Anne of the Thousand Days (Universal 1969, Richard Burton, Genevieve Bujold)

Lavish costume drama Anne of the Thousand Days is full of rich performances and tells of King Henry VIII’s infatuation with 18-year-old Anne Boleyn. For her hand, the king defied the Vatican, destroyed a ruling caste, and established the church of England in order to obtain a divorce from his wife. Richard Burton is appropriately swaggering and Genevieve Bujold more than worthy of her king’s notice.

Burton’s then wife Elizabeth Taylor makes an unbilled appearance, playing a masked courtesan.

Academy Award Nominations: 10, including Best Picture; Best Actress: Genevieve Bujold; Best Actor: Richard Burton; Best (Adapted) Screenplay.

production details
UK | Universal | 145 minutes | 1969
Director: Charles Jarrott
Script: John Hale, Bridget Boland, Maxwell Anderson, Richard Sokolove,

cast
Joseph O’Conor as Bishop Fisher
Vernon Dobtcheff as Mendoza
Esmond Knight as Kingston
Michael Hordern as Count Thomas Boleyn
Nora Swinburne as Lady Kingston
Elizabeth Taylor as Masked Courtesan
Irene Papas as Rainha Catarina de Aragão
Anthony Quayle as Cardeal Wolsey
Richard Burton as Rei Henrique VIII
Geneviève Bujold as Anna Bolena
John Colicos as Thomas Cromwell
Katharine Blake as Elizabeth Boleyn
Valerie Gearon as Mary Boleyn
Michael Johnson as George Boleyn
Peter Jeffrey as Duque de Norfolk
William Squire as Thomas More