Anne of the Thousand Days Review
Posted by Christi Csonka on 11.04.2007
England was never the same after Anne Boleyn.
Featuring:
Genevieve Bujold: Anne Boleyn
Richard Burton: King Henry VIII
Irene Papas: Queen Katherine of Aragon
Anthony Quayle: Cardinal Wolsey
John Colicos: Thomas Cromwell
Directed By: Charles Jarrott
Film Release Date: December 18, 1969
DVD Release Date: September 18, 2007
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French
Run Time: 146 minutes
Rated: PG
Film
I’ve seen several portrayals of Anne Boleyn in the past few years, and they all seemed to have one thing in common, Anne as a seductress. Mind you, it’s easy to think of the woman Henry the VIII basically through his country into religious turmoil over in his hopes of having a son as being the catalyst to it all. Why on earth would a man have done such a thing if not for the sly advances of some female? Thankfully, the writers for Anne of the Thousand Days found an alternative response to such a question.
We’re introduced to a young Anne just returned from the French court and happily anticipating marrying the boy she loves. Unfortunately for her, she catches the eye of Henry, who, tired of his now barren Spanish Queen, forbids the marriage. Here, it’s Henry who is doing the pursuing and Anne who is definitely refusing his advances, and not to just gain a crown as many interpretations depict. During the course of the film, much of the same plot takes place; Anne falls in love with Henry, causing her more pain in the end as she is accused of adultery, the crime she is ultimately found guilty of in order to make room for Henry’s conquest. Nothing to truly be disappointed by, nor anything to get too excited about either.
Though I found most of the film lukewarm, I did enjoy the final confrontation between Anne and Henry before her beheading a wonderfully emotional scene. Her words cut deep and are prophetic, as writers can make them be, yet no less powerful. Bujold seemed to delve into the character with greater passion than at any other time in the film in this scene, making it more believable that this woman was the mother of Queen Elizabeth. But again, it was a shame that emotion never made it into the rest of the film, in my opinion.
Overall, the story had a different angle from which they portrayed their earlier relationship, giving us a sweeter and more innocent Anne Boleyn. Burton was amazing as Henry, one of the best I’ve seen in fact. His performance was constant throughout, even with Henry’s emotional ups and downs. Bujold, on the other hand, was rather aloof in her performance, not bad, but not making the character her own until the final scenes. For the period film buff, it’s a nice viewing, but nothing to go nuts over. In fact, I’d recommend a rental before a purchase, if getting this film alone.
Video
I was worried at first, as the cover art was in black and white. With this being an older film, I wasn’t sure if I was getting a color version or not, the packaging made no distinction, and to be frank, I prefer color. Thankfully, it is in color and the quality is rather good. Some of the colors aren’t as brilliant as I would have hoped, but considering the age of the film, I’m overlooking that. You can’t even get as good a color in a restored Disney classic as you can in their more recent ones. The wide screen orientation was also appreciated. In the end, good quality for an old film!
Audio
The audio was good. Considering this film comes from a time when there wasn’t as much background score as today, it was easy to pick up footsteps, rustling of gowns, and such. It wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination great, but is was good.
Package
This film is part of a two-movie package, though each comes on its own disc. The graphics are well done and unify the two related films visually. The only thing I didn’t like was the Anne of the Thousand Days graphics being in black and white when they could have easily manipulated the color images to harmonize with the Mary Queen of Scots graphics, making it at least a bit easier for the consumer to tell if they are purchasing a black and white or color version of the film.
Bonus Features
Sneak Peek: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Even though this film will be entering familiar territory (the period of her reign often portrayed in film), I’m salivating for it to hit theaters! Okay, I’ll admit it, I had to watch this twice it was so captivating. If you get this film, definitely check this out. I doubt the short teasers on TV will be as good.
Theatrical Trailer: Anne of the Thousand Days
Nostalgia kicks in watching this trailer. They just don’t advertise films like they use to! It’s fun to see how much they gave away back them, especially to see that in 1969 this film had an M rating! Talk about a change in perception over nearly thirty years, when what was once considered for adult eyes-only is now PG.
The 411: If you’re a hardcore period film fanatic, or just love sixties films, then by all means, check this one out. Unless you’re the extreme hardcore fan or collector, I recommend renting Anne of the Thousand Days if you aren’t purchasing it packaged with Mary Queen of Scots. It’s not a bad film, but not one that I would consider required viewing. You’ll live if you never see it.
