Anne of the Thousand Days

Directed by Charles Jarrott and produced by veteran Hal Wallis, Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) is a superb costume drama starring Richard Burton as randy, wily King Henry VIII, and Genevieve Bujold as seductive young Anne Boleyn, the woman whose royal romance would change English history forever.  As Henry tries to rid himself of his “barren” wife, Catherine of Aragon (Irene Papas), clever Anne keeps the shockingly needy king on a string through machination after political machination, eventually causing a final break with the Pope and the Church of Rome.