Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)


Anne: For six years, this year, and this, and this, and this, I did not love him. And then I did. Then I was his. I can count the days I was his in hundreds.
[picks up day counter]
Anne: The days we bedded. Married. Were Happy. Bore Elizabeth. Hated. Lusted. Bore a dead child... which condemned me... to death. In all one thousand days. Just a thousand. Strange. And of those thousand, one when we were both in love, only one, when our loves met and overlapped and were both mine and his. And when I no longer hated him, he began to hate me. Except for that one day.
~from Anne of the Thousand Days

I think what makes Anne of the Thousand Days stand out among the period films churned out by Hollywood is the outstanding screenplay by Maxwell Anderson. While a few historical liberties are taken for the sake of the flow of the story, Anderson captures the tumultuous rise and catastrophic fall of a young English aristocratic lady who once caught the glance of a king. Richard Burton totally projects Henry VIII's obsessive, all-consuming lust that is willing to destroy his wife, his daughter, his best friends, his church and thousands of his subjects in order to obtain his lady. Richard looks at Genevieve Bujold (Anne Boleyn) with such a mix of torment, passion and guilt that it is almost as if he were looking at Elizabeth Taylor, but such is the great actor's ability to become Henry VIII in this film. Bujold is magnificent as Anne, graceful, witty, winsome, and strong-willed. I was struck by the unhappiness of the couple when they were finally together, living in opulence from the confiscated monasteries. Henry's love of Anne seemed to die almost as soon as he finally sated his desire for her. Bujold's Anne goes to her death with brash dignity, while Henry moves on to another wife. An incredible tragedy in which many innocent people suffered is well-depicted with authentic costumes and stunning sets. Share

5 comments:

GarethR said...

One of my absolute favourite films of all time. I think Bujold is an amazing Anne Boleyn and Burton a sublime Henry VIII. Two things struck me about your post, both of which I find interesting. On the subject of the monasteries - two recent studies of Anne's life suggest that her religion was probably far more "traditional" than she's given credit for. It was "radical" on certain issues, but she was a devout believer in Transubstantiation and in the final weeks of her life, she used her court padre to actually protest at the immoral dissolution of the Monasteries. The words Shakespeare put in her mouth are certainly true - that it was a cruel thing to be wear a glistening sorrow.

Secondly, you mentioned Elizabeth Taylor. A little fact I learned recently is that she's actually in the movie. Do you remember the scene where Katherine of Aragon is in the chapel praying and two bejewelled courtiers burst in? The woman behind the mask is Taylor!

Thank you for a very interesting post, Miss Vidal.

elena maria vidal said...

You are welcome, Gareth. Yes, Anne was reform-minded but not a die-hard Protestant. I read somewhere that she did not like how the wealth of the monasteries was given to the king's henchmen rather than being given to the poor. She herself patronized many charities.

That was Elizabeth? I never knew.....

Lee Hamilton said...

I love that film. I don't know how many times I've seen it. Burton and Bujold were fantastic together. I had no idea Elizabeth Taylor makes a cameo...

My other Old Hollywood favourite set in the Tudor era is 'Young Bess' with Jean Simmons in the title role.

elena maria vidal said...

I love "Young Bess." I'll have to write about that film sometime.

Dymphna said...

This is one of my favorite movies.