Product Description: Enter the world of majesty with two emotionally charged epics that expose the secret lives and public battles of England's most influential royalty in the Anne of the Thousand Days / Mary Queen of Scots 2-Movie Collection! Honored with a combined 15 Academy Award nominations these films tell the torrid true-life tales of King Henry VIII Queen Elizabeth I Anne Boleyn and Mary Queen of Scots. Featuring lavish costumes stunning Technicolor photography and critically acclaimed performances these spectacular films bring new life to some of the most powerful figures of all time!System Requirements:Running Time: 146 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 025195015721 Manufacturer No: 61101955
Amazon.com: As costume dramas go, this is a passionate and feisty one, keyed by the ever-luminous Vanessa Redgrave in the title role and the sharp-edged Glenda Jackson as her jealous cousin, Queen Elizabeth I (who knew a thing or two about palace intrigue). Mary, who was raised in France as a Catholic, claims the Scottish crown from her mother upon her death. But she runs up against religious prejudice, both from the Protestant Elizabeth (who had encountered anti-Protestant bias before she took the throne) and from Mary's Protestant half-brother James Stuart (Patrick McGoohan). Elizabeth, whose own reign is shaky (given a strong Catholic presence in her country), is nervous about her Catholic cousin--and made more so by Mary's seeming inability to appreciate the political niceties of the period. Redgrave received an Oscar nomination for her performance. --Marshall Fine
Two truly enjoyable films With my old VHS tapes wearing out, I was elated to find these movies released together on DVD. Though both films have historical innacuracies, they are both so well done that even an Elizabethan history nut like myself thoroughly enjoyed them. Hal Wallis really knew how to do historical fiction on film! Anne of the Thousand Days: The characters are portrayed so well & in accordance with how they are described in historical accounts insofar as personality, if not physically [Burton's mannerisms are right on, even if his looks don't match]. Bujold is exactly the Anne Boelyn I picture in my imagination - she has some really great lines in this, too {I love when, in a fit of jealousy, she sends Jane Seymour from court "as far north as I could send her, since we don't own Scotland." Even though that never actually happened, it is a great scene!] Mary Queen of Scots: Redgrave as Mary Stuart is terrific as the well-meaning queen for whom nothing seems to work out because she always trusts the wrong people. Also, even though she's a side character in this, Elizabeth I, as played by Glenda Jackson, makes you want to see more of her - she plays Elizabeth exactly as I would picture her - cunning, vain, tempermental, and always ruling with her head rather than her heart. I have watched these movies countless times and it never gets old - enjoy!
A lover of English History These tapes were fairly factual and I enjoyed them enormously. I recommend even higher the film "The Tudors". The acting is superb, the story exact and the costumes and surrounding environment simply astounding. pmn
Two masterpieces for a great price! Two for a great price
Anne of the Thousand Days
We own the Show time series, The Tudors, and are simply fascinated about the life of Henry VIII.
Now, by owning "Anne of the Thousand Days" we have another interpretation of the life of Anne Boleyn, pursued by the king at all costs, for he destroys his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of King Ferdinande II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castille.
In 1502, Arthur, brother to Henry VIII, dies of an unknown disease, throwing young Henry into having to fulfill the royal duties. To maintain the alliance between England and Spain, Henry marries Catherine but in order to do so, he obtains special dispensation from the Pope because under Cannon law to marry the widow of a brother, was then considered illegal and incestuous.
Catherine swore that her marriage to Prince Arthur was not consummated and that her marriage to Henry VIII was therefore, her only real union. Time passes and Catherine does not produce male sons and Henry VIII no longer cares about maintaining a relationship with Spain and to marry Anne Boleyn, he tries to annul his marriage, claiming that it is based on sin.
King Henry VIII is key to understanding the history of the English monarchy for he is responsible for the separation of the Anglican Church from Rome and for establishing the English monarch as the Supreme Head of the Church of England
We see Anne Boleyn discovering that by withholding all favors from the King, she is able to capture and sustain his interest, by her public disdain of his favor; he literally becomes the king's obsession. From her sister's affair with the king, she had learned that any woman that gave herself to the king was soon discarded for another conquest. Anne Boleyn promises to give Henry many sons and finally, she is crowned Queen of England.
Anne's world starts to unravel when she produces a daughter, Elizabeth I, and a son who dies at birth. Soon, the king starts to consider an affair with Jane Seymour, his fifth cousin three times removed. Jane Seymour was a lady-in-waiting for Catherine of Aragon. As Anne's marriage to Henry VIII falls apart, Henry believes the accusations of adultery placed against Anne Boleyn by Cromwell probably because he now wants to marry Jane Seymour.
The movie is beautifully filmed, the costumes are superb, and the performances exquisite. Richard Burton provides an unforgettable Henry VIII. Don't miss it!
Mary, Queen of Scots
Now we see Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn crowned as Queen of England. Glenda Jackson is powerful as Elizabeth I, and Vanessa Redgrave is wonderful in her role of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Mary was raised in France as a Catholic and was said to be vivacious, pretty and clever, therefore she was a favorite at French court. She received the best education and mastered several languages, able to converse in French, Latin, Greek, Spanish and Italian. Mary was also able to play several musical instruments and was gifted in poetry, an ability to ride horses and falconry.
Mary marries the Dauphin Francois and becomes Queen consort of France. Upon the death of her mother, Mary is brought back and crowned Queen of Scots. Mary was the next in line to the English throne after her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, who in the eyes of many was illegitimate.
Being a devout Roman Catholic, Mary runs against religious prejudice by many of her subjects and by Elizabeth, who rules Protestant England.
Mary is no match to Elizabeth who is masterful in her understanding and ability to handle palace intrigue.
Mary marries an English subject, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who is her first cousin but the marriage gets Elizabeth upset because she was not asked for permission. Elizabeth is now threatened not only by her cousin's claim to the English throne, but by the marriage because both Henry Stuart and Mary Queen of Scots are descendants of the Tudor line and their children would have the right to claim the English throne.
James Stewart, Mary's half brother and a protestant, sees the marriage as a clear threat because they are both Catholics, and he joins other Protestant Lords in open rebellion against his half sister. Mary becomes pregnant but by then, her husband has openly become arrogant and demanding of more power, namely wanting the title of King. The performances are superb and we see Timothy Dalton deliver a powerful, yet pitiful interpretation of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.
In the pursuit of power, lots of palace intrigue takes place and Darnley conspires to have David Rizzio murdered because by being so close to Mary, he has become jealous and resentful. A plot to murder Darnley is initiated and he is found dead soon after. James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell marries Marry but he is seen by many as an adventurer who is guilty of the assassination of Darnley.
Mary is captured but refuses to acknowledge the power of any court to try her because she is an anointed Queen, something Elizabeth is ill prepared to dismiss because she too, shares the feeling. Finally, Mary Queen of Scots is tried and executed and the movie delivers powerful performances by both Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson. Without a doubt, this is a collectible item. Don't miss these two movies!
Anne of a Thousand Days We thoroughly enjoyed Anne of a Thousand Days and also Mary Queen of Scots that accompanied it. If you want to learn about English history then watch these interesting films and learn just how those in power were no different then.
A solid choice Anne of a 1000 days was great ... great acting ... Mary Queen of Scots was not as good ... it seemed much more like a stage production than a movie ... I didn't care for the format and I found the story hard to follow. Not as enjoyable.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
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