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 (original screenplay)

Stars:

Keith Michell, Donald Pleasence, Charlotte Rampling

1 win.

Cast

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

libertine | anne boleyn | england | king henry viii | king | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bernard Hepton previously played Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) and its sequel Elizabeth R (1971).

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Goofs

No women, not even Queen Catherine Parr were present at Henry's deathbed.

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Quotes

Thomas Cromwell: [Walks into the council chamber] You were 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: [mumbles] I'm no traitor.
[flings down his cap in rage and screams in a loud voice]
Thomas Cromwell: Upon your conscience, am I a traitor?
[tries to run out of the chamber but the guards seize him]
Thomas Cromwell: Let me speak to the King!
Norfolk: [the guards fling Cromwell up to the table facing Norfolk] No...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The World According to Smith & Jones: The Tudors (1987)

User Reviews

Rather compressed perhaps, but one of the better films and such detailing of Henry VIII, his life and his wives

Although I am no historian, I do take an interest in the subject and I loved learning about the Tudors even in primary school. Henry VIII and his Six Wives is for me one of the better films and such detailing of Henry VIII and his life and six wives. The story is compelling and well paced and the dialogue is intelligent and moving. For me, my only complaint really is the length, the events and details are compressed for just over two hours. For so many details and events, I couldn't help thinking it was too short and some of the events could have been expanded upon and some of the latter half less over-balanced perhaps. That fault aside, the film is splendidly directed, is reasonably true to history and maintains a strong emotional impact. David Munrow's music score is beautiful and evocative too. But two things especially stood out. One was the period detail and production values, the costumes and scenery are nothing short of splendid and the photography captures that beautifully. The other is the acting, which is wonderful from the entire cast. Keith Michell gives a textbook example of how to play Henry VIII, he doesn't play the famous king as a tyrant but his portrayal is a moving and somewhat more sympathetic one. Of his wives a stunning Charlotte Rampling and suitably vulnerable Lynne Frederick come off best, while Bernard Hepton is a fine Cramner and Donald Pleasance is a wonderfully devious Cromwell. In conclusion, a very good film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1972 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Henry VIII and His Six Wives

Filming Locations:

Hever Castle, Hever, 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