THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII (1933)

Although the role has been played by great actors such as Emil Jannings and Richard Burton, Charles Laughton’s depiction of Henry VIII is most often hailed as the definitive interpretation. The image of him tearing apart a roast chicken while complaining that “Manners are dead!” is indelible. But he also has moments of great pain upon discovering that one his wives (Binnie Barnes) has been unfaithful to him and, later, childlike mischief as he sneaks food against his last wife’s wishes. Laughton’s multi-faceted, larger-than-life portrayal made the film the first British hit on American screens and made him the first actor to win an Oscar for a film produced outside of the U.S. Even though the film omitted Henry’s first wife and relegated three more to minor roles, Merle Oberon registered strongly in her one scene as Anne Boleyn. More time went to Elsa Lanchester, Laughton’s real life wife, in a deft comic turn as Anne of Cleves and Barnes as the seductive Katherine Howard.

d. Alexander Korda, 94m, 35mm

Courtesy of The British National Archive and Janus Films.

Print source: BFI National Archive. Restored by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, in association with ITV and Park Circus. Funding provided by The George Lucas Family Foundation. Premiere of a new 35mm restored print made in 2024.

The British Film Institute is the UK’s lead organization for film and the moving image. In 2025 the BFI National Archive turns 90 years old. From preserving early silent films on fragile nitrate film prints to collecting contemporary work via the latest digital innovations; from bringing to life unproduced ‘lost’ works through scripts and production sketches, to caring for the stills and posters of familiar cultural touchstones; and from their holdings of small-scale home videos to the most epic of cinematic odysseys, since 1935 the BFI National Archive has been a gateway to the past, present, and future of screen culture. The BFI National Archive at TCM Classic Film Festival this April, celebrating this major milestone, are presenting a number of rare archive film prints (including nitrate), new 35mm prints and restorations from their collection.