Waste of time

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

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.

If you don't know the story of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the movie will give you a fair warning in the opening scene. A very upset and conflicted Richard Burton is faced with signing an edict, ordering Anne, Queen of England (a phrase he utters three times for the audience's benefit), to death. Then it goes back in time to the night he first met Anne, played by Genevieve Bujold. Normally, I don't like non-linear movies, but since the opening scene is the only part of the movie that throws off the timeline, I don't mind it. Also, it serves to caution those in the audience who don't know their history. This movie's going to be a heavy drama, and Richard Burton just warned you of the ending.Anne of the Thousand Days is an incredibly beautiful film. While it was nominated for ten Oscars in 1970, it only won Best Costume Design. Although Richard Burton had some competition in the Best Actor award from his friend Peter O'Toole in Goodbye, Mr. Chips, I would have awarded the film Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Art Direction with no hesitation. It takes an incredible talent to create a period piece of that time period with such believable sets and costumes that the audience actually starts to think it's a documentary. It sounds silly, but I actually began to believe I wasn't watching Richard and Genevieve. I was really and truly watching Henry and Anne, because of the acting, directing, sets, and costumes. Margaret Furse's costumes are perhaps the most beautiful costumes I've ever seen in a film. It's easy to watch an old movie and think, "Those costumes were borrowed from the set of The Court Jester." These costumes are so unbelievably beautiful, I kept pressing pause so I could admire the detail of the fabric, the patterns, and the accessories. I really don't think I can stress enough how beautiful the outfits are, so you'll just have to watch it to appreciate how realistically it captures the time period.The director of a film so fantastic in all its elements should be given enormous credit; it's very difficult to pull off an epic like this without it boring the audience, flying high above their heads, or coming across as cheesy. Director Charles Jarrett wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. But at least he won the Golden Globe.I love when period pieces are well written. When getting your information from a dry history book, it's easy to make the dialogue hard to digest. Screenwriters John Hale, Bridget Boland, and Richard Sokolove wrote an accessible, easy to understand, but still archaically correct script. Their words flow off the actors' tongues easily. It's hard to imagine anyone in that movie taking their costumes off at the end of the day and saying, "Groovy, man!" as they might have in 1969.And now, the acting. Usually, Henry VIII is depicted as a despicable villain with no redeeming qualities. Not in this version. Richard Burton breathes so much humanity into the role. The audience truly feels how conflicted, betrayed, and passionate he feels in every scene. You might not think he's an unequivocal hero, but he's definitely not a one-dimensional villain. He has three very fleshed out dimensions to his character. Genevieve Bujold is just as complex. She is not a simpering victim; she's conniving, bold, villainous, and torturous in her own way.This is a wonderful movie, even though it's not particularly uplifting. There's so much to love about it. I've already seen it twice, but you only have to watch it one time to know what I mean.

in a special manner. for acting. for accuracy. and for Bujold. a great film not about history of a king choices but about values, forms of cruelty and love, about measure and desire. it is a classic but not just for the passing time . but for delicate nuances of performance - not a really surprise from an impressive cast ( Anthony Quayle, Irene Papas, Michael Hordern or William Squaire ) - for costumes and atmosphere, for the art to be key to discover testimonies of past. in many scenes, it can be second part for The man for all seasons. in same time, it remains proof for force of characters of Richard Burton. more than a film, it is a meeting. with a page of past, with the brilliant manner to translate tension of a time, for universal message and, sure, for art to do a real remarkable film.

The young King Henry the Eighth(Richard Burton)is tired of his first wife Queen Catherine(Irene Papas) after she fails to bear him a son and heir(she does give birth to some but they die)she has only gave him a daughter the Princess Mary.Henry's eye is caught by the young and beautiful Anne Boleyn(Genevieve Bujold)who is a member of the court.He woos her(much to Annes annoyance)till she eventually falls in love with him.Well as anyone who has studied Tudor history knows their marriage was not a happy one.Anne promises the King to give birth to many fine sons but sadly hers die also.She gives birth to the Princess Elizabeth but Henry only wants a son and is already looking out for another wife.By then Annes fate is sealed and through the cruelty of Thomas Cromwell(John Colicos)she is doomed to meet her tragic end in The Tower of London. Genevieve is the perfect combination of strength,dignity and vulnerability as Queen Anne and Richard Burton is an intense and torn Henry great acting,sets,locations and costumes this is a must see.