Trailer
Plot summary
In 1527 Henry VIII is unhappy with his wife, Catherine of Aragon, who has borne him no son. Mary Boleyn, a courtier's daughter, is his discreet mistress, and he has tired of her too. At a ball he notices her sister Anne, eighteen and newly back from France. Anne is promised to the Earl of Northumberland's son, and the king orders Cardinal Wolsey to break the match. She blames both men. Back at court she holds off the king's advances and will not be his mistress, though she comes to enjoy the power his favor gives her, and she works against the cardinal. Anne tells him she will not bear a child outside marriage, so Henry proposes marriage instead; she agrees, provided he ends his marriage to Catherine.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Olivia Hussey was the first choice for Anne Boleyn, and producer Hal B. Wallis also offered her a role opposite John Wayne in True Grit; in her 2019 memoir she said her mumbled remark that she could not see herself with Wayne ended their professional relationship and he immediately withdrew his offer.
- Universal Studios mounted an expensive advertising campaign for the film that included serving champagne and filet mignon to members of the academy after each screening, according to the Academy Awards expose Inside Oscar.
- It took 20 years for Anne of the Thousand Days to reach the screen, because its themes of adultery, illegitimacy and incest were then unacceptable to the U.S. motion picture production code.
- Bujold remains the only actress ever nominated for an Oscar for playing Anne Boleyn.
