A Royal Movie Marathon

IF YOU WANT TO DO the full Elizabethan thing, a regal movie marathon, here are the other films you should rent, borrow or buy .

“THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII” (1933) Charles Laughton won the Academy Award for his portrayal of Henry and cemented the image of the king as a portly lecher. Merle Oberon played Anne Boleyn. It’s a bit dated and is more prone to comedy than history, but it was the first British film ever to be nominated for an Oscar.

“YOUNG BESS” (1953) One of MGM’s most lavish productions is also one of the more neglected in the canon. Jean Simmons plays the young Elizabeth, who is in danger after her mother Anne Boleyn (Elaine Stewart) is executed. The film depicts Elizabeth’s brother, Edward, whose death clears the way for her to become the monarch.

“ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS” (1969) This film had Richard Burton as Henry and the best screen portrayal of Anne Boleyn, from Canadian Genevieve Bujold. Her speech declaring that her “bastard” daughter, Elizabeth, will rule is forceful . Nominated for 10 Oscars, winning only for costume design, it remains the best cinematic telling of the Boleyn saga.

“A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS” (1966) This Oscar winner for best picture also won best actor for Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More, a friend of King Henry who nonetheless refuses to accept the divorce from Catherine of Aragon or to swear allegiance to the new church.

“ELIZABETH” (1998) and “ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN YEARS” (2007) Two Oscar nominations for Cate Blanchett for playing the daughter of Anne Boleyn who reigned over England and the empire for 45 years. But who thought that Natalie Portman would play Cate Blanchett’s mother, as she does in this week’s new release, “The Other Boleyn Girl.”

– Mal Vincent

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