Anne Boleyn has been played on screen since the silent movie era.
One thing the new Tudor fans seem to agree upon is that they arent #TeamHenry.
Perhaps so, but that doesnt make it any less true.
This Anneisthe six-fingered witch of Catholic propaganda, and very little else.
The blackface masque scenes, though perhaps period-appropriate, clearly havent aged well either.
Catherine of Aragon was the first; but her story is of no particular interest.
Thats us told then.
As Charles Laughtons Henry VIII might say: next!
If only the film found her more fascinating, we might have had more of her.
Physically, Winstone fits the bill.
Bonham Cartermakes a decent Anne.
Its all very Important and Serious and doesnt achieve a great deal.
A charismatic May makes Anne multi-dimensional, at times cunning and ambitious but also girlish and vulnerable.
Shes much more than just a vixen or victim, and satisfyingly human.
Tutin is bewitching as the Anne to Keith Mitchells Henry.
She creates a changeable character who convincingly shifts from devilish to desperate.
With the court, shes proud and cruel, yes, but also painfully isolated.
Her trial scenes are some of the most affecting out there.
This Richard Burton-starring historical drama is theatrical and kind of superficial but oh, Bujold is a delight.
This Anne isnt a scheming vixen but reluctant and pimped out by her traitorous family to Burtons overbearing king.
Shes a modern heroine spunky and charismatic and doing what she can to manoeuvre inside the prison of court.
She makes an excellent Anne Boleyn in a series thatfinallydevotes enough time to understanding a much-discussed historical figure.
Subtlety isnt the goal here, which is clear from the emphatic line delivery and overegged dialogue.
Claire Foy in Wolf Hall (2015)
Actual perfection.
No other Anne Boleyn actor manages to combine cruelty with vulnerability as convincingly as Claire Foy inWolf Hall.
Foys is also thefinest execution sceneon record.
Its just a pity that history dictates she cant come back forthe follow-up series.
