What an amazing cast. I was on an Irene Papas movie binge when I came across this film. First and foremost, BRAVO to the costume and set designers, who did an exceptional job. The movie offers a dramatic countdown of Anne Boleyn's short-lived time at court as the royal consort of Henry VIII, with Irene Papas as the (deeply wronged) Queen Katerina of Aragon, Richard Burton as Henry VIII, and Geneviève Bujold as Anne. The supporting cast is equally impressive, especially if you know your old movies (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064030/fullcredits).The film is tastefully done, where more modern renditions of the story go too far. My film group and I really loved this one. If you haven't had the opportunity to watch it, check it out.

We all know the story. Henry VIII is the King of England. He has been unable to sire a son with his first queen. He is now married to Anne Boleyn (Bujold) who has the same "problem." Of course, Henry wants the marriage annulled, and it has to be through the church. Of course, if she is convicted of adultery, she will have to be executed. The strength of the movie has to do with the amazing performance of Bujold, how she faces the inevitability of her demise. This is a true tragedy. I don't know how accurate the performance is. This was originally a stage play and at times it seems rather stagy. Our hearts bleed for the young woman who has committed no crime, only that she stands in the way of succession. This is an extremely well produced and directed movie.

Overlong historical dramas were all the rage in the late 60's and early 70's, both on TV and film and so here we have the great Richard Burton's take on Henry VIII and the headstrong Tudor King's infatuation for the young and pretty Anne Boleyn. In truth, he's miscast, being too handsome and not fat enough for the part, but he certainly brings, yes, a kind of magisterial bearing to his character, although there was never a time in the film when I believed I was watching the real king, it always just looked like Richard Burton in a beard and ermine.It's, not unnaturally, given its subject matter and theatrical origins a very wordy piece, with plenty of speechifying by all the major characters, but the acting is of such quality that I was absorbed more than bored. Anthony Quayle as the grasping, hypocritical Cardinal Wolsey, John Corlico as the designing Thomas Cromwell and especially Michael Hordern as the shameless, self-serving father of the Boleyns all shine, while Genevieve Bujold, is very good as young girl on the make, Anne, who uses sex as a weapon to entrap Henry but who in the end dies by the same sword.Beautifully shot, with much pomp and pageantry, it occasionally drags and is spoiled by some apocryphal speeches by characters anticipating future events not yet enacted, for instance Anne's closing assertion that her daughter Elizabeth will be Queen someday and a great one - at the time, even the most ardent of mothers couldn't have foreseen this.Well-known as the story is, I still enjoyed this spiced-up historical scandal and study of power a good deal.

A terrible attempt to cash in on the success of A Man for All Seasons, this is a very overlong and boring film. Richard Burton, always a wooden film actor, overacts like never before as Henry VIII. His horrid, raspy chain smoker's voice is all wrong for the part - cigarettes didn't even exist in the 16th century. Burton is also too old for the part, he was only 43 during filming but looks more like 50. I wasn't surprised he was amazed to receive yet another undeserved Oscar nomination for this garbage, not only is the film so terribly acted by its elderly cast but there is nothing good about Burton's awful performance at all. Unsurprisingly, the film was an enormous flop on release. Forget about watching this crap, stick with A man for All Seasons instead starring Paul Scofield, an actor who (unlike Burton) actually had talent and could act.0/10.