The Private Life of Henry VIII (United Artists) (1933)

PUBLICITY SECTION Stories for every need The Private Life of HENRY VIII Starring CHAS. LAUGHTON Directed by ALEXANDER KORDA Henry VIII’s Fifth Wife Found Love More Than Crown By KARL KRUG One of the brightest favorites at the rollicking court of King Henry VIII of England was Thomas Cul¬ peper, a dashing youth who took his fun where he found it and eventually went to the block because he was the lover of the former Katheryn Howard, Henry’s fifth wife. Katheryn may have been a schemer and a “climber,” and it is a cer¬ tainty that she was anything but a shrinking violet before she finally led the corpulent Henry to the altar, but that she loved Thomas Culpeper to the exclusion of everything else is an historical fact. The romance of Culpeper and Katheryn is vividly set forth in the London Film production of “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” starring Charles Laughton and which United Artists is releasing at the. Theatre., Alexander Korda, the director of the picture devoting considerable footage to one of the most famous love affairs in European court archives. Henry, himself, was devoted to the beautiful Katheryn, and he chopped off her head with considerable regret after court gossip reached the ears of his Privy Council and caused an investigation that revealed not only what the Queen had done after her marriage, but what she had done before. Culpeper, the gentleman to the end, admitted he loved Katheryn, but that “no wrong had ever passed between them.” Ten days of tor¬ ture refused to unseal his lips further, and he went to his death without disclosing just what his rela¬ tions with the Queen had been. Henry, after his first rage subsided, burst into tears and left London in his grief. Katheryn was executed with Cul¬ peper’s name on her lips. They had been sweethearts before she put him aside to become Queen of England, but she loved Culpeper to the end. Just before her head fell a Spaniard heard her speak a few breathless words, and hurriedly set them down. As recorded in Francis Hackett’s fine biography, “Henry the VIII,” this is what she said: “ .... it is true that long before the King took me I loved Culpeper, and I wish to God I had done as he wished me for at the time the King wanted to take me he urged me to say that I was pledged to him. If I had done as he advised me I should not die this death, nor would he. I would rather have had him for a husband than be mistress of the A KING’S Did Henry VIII Marry for Love or for Heir to British Throne? (ADVANCE FEATURE) Did Henry VIII really love any o his wives? Was his heart ever stirred by that immortal passion which poets have hymned ever since man began to record his emotions on something less ponderous than stone? Was his mad pursuit of the oppo¬ site sex based on a psychological complex, or was it inspired by the one haunting fear of his life — the fear that he would die without an heir to succeed him on the British throne? The London Film production, “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” a United Artists release starring Charles Laughton and showing . at the . Theatre, sheds a fascinating pictorial sidelight on this interesting question. Historians and psychologists have both advanced theories to substantiate their claims that fear was the impuls¬ ing motive of this “love-mad” mon¬ arch. Both apparently forget, in their enthusiasm, that a selfish passion, such as they picture, could not by the wildest stretch of the imagina¬ tion merit the name of the one emotion which leads the individual ego to forget itself in another. And yet there are those who, dig¬ ging below the surface of appearances — delving deeper into the well- springs of action—believe they have proof that there were in Henry’s heart the promptings of a warm and genuine affection for at least two of the women who graced his life—and these two he had beheaded! That there was a finer side to world, but sin blinded me and greed of grandeur; and since mine is the fault, mine also is the suffering, and my great sorrow is that Culpeper should have had to die through me.” Then, as she knelt before the headsman, she said wildly: “I die a Queen, but I would rather die the wife of Thomas Cul¬ peper.” Robert Donat and Binnie Barnes fill the roles of Culpeper and Kath¬ eryn in the photoplay, and the direc¬ torial genius of Korda has seen to it that each does full justice to the part. The love scenes and midnight trysts of Katheryn and her lover have been done with imaginative insight and a faithful adherence to the his¬ torical records of the famous intrigue. London Films Productions Ltd., presents CHARLES LAUGHTON ‘THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII” Directed by Alexander Korda THE CAST Running Time — ...97 minutes Released through United Artists SYNOPSIS The day of the public execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII hastily marries Jane Seymour. Their married life is brief for, while Henry is out hawking, Jane dies in giving birth to the Prince of Wales. Cromwell and Henry’s ministers scheme, for political seasons, that Henry shall marry again. In a violent temper he refuses, but put in a good humor by the singing and playing of Katheryn Howard, he consents to Holbein leaving for Germany to paint Ann of Cleves as a possible bride. In the meantime, he falls in love with Katheryn Howard to the dismay of his squire, Culpeper, who is in love with her. Ann of Cleves lands in England and it is too late to avoid Henry’s marriage with her. She has made herself very ungracious because she is in love with Peynell, another squire of the king. Henry marries her and, cordially disliking each other, they spend their wedding night playing cards. Ann shows Henry the way out through a divorce and Henry is free to marry Katheryn. Whon later Henry finds out about her love affair with Culpeper he is heartbroken. Culpeper and Katheryn are executed. Henry, now a heartbroken old man, is persuaded into marrying his children's nurse, a lady-in-waiting, Katherine Parr. We see him in his old age very near to being henpecked. WAY WITH SIX QUEENS Charles Laughton w Binnie Bames //.The Private life <j Henry VDT 5 —One Col. Scene (Mat .05; Cut .20) Henry’s nature is amply proved in his writings, many of which are still available through libraries and collec¬ tions, and in his musical composi¬ tions, both secular and sacred, which are still played in musical circles. There are those who aver that the one great love of Henry’s life was the ill-fated Anne Boleyn, pointing to the volume of seventeen love let¬ ters from His Tudor Majesty to this lady which are still extant and which is nothing if not proof in black and white. Actual quotations from some of these tender missives such as “having been above a whole year FIT FOR A KING HenryVIlICostumesCopied From Holbein Portraits (ADVANCE STORY) Due to the fact that any but the most expensive materials are immedi¬ ately shown up by the camera, it was necessary to spare no expense in the fashioning of the costumes used in the production of “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” playing . at the . Theatre. Designs for these costumes were inspired by the paintings of Holbein, and those worn by Charles Laughton in the title role, Binnie Barnes as Katheryn Howard and Robert Donat as Culpeper are costly in the extreme. This is particularly true of the furs. The lavish fur collars worn by the men, especially in the case of King Henry himself, are made from the finest skins procurable. Considerable difficulty was experi¬ enced in the making and fitting of the hats that Laughton wears in this role, which are elaborately jewelled and feathered. After much sampling and shopping, the order was finally given to a well-known West End Court milliner, and has proved to be the first time that a model house had made a hat for a man. “The Private Life of Henry VIII” is a London Film production directed by Alexander Korda and released by United Artists. Homesick English Beauty Ran Home to Her Hubby (ADVANCE STORY) Binnie Barnes, an English beauty with red gold hair and creamy skin, once headed for Hollywood with a contract that took effect when she touched American soil. At the ship she was met by a publicity man who handed her an accumulation of let¬ ters that had been awaiting her arrival. She selected one of them to read first — read it, burst into tears and engaged return passage. She didn’t want to travel another 3000 miles in the opposite direction from her husband. However, the screen career of the beautiful Binnie has progressed nicely on her native soil. She is seen play¬ ing the role of Katheryn Howard opposite Charles Laughton in “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” a United Artists release showing . at the.Theatre. It was Katheryn Howard, you remember, who became the fifth wife of the king and who lost her head for her infidelity. Wives He Beheaded Seem To Have Been His Favorites struck with the dart of love for you and not yet sure whether I shall find a place in your heart and affection” would most assuredly convey the existence of a yearningly tender sentiment. It is also opined by these savants that the psychological reaction of the average man when he learns that the woman he has loved has “double crossed” him is almost certain to be expressed in some form of violence. The case of Anne Boleyn, then, runs true to psychological form. This complex character again gives evidence of deep affection in his association with Katheryn Howard, the Fifth Lady of his Heart. Long before she won the notice of His Royal Majesty, she had been the sweetheart of that gallant gentleman and courtier, Thomas Culpeper. When the call of her heart—for she really loved her girlhood lover — became stronger than her discretion, and her philanderings with Culpeper were brought to Henry’s attention, his grief was unquestionably genu¬ ine. In the scene in the picture where his Privy Councillors break the sad news to him, the swift transi¬ tion from unreasoning rage at her accusers to the maudlin and senti¬ mental grief of an aging man is most dramatically portrayed by Charles Laughton. Of the six fair charmers who shared his life, history records but two who literally “lost their heads” — Anne Boleyn and Katheryn Howard — the only two who held the citadel of his heart against all comers until their own weaknesses proved their un¬ doing. 16th Century Torches Film Lighting Problem (CURRENT STORY) Georges Perinal, whose lighting in Rene Clair’s films aroused world¬ wide interest for its originality, is responsible for the startling lighting effects in “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” the London Films production starring Charles Laughton at the . Theatre. In the 16th century, the period of this United Artists release, interior lighting was by means of torches and fires. It was by no means easy to illuminate brilliantly some of the magnificent scenes in this picture and still retain the illusion that torches alone were used. Tapestry and Pie But Nary a Fork For Henry Eighth (ADVANCE FEATURE) Some idea of the vastness of the scale of dining and entertainment in the days of the Tudors may be gained from one of the scenes reproduced by London Films for its production of “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” in which Charles Laughton plays the monarch in his merrie moods. The whole of one stage was used for this setting of the dining hall, which was 70 feet long by 40 feet wide. The walls were 24 feet high, hung with copies of Holbein tapes¬ tries and royal standards. Some of these measured over 30 feet long by 20 feet high. Around three sides of the hall extended the dining table at which were seated the ladies, officials and cardinals of the Court, over a hundred and fifty in number. Serving men and carvers waited upon the members of the household in continuous procession. The pies were three feet across and the loaves of bread were four feet long and weighed fifteen pounds. Forks were not considered essen¬ tial in those days, and all food was handled with knives and fingers. Dish after dish was brought in for the King’s approval or rejection. After the guests had been fed, the center of the floor was cleared and wrestlers were called in. It was King Henry’s boast that he could outdo all comers in any athletic feat, and it is all one with Charles Laughton’s inimi¬ table presentation of this unique character that he took several lessons from a professional wrestler for this scene, and the falls and holds he thus learned enabled him to acquit him¬ self in true Tudor style. “The Private Life of Henry VIII” presents in a humorous vein, it is said, the story of four of the six marriages of England’s greatest king. It was directed by Alexander Korda from the story by Lajos Biro and Arthur Wirr.peris and, as a United Artists release, is the attraction . at the . Theatre. Henry VlIFs Own Music The love song sung by Binnie Barnes in one of the big banquet scenes in “The Private Life of Henry VIII” and called “What Shall I Do For Love?” was actually written early in the 16th century by the merrie monarch himself, portrayed in this United Artists release by Charles Laughton. It is the attraction . at the . Theatre. Charles Laughtons Merle Oberon, Wendy Barrie,Elsa Lanchesteiw Binnie Bames /* The Private Life ^ Henry M" 1 —Two Col. Scene (Mat .10; Cut .40) (CURRENT STORY) The eighth Henry to be King of England had six wives and this fact inspired the story told with tongue in cheek in “The Private Life of Henry VIM” starring Charles Laugh¬ ton and showing . at the . Theatre. Two of Henry’s wives were named Anne and three were named Cath¬ erine, with variations in spelling. Two of them were beheaded—Anne Boleyn and Katheryn Howard, two of them were divorced—Catherine of Aragon and Ann of Cleves; Jane Seymour died when the Prince of Wales was born and Catherine Parr outlived him. “The Private Life of Henry VIII” tells the story of five of the wives, the first one having been too respec¬ table to make interesting drama. Alexander Korda’s direction keeps the story humorous and frothy at all times. It’s a London Films produc¬ tion released through United Artists.