First, in the lavish drama "Anne of the Thousand Days" (1969), the ill-fated romance between King Henry VIII of England and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, is recounted. The king's (Richard Burton) obsession with siring a male heir gives rise to his abandonment of wife Catharine of Aragon, in favor of the young Anne, (Genevieve Bujold), and, ultimately, the formation of the Church of England. Co-stars Irene Papas, Anthony Quayle, John Colicos; based on Maxwell Anderson's play. Then, in "Mary, Queen of Scots" (1971), Vanessa Redgrave stars as the strong-willed Mary Stuart, whose Catholic faith put her at odds with Glenda Jackson's Queen Elizabeth I of England and scheming half-brother Patrick McGoohan for control of the Scottish throne. Timothy Dalton, Trevor Howard also star. 4 2/3 hrs. total on two discs. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English (SDH), French; isolated music score; featurette.
