IMDb > The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight (1979) (TV)

The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight (1979) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   49 votes
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Director:

Kevin Billington

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)
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Contact:

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Plot Keywords:

Awards:

1 nomination more

User Comments:

A Brilliant adaptation and a wonderful recreation of the period more (3 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
John Stride ... Henry VIII
Claire Bloom ... Katharine of Aragon
Ronald Pickup ... Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
Barbara Kellerman ... Anne Bullen
Timothy West ... Cardinal Wolsey
Julian Glover ... Duke of Buckingham
John Rowe ... Cromwell
Lewis Fiander ... Duke of Suffolk
Alan Leith ... Sergeant-at-Arms
Tony Church ... Prologue
John Bailey ... Griffith, Gentleman-Usher
David Troughton ... Surveyor
John Nettleton ... Lord Chamberlain
Charles Lloyd Pack ... Lord Sandys
Nigel Lambert ... Sir Thomas Lovell
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: Henry VIII (USA) (video title)
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Parents Guide:

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Runtime:

Israel:166 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Filming Locations:

Hever Castle, Hever, Kent, England, UK more

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:

The entire film was shot on location at Leeds Castle, Penshurst Place and Hever Castle; each of which bears associations to some of the historical figures in the play. more

Movie Connections:

Version of Henry VIII (1911) more

FAQ

Henry the Eight?
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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
A Brilliant adaptation and a wonderful recreation of the period, 10 March 2002
10/10
Author: cigmanmark from London, England

I loved this film. It is good in almost every way. The acting is great (Claire Bloom as Queen Catherine and Timothy West as Wolsey were particularly good) as you would expect from a BBC film but as well as that it was actually filmed on location at Penhurst Place, Dover Castle and Leeds Castle and there are some wonderful costumes. Sometimes, what you see on the screen looks like a painting of the time come to life. Also, there is a lot of music from the period and one of the songs ("Orpheus and His Lute" I think) was sung by Emma Kirkby. The only thing about it that I don't think is brilliant is the play itself. It is a bit dull, especially when listened to on audio cassete and even more so when reading it. However in this adaptation, the play and the characters come to life.

I don't know why the BBC don't release "The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare" series, on video. The ones I've watched have all been very good and have some very well known British actors

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