A filmmaker's early work can be fascinating, if not always among his or her best efforts. Lubitsch's signature touch may not have been fully developed by 1920, but he had still made charming romantic comedies like The Oyster Princess up to that point. However, one thing fans of his 1930s and 1940s work may not expect is that Lubitsch also made big historical epics during the silent era. The most famous might be The Loves of Pharaoh, starring Emil Jannings as a lecherous pharaoh who tears apart two young lovers. The film is beautifully produced, with lavish sets and costumes, crowds rushing through the frames. Unfortunately, the pace is leaden and the story is barely engaging.
Lubitsch's treatment of the rise and fall of sixteenth century queen Anne Boleyn (here named "Anna") follows the same basic premise: Emil Janning's lusty Henry VIII separates young lovers Henry Norris and Anne Boleyn when he tires of his aging queen, Katherine of Aragon. Unfortunately, much of the same flaws of Pharaoh can be seen here as well: what we have is a lack of engagement or an interesting heroine.
Lubitsch's Anne may be the most passive portrayal of the woman put to film and her characterization is probably the biggest reason why it's such a slog to get through. Anne Boleyn was known for being charismatic despite not fitting the blonde-haired, fair-skinned beauty standards of the day with her olive complexion and dark (possibly red) hair. So of course this Anne is fair skinned, blonde, and charisma-less. Anne always looks like she is on the verge of tears or fainting. She is repulsed by Henry from the start and never possesses any ambition to become queen. We see nothing of her social skills, her religious zeal, her bravery in the face of death. About the most you get of the historical Anne is her love for her daughter Elizabeth and occasional flashes of temper which in this movie seem to come out of nowhere.
All the other characters are painted with broad strokes too: the mild Jane Seymour is suddenly a calculating temptress (?!), Henry Norris is the suffering lover boy, Mark Smeaton is basically a cackling frat boy out to get Anne when she won't sleep with him, the Duke of Norfolk is completely amoral and lacking humanity. About the closest we get to a bonafide performance is Emil Janning's Henry VIII, but even he is limited to leering, glowering, and guzzling beer from tankards.
The script also lumbers from historical event to historical event, with things happening laughably fast. The divorce of Katherine of Aragon took years in real life, but here it's cleared up in all of five minutes! Yes, yes, this is entertainment, not a documentary-- but considering this movie is hardly entertaining, I'm going to pick at the rushed treatment of the story much more. But as I said before, it's not a total waste: the production looks great and Lubitsch sometimes uses creative framing and mise en scene to liven things up. But when it' all at the service of a dull script, it does not help make the viewing experience any better.
What really kills me is that we're dealing with a fascinating piece of history and a fascinating woman. Making Anne Boleyn a saint is about as erroneous as making her a harpy (see the terrible, TERRIBLE Other Boleyn Girl for how Anne Boleyn's character gets assassinated these days). She was capable of kindness (she gave much to charities serving the poor) and cruelty (her treatment of her stepdaughter devolved once Mary refused to accept her as queen; she was known for boasting quite a temper). Few movies about AB have portrayed her as a woman: she is the seductress, the harpy, the suffering saint-- almost never a woman.
Anyway, only Lubitsch or Jannings fans will get much out of Anna Boleyn (1920). If you want early Lubitsch, I highly recommend The Oyster Princess, a movie more suited to his style and talents.
Lubitsch's treatment of the rise and fall of sixteenth century queen Anne Boleyn (here named "Anna") follows the same basic premise: Emil Janning's lusty Henry VIII separates young lovers Henry Norris and Anne Boleyn when he tires of his aging queen, Katherine of Aragon. Unfortunately, much of the same flaws of Pharaoh can be seen here as well: what we have is a lack of engagement or an interesting heroine.
Lubitsch's Anne may be the most passive portrayal of the woman put to film and her characterization is probably the biggest reason why it's such a slog to get through. Anne Boleyn was known for being charismatic despite not fitting the blonde-haired, fair-skinned beauty standards of the day with her olive complexion and dark (possibly red) hair. So of course this Anne is fair skinned, blonde, and charisma-less. Anne always looks like she is on the verge of tears or fainting. She is repulsed by Henry from the start and never possesses any ambition to become queen. We see nothing of her social skills, her religious zeal, her bravery in the face of death. About the most you get of the historical Anne is her love for her daughter Elizabeth and occasional flashes of temper which in this movie seem to come out of nowhere.
All the other characters are painted with broad strokes too: the mild Jane Seymour is suddenly a calculating temptress (?!), Henry Norris is the suffering lover boy, Mark Smeaton is basically a cackling frat boy out to get Anne when she won't sleep with him, the Duke of Norfolk is completely amoral and lacking humanity. About the closest we get to a bonafide performance is Emil Janning's Henry VIII, but even he is limited to leering, glowering, and guzzling beer from tankards.
The script also lumbers from historical event to historical event, with things happening laughably fast. The divorce of Katherine of Aragon took years in real life, but here it's cleared up in all of five minutes! Yes, yes, this is entertainment, not a documentary-- but considering this movie is hardly entertaining, I'm going to pick at the rushed treatment of the story much more. But as I said before, it's not a total waste: the production looks great and Lubitsch sometimes uses creative framing and mise en scene to liven things up. But when it' all at the service of a dull script, it does not help make the viewing experience any better.
What really kills me is that we're dealing with a fascinating piece of history and a fascinating woman. Making Anne Boleyn a saint is about as erroneous as making her a harpy (see the terrible, TERRIBLE Other Boleyn Girl for how Anne Boleyn's character gets assassinated these days). She was capable of kindness (she gave much to charities serving the poor) and cruelty (her treatment of her stepdaughter devolved once Mary refused to accept her as queen; she was known for boasting quite a temper). Few movies about AB have portrayed her as a woman: she is the seductress, the harpy, the suffering saint-- almost never a woman.
Anyway, only Lubitsch or Jannings fans will get much out of Anna Boleyn (1920). If you want early Lubitsch, I highly recommend The Oyster Princess, a movie more suited to his style and talents.