Editing Anne of the Thousand Days (section)

==Background and production==
The play ''Anne of the Thousand Days'', the film's basis, was first enacted on Broadway in the [[Shubert Theatre (New York City)|Shubert Theatre]] on 8 December 1948; staged by [[H. C. Potter]], with [[Rex Harrison]] and [[Joyce Redman]] as Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn respectively, running 288 performances; Harrison won a [[Tony Award]] for his performance.

Cinematically, ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' took 20 years to reach the screen because its themes – adultery, illegitimacy, incest – were then unacceptable to the U.S. motion picture [[production code]]. The film was made on such locations as [[Penshurst Place]] and [[Hever Castle]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064030/locations|title=Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) - IMDb|via=www.imdb.com}}</ref> and at [[Pinewood Studios|Pinewood]] and [[Shepperton Studios]].
Hever Castle was one of the main settings for the film; it was also the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/filmed-in-kent/1969/12/anne-of-the-thousand-days-1969|title=Kent Film Office Anne of the Thousand Days Film Focus|author=Kent Film Office|date=18 December 1969}}</ref>

British actress [[Olivia Hussey]] was the first choice for the role of Anne Boleyn.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://production.grouchoreviews.com/interviews/229|title=Groucho Reviews: Interview: Olivia Hussey—Romeo and Juliet|author=Groucho|website=Groucho Reviews|access-date=1 October 2008}}</ref> When producer [[Hal B. Wallis]] first met Hussey in New York in November 1967 at a party for her then upcoming film ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' (1968), he offered her the title role. In addition, he also offered her to star with [[John Wayne]] in ''[[True Grit (1969 film)|True Grit]]'' (1969). In her 2019 memoir, Hussey stated that she had "mumbled something about being interested in ''Anne of the Thousand Days''” but added that she "couldn’t see herself with Wayne". She claims that this "adolescent and opinionated" remark inevitably ended her professional relationship with Wallis, and he immediately withdrew his offer from her. "It had taken me less than a minute to talk my way out of it" Hussey stated.<ref>{{cite book|title=The girl on the balcony : Olivia Hussey finds life after Romeo & Juliet|last1=Hussey|first1=Olivia|date=31 July 2018 |isbn=978-1496717078|edition=First Kensington hardcoverition|pages=84–85}}</ref>

Maxwell Anderson employed [[blank verse]] for parts of his play, but most examples of this were removed from the screenplay. One blank verse episode that was retained was Anne's soliloquy in the [[Tower of London]]. The opening of the play was changed, with [[Thomas Cromwell]]'s telling [[Henry VIII]] the outcome of the trial and Henry's recalling his marriage to Anne rather than Anne's speaking first and then Henry's remembering in flashback.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ncRbgYvnQTAC&q=Anne+of+the+Thousand+Days Anne of the Thousand Days], ''Google books'', accessed 15 April 2012</ref>