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The Private Life of Henry VIII

1933 · 97 min

A wry, theatrical pageant of royal marriages, mixing sly comedy with a chill of tyranny and a surprisingly wistful final sigh.

Tagline
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!
Overview
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.
Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Artiflix
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • satiricalstrength 2 of 3
  • campystrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • power
  • betrayal
  • ambition
  • death
  • politics
Places
  • single country house
  • big city
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror1
Humour6
Realism7
Romance4
Tension4
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Artiflix
Free
  • Pluto TV
Rent or buy
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
history, drama
Directed by
Alexander Korda
Starring
Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Franklin Dyall, Miles Mander, Laurence Hanray, William Austin, John Loder, Claud Allister
Music
Kurt Schröder
Cinematography
Georges Périnal
Runtime
97 min
Country
United Kingdom
Languages
English

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