Review of Anne of the Thousand Days

King Henry VIIIth,Defender of the faith,has been slandered,libelled and misrepresented for 450 years but he still won't have been prepared for a grotesque mockery of a performance by a man who in 1969 was rapidly sliding into self - parody fuelled by alcohol abuse,and,what is far worse,talent abuse.Richard Burton had one of the most beautiful voices in the movies,but he was busily engaged in pimping it around the block to finance a lifestyle Posh and Becks would have trouble keeping up with. Like his fellow Celt Dylan Thomas he seemed to have a death wish. In "Anne of a thousand days" Mr Burton declaims in a style not seen since the demise of Tod Slaughter.He is every inch the imperious stage actor slumming,and he shows off all his party tricks in the first five minutes so that we are forced to endure them repeated ad nauseam for the rest of the film.It is pure RADA/RSC ham and the old ladies on coach outings to Stratford are entranced by it,but a more severe critic might marvel at Mr Burton's cheek,turning it out year after year. And who told him to wear that hat? Mr Anthony Quayle is appallingly miscast as Wolsey.Here was the second most powerful man in England and he exudes all the menace of a Teletubby on an Anger Management course.This Wolsey couldn't control an OAP's Whist Drive. Miss Bujold is rather too sweet for the knowing,scheming Nan.In real life she kept one of history's biggest libertines at bay for seven years before finally submitting to him - that takes a special sort of steel and ambition,that,frankly,Miss Bujold is unable to convey. The rest of the cast is competent if not particularly inspired. "The King's Great Matter" remains a fascinating subject worthy of a significant movie.Unfortunately "Anne of a thousand days" isn't it.