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Two for a great price
Anne of the Thousand Days
We own the Show time series, The Tudors, and are simply fascinated about the life of Henry VIII.
Now, by owning "Anne of the Thousand Days" we have another interpretation of the life of Anne Boleyn, pursued by the king at all costs, for he destroys his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of King Ferdinande II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castille.
In 1502, Arthur, brother to Henry VIII, dies of an unknown disease, throwing young Henry into having to fulfill the royal duties. To maintain the alliance between England and Spain, Henry marries Catherine but in order to do so, he obtains special dispensation from the Pope because under Cannon law to marry the widow of a brother, was then considered illegal and incestuous.
Catherine swore that her marriage to Prince Arthur was not consummated and that her marriage to Henry VIII was therefore, her only real union. Time passes and Catherine does not produce male sons and Henry VIII no longer cares about maintaining a relationship with Spain and to marry Anne Boleyn, he tries to annul his marriage, claiming that it is based on sin.
King Henry VIII is key to understanding the history of the English monarchy for he is responsible for the separation of the Anglican Church from Rome and for establishing the English monarch as the Supreme Head of the Church of England
We see Anne Boleyn discovering that by withholding all favors from the King, she is able to capture and sustain his interest, by her public disdain of his favor; he literally becomes the king's obsession. From her sister's affair with the king, she had learned that any woman that gave herself to the king was soon discarded for another conquest. Anne Boleyn promises to give Henry many sons and finally, she is crowned Queen of England.
Anne's world starts to unravel when she produces a daughter, Elizabeth I, and a son who dies at birth. Soon, the king starts to consider an affair with Jane Seymour, his fifth cousin three times removed. Jane Seymour was a lady-in-waiting for Catherine of Aragon. As Anne's marriage to Henry VIII falls apart, Henry believes the accusations of adultery placed against Anne Boleyn by Cromwell probably because he now wants to marry Jane Seymour.
The movie is beautifully filmed, the costumes are superb, and the performances exquisite. Richard Burton provides an unforgettable Henry VIII. Don't miss it!
Mary, Queen of Scots
Now we see Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn crowned as Queen of England. Glenda Jackson is powerful as Elizabeth I, and Vanessa Redgrave is wonderful in her role of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Mary was raised in France as a Catholic and was said to be vivacious, pretty and clever, therefore she was a favorite at French court. She received the best education and mastered several languages, able to converse in French, Latin, Greek, Spanish and Italian. Mary was also able to play several musical instruments and was gifted in poetry, an ability to ride horses and falconry.
Mary marries the Dauphin Francois and becomes Queen consort of France. Upon the death of her mother, Mary is brought back and crowned Queen of Scots. Mary was the next in line to the English throne after her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, who in the eyes of many was illegitimate.
Being a devout Roman Catholic, Mary runs against religious prejudice by many of her subjects and by Elizabeth, who rules Protestant England.
Mary is no match to Elizabeth who is masterful in her understanding and ability to handle palace intrigue.
Mary marries an English subject, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who is her first cousin but the marriage gets Elizabeth upset because she was not asked for permission. Elizabeth is now threatened not only by her cousin's claim to the English throne, but by the marriage because both Henry Stuart and Mary Queen of Scots are descendants of the Tudor line and their children would have the right to claim the English throne.
James Stewart, Mary's half brother and a protestant, sees the marriage as a clear threat because they are both Catholics, and he joins other Protestant Lords in open rebellion against his half sister. Mary becomes pregnant but by then, her husband has openly become arrogant and demanding of more power, namely wanting the title of King. The performances are superb and we see Timothy Dalton deliver a powerful, yet pitiful interpretation of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.
In the pursuit of power, lots of palace intrigue takes place and Darnley conspires to have David Rizzio murdered because by being so close to Mary, he has become jealous and resentful. A plot to murder Darnley is initiated and he is found dead soon after. James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell marries Marry but he is seen by many as an adventurer who is guilty of the assassination of Darnley.
Mary is captured but refuses to acknowledge the power of any court to try her because she is an anointed Queen, something Elizabeth is ill prepared to dismiss because she too, shares the feeling. Finally, Mary Queen of Scots is tried and executed and the movie delivers powerful performances by both Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson. Without a doubt, this is a collectible item. Don't miss these two movies!
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Top reviews from other countries
Alencar B. P. Fh
The best adaptation of the lives of Henry VIII - Anne Boleyn
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2014mrs marie brett
Know the time period you are looking for when it is a historical film.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2019