Henry VIII and His Six Wives is a British film directed by Waris Hussein , released in 1972 . This is the film adaptation of the television series to the successful BBC The Six Wives of Henry VIII ( The Six Wives of Henry VIII ). Like the series, the film evokes the life of King Henry VIII of Englandand his six wives. Keith Michell takes on the big screen the role of the king. He and Bernard Hepton are the only two actors in the cast of the series and the film, while the actresses embodying the wife of Henry VIII are different.