Based on a true historical story, the film tells the story of King Henry VIII, a violent and lustful monarch of sixteenth-century England, who fell in love with Anne, a lady-in-waiting, and wanted to divorce his queen. He asked the Lord Chancellor, Thomas Moore, to sign the decree of divorce, and Thomas Moore resigned from his post of Lord Chancellor and refused to sign the decree, which was ultimately framed for Henry VIII’s death.
1966 / UK / Drama Biography History / Fred Kinneman / Paul Schofield Wendy Hiller
Plot Synopsis:
The movie is based on real historical events.
Set in the 16th century, King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) falls in love with a woman named Anne (Vanessa Redgrave), who wants to divorce the queen but is constrained by worldly morals.
Henry VIII approaches the Lord Chancellor, Thomas (Paul Scofield), and asks him to sign the divorce decree, in an attempt to use Thomas’s high moral standing to assuage his own guilt.
Thomas has lived a life of honor and integrity, and the King’s unreasonable demands bother him greatly, as he understands that those who refuse the King are doomed to a bad end.
Guided by his inner conscience, Thomas carries out his principles, refusing to sign and resigning from his post, but even so, he is not able to escape the fate of his death.
