Script review – “The Private Life of Henry VIII” by Lajos Biros and Arthur Wimperis

Kudos went to Vincent Korda’s design and Charles Laughton’s acting but the script from Biros and Wimperis did the heavy lifting – and despite some flowery dialogue it remains a fun read. The irreverence, pace and zest are all on the page to start with. History is excellently telescoped – why not have Anne’s execution on the same day as his marriage to Jane Seymour, since that is in effect what happened (and it helps get the story off to a great start)? Why not have Jane Seymour die in childbirth – dramatically it works better than her nodding off two weeks later.

The Jane Seymour stuff is effectively act one – the bulk of the rest of it concerns Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. Anne is act two, Katherine act three; both plots are similar – each girl is in love with another man – but are handled differently: Anne doesn’t want to be married, but gets out of it cleverly by pretending to be grotesque (treated comically); Katherine actively encourages Henry’s pursuit but can’t resist the lure of Thomas Culpepper’s young flesh and both wind up executed (treated tragically). Katherine Parr is an epilogue and throughout the film various servants and commoners act as a Greek chorus commentating on the action. Very racy and funny, with some conservative propaganda (Henry talks about the importance of being well armed to defend against hostile foreigners), and pathos (Henry’s reaction to Katherine Howard’s death). Some have claimed Arthur Wimperis' little asides are corny but I felt they fit in with the tone of the script.

This was published in 1934 as part of a commendable effort to draw attention to the importance of screenplays. There’s a fascinating introduction by someone called Ernest Betts, who is very stuffy but offers invaluable insights into the attitude of screenwriting in the British industry at the time – very poor. (Betts says most scripts simply aren’t worthy of commendation, talks about it seeming unlikely films will last.) The script is presented in a different format to today – two columns, one for description, one for dialogue (this is used in TV for lifestyle programs); the shots are described (long shot, medium shot), and numbered but the scenes aren’t numbered.