The Private Life of Henry VIII( 1933)

TV-MAHistoryDrama

63%

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Score

HE GAVE HIS WIVES A PAIN IN THE NECK, And did his necking with an axe. Henry, the Eighth Wonder of the World! And this picture...the wonder of all time!

Overview

Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn, his second wife, executed on charges of treason, King Henry weds maid Jane Seymour, but that marriage also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the king picks German-born Anne of Cleves as his bride, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and King Henry continues his string of spouses.

Top Billed Cast

Charles Laughton
Henry VIII
Robert Donat
Thomas Culpeper
Franklin Dyall
Thomas Cromwell
Miles Mander
Wriothesley
Laurence Hanray
Archbishop Cranmer
William Austin
Duke of Cleves
John Loder
Peynell
Claud Allister
Cornell
Gibb McLaughlin
The French Executioner
Sam Livesey
The English Executioner
Merle Oberon
Anne Boleyn
Wendy Barrie
Jane Seymour
Elsa Lanchester
Anne of Cleves
Binnie Barnes
Katherine Howard
Everley Gregg
Katherine Parr
Lady Tree
The King's Nurse
Frederick Culley
Duke of Norfolk (uncredited)
Mark Daly
Man (uncredited)
Toni Edgar-Bruce
Spectator at Executions (uncredited)
Annie Esmond
The Cook's Wife (uncredited)
William Heughan
Kingston (uncredited)
Arthur Howard
Kitchen Helper (uncredited)
Judy Kelly
Lady Rochford (uncredited)
Wally Patch
Butcher in Kitchen (uncredited)
Hay Petrie
The King's Barber (uncredited)
Terry-Thomas
Man (uncredited)
John Turnbull
Hans Holbein (uncredited)

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A review by CinemaSerf

Written by CinemaSerf on Mon Jun 13 2022

Charles Laughton well deserved his only Oscar for this wonderfully over the top, rumbustious portrayal of Henry VIII as he embarks on his infamous spree of wives. "Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived" goes the mnemonic - this version skips the first wife describing her as a "decent woman" but he quickly works his way through Merle Oberon, Wendy Barrie, Binnie Barnes before Everley Gregg finally gets his measure as Katherine Parr. His real-life wife Elsa Lanchester is easily the best of the five as Anne of Cleves - her facial expressions and one-liners are great. Robert Donat ...