Directing a film about the court of England’s King Henry VIII gave Brazilian director Karim Ainoos a special kind of excitement, as the film focuses on the king’s sixth and last wife, Catherine Barr. Ainuz, who has no ties to England, said the aim of his film “Firebrand” was to shed light on the plight of Catherine Barr.
“The main reason is that Catherine Barr doesn’t do anything important about him,” he said before the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
“I was very excited about the idea of putting her in the spotlight and putting her in the same historical place that Henry and his late (wives) have always held,” she added.
The film, in contention for the Palme d’Or, stars Alicia Vikander as Catherine Barr, Henry’s sixth and final wife, who dabbled in court politics during the late King’s life.
“(The king) was in great pain,” said actor Jude Law, who plays King Henry VIII, with stiffness, swelling and a festering wound as a result of his suffering at the time.
Henry VIII ruled England between 1509 and 1547, declared his separation from Rome, and appointed himself head of the Church of England.
Jude Law added, “Firebrand is basically about a husband who mistreats his wife… Unfortunately, it’s a story that people all over the world live with, and I think this woman has the strength and talent to deal with it. This strong personality is special.”
The film is based on the 2013 novel “The Queen’s Gambit” by English author Elizabeth Fremantle. This is the first time Ainos’s film has competed at the Cannes Grand Prix, and his first film directed in the English language.
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