THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII (57)

Directed by: Alexander Korda (1933)

Starring: Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Robert Donat

The Pitch: The rollicking life and times of the King and five of his six wives (the first was "a respectable woman, and of no interest").

Theo Sez: Visually among the most accomplished of Korda's 30s films, beautifully photographed with imaginative shadowplay and compositions making the most of some handsome sets (in fact, considerably more than that - since, by all accounts, the film cost a lot less than its production values would suggest). The splendid visuals frame a rather creaky burlesque, sometimes funny (the bickering between the French and English executioners), sometimes overly broad (the king railing on about the decline in manners and refinement as he demolishes a roast capon, tossing the scraps over his shoulder). Laughton's famous performance is perhaps too sympathetic - Henry's "black moods" are really rather jolly - but certainly holds it all together, and the narrative per se is far from stodgy, skating over the material without spelling everything out (though the elliptical style unfortunately confirms the impression of a series of sketches rather than a movie). Obviously a quality film, but in fact neither particularly witty nor particularly sharp ; rather a disappointment, given its reputation.