Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972)

Director:

Waris Hussein

Writer:

Ian Thorne

Release Date:

30 March 1973 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

England | Anne Boleyn | King | King Henry VIII | Catherine Parr

Awards:

1 win

Cast

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
Peter Madden	...	Fisher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nicolas Amer	...	Chapuys
David Bailie	...	Norris
Michael Byrne	...	Edward Seymour
Imogen Claire	...	Maria de Salinas
Basil Clarke	...	Abbot
Peter Clay	...	Thomas Seymour
Michael Godfrey	...	Sir Ralph Ellerker
Jim Kennedy	...	Anthony Nevitt
Sarah Long	...	Mary
Clive Merrison	...	Weston
Zienia Merton	...	Annette (scenes deleted)
Alan Rowe	...	French Ambassador
Robin Sachs	...	Thomas Culpepper
Damien Thomas	...	Smeaton
Margaret Ward	...	Lady Rochford
Richard Warner	...	Warham

Directed by
Waris Hussein

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ian Thorne

Produced by
Roy Baird	....	producer
Mark Shivas	....	producer

Original Music by
David Munrow

Cinematography by
Peter Suschitzky

Film Editing by
John Bloom

Production Design by
Roy Stannard

Costume Design by
John Bloomfield

Makeup Department
Eric Allwright	....	makeup artist
Gladys Leakey	....	hairdresser
Philip Leakey	....	makeup artist

Production Management
John Comfort	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Raymond Becket	....	third assistant director
Derek Cracknell	....	assistant director
Richard Jenkins	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bryn Siddall	....	property buyer

Sound Department
Rowland Fowles	....	boom operator
Bill Rowe	....	sound re-recordist
Brian Simmons	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Dennis C. Lewiston	....	camera operator

Music Department
David Munrow	....	conductor
David Munrow	....	music arranger

Other crew
Sally Pardo	....	production secretary (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Anglo-EMI
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• Anglo-EMI Film Distributors (1972) (UK) (theatrical)
• Ken Films (1973) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Levitt-Pickman (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema Club (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• VTI Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1990) (UK) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:125 min | Brazil:125 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | UK:PG (video rating) | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Anglo-EMI

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" (1970).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: 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.

Quotes:

Thomas Cromwell:Your Grace.
Henry VIII:Whom can a man trust in this world when there is nothing real in it?
[showing Cromwell a miniature portrait of Anne of Cleves]
Henry VIII:Is this a true likeness?
Thomas Cromwell:Yes, sire, I think.
Henry VIII:Where are the great pits in her face?
Thomas Cromwell:She has a queenly manner, I think, sire.
Henry VIII:I like her not!
[shoving and shaking Cromwell]
Henry VIII:She is nothing fair and I like her not!

Movie Connections:

Version of "The Tudors: His Majesty's Pleasure (#2.5)" (2008)

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!