Proxy, the 1972 version is, essentially, a feature film 'remake' of the earlier version. As it is only feature-length (my own DVD copy has a 172 minute running time, compared with the indulgent 535 minutes of the BBC series).
Both film and TV series have significant merits. On balance, I prefer the original BBC series, simply as it has the time to really explore the lives and times of each Queen in some depth. However, it is not without problems. For one, little time is devoted the famous courtship between Henry and Anne Boleyn, with that episode focusing entirely on her downfall. Similarly, the entire Anne of Cleves saga is utter twaddle (enjoyable though it is!) in the BBC version, showing as it does a savvy, poltically-minded, English-speaking Anne who is shrewd enough to manipulate her way into a 'safe' position as the King's adopted sister. In reality, Anne spoke little or no English, was confused and hurt at the turn of events during her brief Queenship, and actually harboured hopes (dashed by Catherine Parr) of eventual remarriage to Henry. That said, the other episodes of the series are absolutely wonderful, with fine performances and predominantly accurate events.
The 1972 cannot (for reasons of running time) explore anything as in-depth as its predecessor. However, what it can do, it does well. For one thing, we are given a very accurate-looking Katherine of Aragon (moreso even than the excellent Annette Crosbie). We are also privy to scenes of courtship between Henry and Charlotte Rampling's extremely beautiful Anne Boleyn (although I am sorry to report that the film presents Anne's legendary 'deformities' as fact). Unfortunately, Anne's execution is glaringly omitted from the film (the opposite problem of the TV series!), and our last view of her is Henry's disgust as he leers malevolently at her during the tilt at which she is arrested. Jane Seymour (ably portrayed by Jane Asher) is covered reasonably well in the film; indeed, many of the lines from the Jane Seymour episode are recycled for the film, especially during Henry's confrontation with her over the dissolution of the monasteries. Anne of Cleves is seen only briefly on film, (although this is much accurate than the TV series, which was hampered by having to fill an hour and a half over such an ancillary character in the King's life). However, she is shown as grotesque and pock-marked, with Henry refering to her as 'The Flanders Mare', in a nod to the inaccurate legends which have sprung up about her since her deposition as Queen. The section of the film involving Katherine Howard is excellent IMO, as Lynne Frederick conveys a painfully young, naive girl who is thrust into the spotlight against her will. This is quite at odds with the scheming minx portrayed in the BBC version, but I find it likely more accurate, and perhaps even more effective. Unfortunately (as often seems the case), Catherine Parr is given short shrift, as she is shoe-horned into the movie at the end, with no mention of her religious struggles or relationship with Anne Askew and Stephen Gardiner.
On balance, I find the BBC version better, primarily because it is longer. However, in the film's favour, it also boasts a bravura performance by Keith Michell, a good-to-excellent cast of wives and a solid structure which really makes it a film of two halves - one about Henry, Katherine and Anne, and one about Katherine Howard. It flows very well and makes use also of magnificent costumes and far better sets than those used in the small-budged BBC show. I really do recommend the film, if for nothing more than a solid, enjoyable costume drama held together by a fantastic central performance. It might not receive the critical acclaim of its predecessor, but it is well worth watching, and can be viewed time and again, as it requires less time to be invested than the 6 hour long version.
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