Why are we watching yet another movie about trashy royals, this one from 1933? Because this one’s pretty seminal: it introduced the world to auteur filmmaking pioneers Charles Laughton and director/producer Alexander Korda, and actresses Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester.

If you’ve seen the musical Six you know the story: Henry VIII has an easy time getting married, but finds it challenging to stay married. In this movie, we meet five of his six wives, and hijinks ensue. 

Was Henry VIII actually attractive? Did Jamie Lee Curtis use Elsa Lanchester’s performance as inspiration for Trading Places? What is a Plantagenet again?

The Private Life of Henry VIII was directed by Alexander Korda, and stars Charles Laughton as Henry VIII, Robert Donat as Thomas Culpepper, Merle Oberon as Anne Boleyn, Wendy Barrie as Jane Seymour, Elsa Lanchester as Anne of Cleves, and Binnie Barnes as Katherine Howard. 

Sources:

Sources used in the episode include…

Henry VIII, the King and His Court by Alison Weir.

Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.

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