THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII (1933)

An enormous success on release, it put producer/director Alexander Korda, Charles Laughton & British film production on the map.  (First foreign film to breach the Oscars®.)  The trick of the thing swaps out stuffy, dignified Royals to lift the curtain on Court foibles.  Quite racy in Pre-Code fashion; and with five of Henry’s six wives, plenty of opportunity for suggestive comic touches.  (Korda picking up on Ernst Lubitsch’s intimate peeks at the titled with their guard down back in the 1920s.*)  The film remains famous for Laughton’s robust King, the Holbein portrait brought to life with his OTT style dovetailing with Henry’s OTT personality.  Made on a dime, but with sophisticated design from Vincent Korda and built-in structure from New Wives showing up every other reel.  And it doesn’t hurt that the best scenes come in the second half when Laughton’s real wife, Elsa Lancaster as Anne of Cleves screws the King on the Royal bed in a game of cards before the film takes a startlingly strong, unexpectedly serious turn to tragedy on the thwarted romance of Katherine Howard & Thomas Culpepper (Robert Donat), the King’s rare friend.  The change in tone beautifully accomplished in spite of Korda, a great producer who as occasional director remained a great producer.*

DOUBLE-BLL/LINK:  *Lubitsch found his filmmaking voice in 1920 with the same King and Wife #2 in ANNE BOLEYN/DECEPTION.   OR:  *Korda’s final shot at directing, AN IDEAL HUSBAND/’48, by far his best in that position. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2011/12/anna-boleyn-1920.html  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2019/07/an-ideal-husband-1947.html