Review
British history comes alive with The Private Life of Henry VIII. The plot
ably focuses on King Henry's relationships with his various wives, thus
transforming what could have been stuffy or tedious into an often bawdy
comedy.
This version of Henry VIII's reign is surprisingly sympathetic to the
fickle tyrant. However, it begins with Anne Boleyn (lovely Merle Oberon
in an early role) facing execution on a trumped-up charge of adultery.
The irony is that Henry was a notorious adulterer, and Boleyn's arranged
demise is a mere convenience for Henry to wed Jane Seymour, wife #3. (The
first wife, Catherine of Aragon, is omitted from the film despite their
union of 24 years.)
Henry, played by Charles Laughton in his first important
role, is cruelly eager for Boleyn's beheading, as he plans to marry
Seymour that very evening. (One of many minor liberties with recorded history,
as they were actually wed eleven days later.)
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Still, Henry is not depicted as a complete monster. His selfish,
garrulous, and sometimes murderous behavior is encouraged by a
manipulative, toadying, and permissive staff. He relishes the birth
of a male heir, the eventual Edward VI. Although his manner is
condescending, he adores Seymour and wife #5, Catherine Howard
(Binnie Barnes).
Howard is portrayed as a villain, a cunning court favorite who
carries on an affair with doltish Thomas Culpepper (Robert Donat).
Howard, wed to Henry for fourteen months, receives an inordinate
amount of screenplay, even appearing early in the film long before
her real-life counterpart first arrived at court. (She was about
19 years old at the time of their wedding.)
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Henry's marriage to the fourth wife, Anne of Cleves (Elsa Lanchester)
is played out as a clever con game, with the gullible King as the
mark. (In real life, Anne spoke hardly any English at the time, and
ruled as queen for four months before the marriage ended. Lanchester,
best known for her lead role in The Bride of Frankenstein, was married
to Laughton between 1929 and his death in 1962.)
Finally, the now aged King is wed to Catherine Parr (Everly Gregg),
a shrewish royal governess who scolds Henry as if he is a bad little
boy. (In real life, the three times widowed Parr was only 31 at the
time of their marriage. She would die one week after the birth of
her only child, the son of her fourth husband, Baron Thomas Seymour.)
Both King and court have many witty lines in the well-crafted screenplay,
which milks comedy from events that presumably were much more tragic
in fact. Boleyn's beheading, for example, is made light by wicked
conversations between executions and peasants. Although only 34 at
the time of filming, Laughton was perfectly cast as the spoiled and
impetuous King.
The Private Life of Henry VIII is perhaps the first significant
British production. It was Oscar-nominated for Best Picture, and
Laughton received Best Actor. Director Alexander Korda, whose brother
Vincent designed the cost efficient sets, went on to become one of
the most important producers of the 1930s through the 1950s.
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