50th Anniversary: "Anne of the Thousand Days"
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at 12:30PM ;)
Anne of a Thousand Days (1969) was released 50 years ago today.
Even before her famous death, Anne Boleyn had become a legend. I don't say this to aggrandize the historical figure, but to explain that the second wife of Henry VIII had transformed into something not quite human. Legends aren't people so much as abstractions of them, told and retold, morphed by cultural shifts and the interest of those who tell them.
With the birth of cinema, Anne Boleyn would come to be one of the stalwarts of the historical drama on the big screen. Unfortunately, the cycles of empty mythologizing wouldn't end with the advent of new technology. As a character, Anne Boleyn is more often than not a symbol. She's a monstrous harpy or she's a martyred victim, she's a seductress who brought disgrace upon herself or she's an icon who died at the hands of a perfidious tyrant. Even on the rare instance when she gets to be protagonist, rather than a supporting player in another's tale, she's not allowed to be a person with a full characterization. For what it's worth, 1969's Anne of the Thousand Days, at least, tries to do right by Anne Boleyn.
I'm unsure if this is the filmmaker's doing or the singular feat of Geneviève Bujold...
The Québecois actress received her only Best Actress nomination for her performance as Anne Boleyn and it's easy to understand why. Even when her film insists on jettisoning itself into the pits of stuffy costume drama mediocrity, Bujold never lets herself be dragged down. Not by the overlit staginess of the directing and not by the portentous bluster of Richard Burton's Henry VIII. Both actors benefit from the other's presence, letting their different acting styles rub against each other with fiery friction. When Burton savors each line as if it was a juicy lamb chop, Bujold spits out her sharp witticisms like a cannonball. This Henry may enjoy the sound of his own voice but Anne wants to get to the point of the conversation quickly.
It's impossible to say if this interpretation of the historical figures is in any way verisimilar, but it feels real without sacrificing human complexity. In drama, that's sometimes more important than historical fidelity. The rest of the film's production certainly takes that attitude and runs with it. The costumes that won Margaret Furse an Oscar may be pretty and character appropriate, but their accuracy is, at best, debatable. However, it's difficult to begrudge the design of those unconvincing French Hoods when they frame Bujold's face so beautifully, creating a halo that calls attention to her piercing expression.
And oh, how those expressions add color and subtext to scenes. If Anne of the Thousand Days does one thing right is how it always presents its heroine as a self-possessed individual. When the dialogue doesn't show such reality, Bujold's eyes do, shining with intelligence. Anne is always deeply aware of how far she can go and what her prospects are at any given moment. When she's initially reluctant to the king's advances, they're brightened by fury. At the peak of the wooing, she's horny, not for the King but for power. As she falls in love with the man, there's a bigger ease of expression, an abandonment of youthful sprightliness for a more mature calm. Finally, when her fate is sealed, Bujold doesn't let the shadow of surprise mar her face.
This doomed queen is savvy enough to know how the pieces fall on the chessboard. Her theatrics during the trial may smell like the panic of a threatened animal but her tense countenance only shows the aura of carefully curated innocence. Still, it's her two final scenes that bring me to my knees in awed admiration. What she and a saturnine Burton do in their last duet is nothing short of a miracle, playing battling titans too tired to fight. They know what's going to happen and their pithy words are a mere attempt to gain the moral high ground or, more importantly, a sense of autonomy.
When she confirms the King's suspicions, the queen isn't having an episode of madness. She's reclaiming ownership of her fate. Let it not be the plans of others that kill her but the furious lies she spits at her proud husband. For a character whose legacy has been shaped by biased propaganda, this gesture feels so much bigger than the film suggests. At last, as the time of execution arrives, Anne of the Thousand Days gives the viewer one last respite from the usual hysterics associated with this couple. The twilight moments of the queen's life are peaceful if tainted by terror. In the face of death, Bujold maintains the lucidity of her character and her characterization.
It's astounding work and, had she been nominated another year, Geneviève Bujold might have been a worthy winner of the Oscar.
Reader Comments (19)
Claudio... Did you see THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL with Natalie Portman and ScarJo?
I know it is critically reviled, especially because of its lavish promotional campaign that earned it 10 Oscar nominations - the most of any film in 1969. Just try to find a Top 10 list with this on it. But I have always had a soft spot for it. The acting, especially Bujold, is excellent, and you can see where the money went. OK, so the Academy went overboard, still it's an intelligent costume movie that's right up my alley, apparently. I'm also a big fan of The Other Boleyn Girl.
Thank you so much for writing this! As an amateur history buff, I’ve always had a soft spot for this film. Despite its debatable history and occasional clunkiness, the human drama shines intensely because of Bujold’s performance. Hers is easily my favorite depiction of Anne Boleyn captured on screen (despite some noble efforts by Natalie Dormer and Dorothy Tutin on television and Natalie Portman’s ummm... bold? take on film). I agree that Bujold and Burton’s final confrontation is the masterpiece of the film and wish Bujold’s performance was more frequently remembered as the acting masterclass it is
Bujold is far better than the winner that year,Irene Pappas is also great in a quieter supporting role as Catherine of Aragon,Burton is ham but his final scenes are moving.
DAVID -- I'm not a big fan of that movie or the novel. I do like the score and Kristin Scott Thomas' performance though.
ken s. -- Sometimes Oscar love is poison for a film's legacy. Some of those 10 nominations are ludicrous. How was this nominated for Best Cinematography?
TJ -- Thank you for your kind comment. I always love reader feedback. Bujold's my favorite Anne Boleyn too, by the way.
Thank you for mentioning the overlighting. This one and Nicholas & Alexandra really suffer from that daytime TV soap opera lighting. Yet another style "anachronism" that takes you out of the film. I've always liked Bujold and wish that her career had been bigger.
I find this one terribly stuffy - and wouldn't give it a win on any of its 10 noms.
Andrew Carden -- While I like the film, I wouldn't give it a single Oscar win either. I also love Bujold's work but her competition was fierce that year.
Best actress of 1969?
Maggie Smith > Jane Fonda > Genevieve Bujold
A fun fact about the film is that both Elizabeth Taylor and Burton's daughter, Kate Burton, have cameos in it. Taylor is a masked courtesan and Kate is a serving maid.
Five years before, Taylor had also played a cameo in Burton's other historical drama, "Becket".
This is the best portrayal of Anne Boleyn on screen. The Tudors had her as a passenger going along with what the men around her were saying, while The Other Boleyn Girl had her as an erratic pilot- flying with so much ambition that even Eve Harrington and Abigail Masham would have told her to slow it down. Anne of The Thousand Days is a wonderful compromise of these two ideas about Anne. She was manipulated but also had agency over her own choices and her own fate. Geneviève Bujold just gives a remarkable performance. 15 years earlier and she would have catapulted to stardom with this performance.
I can't make up my mind for category placement with her for Dead Ringers (1988)?
I agreed tt Bujold is the most memorable Anne Boleyn, n Portman's def the worst version.
She's the runner-up to my choice of Best Actress in 1969. Well at least she won the Golden Globe over Dame Maggie, who undeniably gives a well deserved Best Actress win tt year.
It's a shame Bujold career never took off after this star turn
Definitely the runner up for actress that year. Bujold was luminous here, and I would recommend to watch Blanchett's Elizabeth after watching this, also a runner up in her own year.
Thank you for your wonderful piece on Anne of the Thousand Days. As a ten year old boy I absolutely adored this film and it has been present with me for life. It awakened my interest in all history as well as film. To this day I must be Genevieve Bujold's biggest fan and I have 2 posters of the film hung in my home.
Bujold was, and still is, the definitive Anne Boleyn. She is just amazing in a film that has been unfairly criticized. I agree that the direction can be unimaginative, but it also has some splendid camera set ups. The production is beautiful to the eye and in addition to Bujold the supporting cast, especially Anthony Quayle and John Colicos are superb.
There is no doubt in my mind that if the film had been better reviewed Bujold would have got her due and won the Oscar for Best Actress. For me it is one of the best performances of all time and I salute your site for recognising it.
Fortunately for Ken, there's no need to even try finding a top ten list with Anne on it, because I can just give one to you instead...
1. Kes
2. Z
3. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
4. Women in Love
5. Anne of the Thousand Days
6. Fellini Satyricon
7. Take the Money and Run
8. Easy Rider
9. The Bed Sitting Room
10. The Italian Job
I admit that my tally of total feature films from 1969 that I've seen is not a high one: 34 thus far.
With such a hectic week this piece slipped past me, thanks for such a wonderful article on this movie. Genevieve Bujold was extremely good in this version of Anne Boleyn, only Claire Foy equals her ability with this historical figure.
Also she did go on to do some great films, including Obsession, Dead Ringers, and Coma.
I just watched Anne of the Thousand Days for the first time and really enjoyed it. Genevieve Bujold is a fiery marvel. I loved everything she did here and felt she breathed life into this costume drama. She more than held her own against Richard Burton. What a crazy good best actress lineup 1969 was.
So Oscar worthy for Georges Delerue's superb Renaissance style score; Costumes are the best among any Tudor films and a well deserved Oscar for Margaret Furse; Art Direction, Sound and Anthony Quayle were also exceptional nominees.