Henry VIII and His Six Wives

1972

Biography / Drama / History

5
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 79% · 2 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 79% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.8/10 10 1166 1.2K

adultery london, england beheading tudor period drama historical

Plot summary

Adapted from the BBC2 serial The Six Wives of Henry VIII. 1547, King Henry VIII's life has taken a turn for the worse and he is forced to look back over his life and the many loves which had brought him his three children, only one of which was the desired male heir to secure the Tudor dynasty.

Director

Waris Hussein Photo
Waris Hussein

Top cast

Arthur Goodman Photo
Arthur Goodman as Council Member
Clive Merrison Photo
Clive Merrison as Weston
Robin Sachs Photo
Robin Sachs as Thomas Culpeper
Charlotte Rampling Photo
Charlotte Rampling as Ann Boleyn
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1.03 GB
1280*694
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
25 fps
1 hr 54 min
Seeds 1
1.92 GB
1920*1040
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
25 fps
1 hr 54 min
Seeds 6

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Chase_Witherspoon 7 / 10

A preview to whet the appetite

If you haven't time to immerse yourself in the mini-series, then this two hour, compact 'preview' will give you a neatly constructed overview of the virile King and his exploits as he seeks to secure his lineage by conceiving a successor to his throne.Rather than condense aspects of the original mini-series (which essentially set aside one episode per wife, to put it crudely), this film version has been entirely remade. Only Michell reprises his title role, showcasing his intuitive interpretation of the rambunctious, though fragile majesty. Perhaps predictably, Charlotte Rampling's Anne Boleyn has the greatest exposure, though each of the wives acquit themselves well with the often limited dedicated screen time (the lovely Jane Asher playing the ill-fated Jane Seymour stands-out among the rest).Aussie actor Michell is a more vulnerable King Henry VIII than other memorable incarnations produced by Charles Laughton or Robert Shaw, displaying a deep-seeded personality conflict that while not unique to the character, is played with a more sympathetic tone and gesture. This changes of course as his jealousy and mistrust is fanned by those obsequious to him, courting their own power and favour - the insipid Cromwell played with aplomb by the versatile Donald Pleasance.Hussein's ultra-light has its dramatic moments, although clearly it proves difficult to compress the details of six marriages and their respective intrigue into a two-hour snapshot. For a preview, it's superb, though it remains inferior to the mini-series time permitting.
Reviewed by nightroses 6 / 10

The chopping block

This film was a shrunken version of a TV series, that chopped it all to bits. Some of the scenes and characters were left out and other important moments missing. The king's youth, his father, ect missing from the film that was in the TV series. You would have to watch the TV series to get the full version of this production. Apart from this, the costumes are gorgeous and to detail, while the acting is realistic.
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