Back to browse
64% Critic Match
The Private Life of Henry VIII
“HE GAVE HIS WIVES A PAIN IN THE NECK, And did his necking with an axe. Henry, the Eighth Wonder of the World! And this picture...the wonder of all time!”
6.4 / 10• 1933• 1h 37m•NR• English
HistoryDrama
Storyline
Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn, his second betrothed, executed on charges of treason, Henry weds maid Jane Seymour, but that wedded bliss also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the tyrannical king chooses German-born Anne of Cleves, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and so Henry's reign of spousal terror continues.
Cast & Crew
Charles Laughton
Henry VIII
Lead
Robert Donat
Thomas Culpeper
Franklin Dyall
Thomas Cromwell
Miles Mander
Wriothesley
Laurence Hanray
Archbishop Cranmer
William Austin
Duke of Cleves
John Loder
Peynell
CA
Claud Allister
Cornell
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Alexander Korda's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. The Private Life of Henry VIII is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
