BBB.5
(out of 5)
King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) risks the dangerous anger of the Vatican when he forms the Church of England in order to obtain a divorce from his wife, Catherine of Aragon (Irene Papas). Motivating him is a romance between himself and Anne Boleyn (Genevieve Bujold), and he believes that marrying her will help him forget his stale, son-less marriage to Catherine and give him the male heir he so desires. The acting in this very plush drama is especially good, particularly in scenes where a young, vibrant Bujold gets to shine. The rest of it, however, is a glossy soap opera that doesn’t have the deft wit of The Private Lives of Henry VIII or the nasty bite that later Tudor England/Elizabethan dramas would feature that would make them so enjoyable.
Hal Wallis Productions
Directed by Charles Jarrott
Screenplay by Bridget Boland, John Hale, adaptation by Richard Sokolove, based on the play by Maxwell Anderson
Cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson
Produced by Hal B. Wallis
Music by Georges Delerue
Production Design by Maurice Carter
Costume Design by Margaret Furse
Film Editing by Richard Marden
Academy Award
Best Costume Design (Margaret Furse)
Nominations
Best Actor (Richard Burton as “King Henry VIII”)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Anthony Quayle as “Cardinal Wolsey”)
Best Actress (Genevieve Bujold as “Anne Boleyn”)
Best Art Direction (art direction: Maurice Carter, Lionel Couch; set decoration: Patrick McLoughlin)
Best Cinematography (Arthur Ibbetson)
Best Music (Original Score–for a motion picture [not a musical]) (Georges Delerue)
Best Picture (Hal B. Wallis, producer)
Best Sound (John Aldred)
Best Writing (Screenplay–based on material from another medium) (Screenplay by John Hale, Bridget Boland; adaptation by Richard Sokolove)
Golden Globe Awards
Best Performance By An Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama (Genevieve Bujold)
Best Motion Picture-Drama
Best Director (Charles Jarrott)
Best Screenplay (John Hale, Bridget Boland, Richard Sokolove)
Nominations
Best Performance By An Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama (Richard Burton)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Anthony Quayle)
Best Original Score-Motion Picture (Georges Delerue)
