessed	...	Suffolk
Michael Goodliffe	...	Thomas More
Bernard Hepton	...	Cranmer
Garfield Morgan	...	Cardiner
John Bryans	...	Wolsey
John Bennett	...	Wriothesley

Storyline

On his deathbed Tudor-king Henry VIII remembers his long reign and especially the crucial part his six marriages played in it, without producing the male heir he desired most to prevent civil wars for the succession as England suffered before his father's ascent. His first queen, Spanish princess Kathryn of Aragon, had one fatal flaw: her children died, except daughter Mary, so he pressed Rome for an annulment, and when that failed out went cardinal Wolsey as chief minister and Henry made himself head of the Church of England instead of the papacy and married Anne Boleyn. When she too failed to produce a male heir, just princess Elisabeth, he had her head roll for 'infidelity'. The third queen, gentle Jane Seymour, died giving birth to sickly prince Edward. For diplomatic reasons Henry married minor princes Anne of Cleves, whose utter lack of female charms causes another annulment and the fall of Thomas Cromwell, who recommended her. Fifth is the lovely Catherine Howard, cousin of ...

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Plot Keywords:

england | anne boleyn | king | king henry viii | catherine parr | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 1973 (Finland)

Also Known As:

As Seis Mulheres de Henrique Oitavo

Filming Locations:

Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anglo-EMI, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Keith Michell (Henry VIII) and Bernard Hepton (Archbishop Thomas Cranmer) are the only actors to reprise their roles from The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

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Goofs

The part of the film covering Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn features some brief stock/agency footage of a number of British castles. A modern boat's superstructure appears briefly in the lower right-hand corner of the shot featuring a castle on a headland.

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Quotes

Thomas Cromwell: Cromwell walks into the council chamber"You where in a great hurry gentlemen to begin without me"
Norfolk: As Cromwell is about to take his seat at the council table"Cromwell do not sit there.There is no place for you,traitors do not sit with gentlemen."
Thomas Cromwell: Cromwell mumbles "I'm no traitor"
Thomas Cromwell: Cromwell flings down his cap in rage and screams in a loud voice,"Upon your conscience am I a traitor?"
Thomas Cromwell: Cromwell tries to run out of the chamber but the guards seize him"Let me speak to the King"
Norfolk: The guards fling ...
[...]

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Connections

Version of The Tudors: Moment of Nostalgia (2010)

User Reviews

Superbly Done

I thought this film was brilliant. The acting was so splendid it brought out each of Henry's wives as an individual woman, with the exception of Anne Of Cleves who appeared only twice and had a grand total of around three lines. Anne Boleyn was excellently played by Charlotte Rampling, and we really can believe that she is innocent of no crimes when she is sent to the block. Another standout is the late Lynne Frederick as Catherine Howard, as we see her fear, after her arrest. Knowing she will follow Anne Boleyn. We inthis marriage feel for king henry, as he thought he had found his perfect loving wife in Catherine Howard. In all i would say that this film is a must see, although it is slighty inaccurate. It also exaggerates, making Anne Boleyn hide numerous bodily deformations, while actually all she had was an extra lump of nail on her left small finger. But still see it!