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!
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.
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) is a history and drama film directed by Alexander Korda, released on August 17, 1933 with a runtime of 1h 37m. It stars Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Franklin Dyall and Miles Mander. Viewers rate it 6.4 out of 10 across 97 ratings.
Charles Laughton
as Henry VIII
Robert Donat
as Thomas Culpeper
Franklin Dyall
as Thomas Cromwell
Miles Mander
as Wriothesley
Laurence Hanray
as Archbishop Cranmer
William Austin
as Duke of Cleves
John Loder
as Peynell
Claud Allister
as Cornell
Gibb McLaughlin
as The French Executioner
Sam Livesey
as The English Executioner
Merle Oberon
as Anne Boleyn
Wendy Barrie
as Jane Seymour
Directed by Alexander Korda, written by Lajos Biró, Arthur Wimperis and Arthur Wimperis, produced by Alexander Korda and Ludovico Toeplitz.
Average viewer score of 6.4/10 from 97 ratings.
Charles Laughton well deserved his only Oscar for this wonderfully over the top, rumbustious portrayal of Henry VIII as he embarks on his infamous spree of wives. "Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived" goes the mnemonic - this version skips the first wife describing her as a "decent woman" but he quickly works his way through Merle Oberon, Wendy Barrie, Binnie Barnes before Everley Gregg finally…
Reviewed on June 13, 2022
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The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Criterion Channel, MGM Plus, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video with Ads and Artiflix, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) includes Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Franklin Dyall, Miles Mander and Laurence Hanray. The film was directed by Alexander Korda. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Private Life of Henry VIII was released on August 17, 1933 and runs for 1h 37m.
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) holds an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 from 97 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy history and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
