The Private Life of Henry VIII

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The Private Life of Henry VIII

1933,

1h 32m,

History/

Drama

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Watchlist

94%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII (Charles Laughton) goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn (Merle Oberon), his second wife, executed on charges of treason, King Henry weds maid Jane Seymour (Wendy Barrie), but that marriage also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the king picks German-born Anne of Cleves (Elsa Lanchester) as his bride, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and King Henry continues his string of spouses.

Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

Apr 28, 2025

4/5

The (a)historical biography made Charles Laughton a star and cemented the popular image of the British monarch as a fat, brutish oaf.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

May 12, 2021

A

It's still a superb film even if it has become outdated.

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Forsyth Hardy

Cinema Quarterly

Feb 3, 2021

The Private Life of Henry VIII gives Korda an assured place among the important directors in contemporary cinema.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Dec 3, 2020

6/10

Alexander Korda's 'The Private Life of Henry VIII' is a period biographical drama that, for my taste, has an authentic performance of Charles Laughton as the lustful monarch, but frankly it lacks the vigor to be pleasurable. [Full review in Spanish]

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Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Dec 3, 2019

It compares advantageously with most of the current crop of historical comedy-dramas.

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Pare Lorentz

Vanity Fair

Jun 6, 2019

An English production directed by Frank Capra, with Charles Laughton, his wife, Miss Lanchester, some attractive girls, and the most civilized scenario of the season.

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Harry R

Mar 26, 2015

The Private Life of Henry VIII is lightweight, but very amusing and entertaining throughout its runtime. It's a very humorous, fun film which is exceptionally written in dialogue and particularly well developed in all of its characters. Charles Laughton is the star here and he entirely deserved his Academy award with his larger-than-life, wonderful performance.

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Alexander Korda

Director

Charles Laughton

Henry VIII

Elsa Lanchester

Anne of Cleves

Binnie Barnes

Katherine Howard

Robert Donat

Thomas Culpeper

Merle Oberon

Anne Boleyn

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Synopsis

Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII (Charles Laughton) goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn (Merle Oberon), his second wife, executed on charges of treason, King Henry weds maid Jane Seymour (Wendy Barrie), but that marriage also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the king picks German-born Anne of Cleves (Elsa Lanchester) as his bride, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and King Henry continues his string of spouses.

Director: Alexander Korda
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: London Film Production
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 1933, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 11, 2016
Runtime: 1h 32m

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