The Moviegoer

The fabulous life of Henry VIII has long been juicy material for all sorts of novelists, playwrights, and historians. "The Private Lives of Henry VIII" attempts to deal only with four of his marriages, throwing in a few lines here and there just to show that the king was interested in matters outside the field of sex. Some years ago a British writer observed that the great Tudor had become completely identified with the person of Charles Laughton in the mind of the typical schoolboy. His performance in this 1933 film is classic; whether historically accurate or not, the picture of Henry VIII in the mind of the average man today is Laughton's creation. In the same way, the history of Henry's last four marriages which most people know is really the script of this film. Maxwell Anderson's current creation on Broadway may create a new Henry for the popular taste, but so far the Laughton version still rules. Elsa Lanchester, Laughton's real wife, really goes to town with that nebulous character, Anne of Cleves.

The second feature utilizes another famous team, that of Olivier and Leigh. "That Hamilton Woman" is supposed to be the love story of Lord Nelson and the wife of a British ambassador in Naples. It is also beautiful acted, staged, and directed; unfortunately the fact that it was written during the Battle of Britain is too obvious whenever politics is mentioned. The script is almost pure propaganda in places. However, beyond these perhaps picayune details, "That Hamilton Woman" is an entertaining movie and an excellent piece of work.