In association with

The Other Boleyn Girl [2008]
from Universal Pictures UK
starring Natalie Portman, Ana Torrent, David Morrissey, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana
directed by Justin Chadwick

Features:

• PAL

Editorial Review:

A tale of two sisters competing for the same king, The Other Boleyn Girl uses historical facts as window dressing for this work of fiction that is entertaining, if not wholly believable. Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) is the doe-eyed vixen ordered by her power-hungry uncle to bewitch King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Her shy sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) has always been in Anne's shadow; Anne is prettier, more accomplished, and desired by many men. So when the King picks Mary--the "other Boleyn girl"--as his mistress, Anne turns on her sister and schemes to become not only the King's consort, but his new queen. With a pair of American actresses in the lead roles and an Aussie portraying their hunky object of desire, the English accents are all over the place in this period piece with a modern feel. Though the Boleyn girls' mother points out that her "daughters are being traded like cattle for the advancement of men," it is Anne who ultimately throws her slight weight around to bully Henry into doing her bidding. When he begs her to give herself to him, Anne--wearing a Carrie Bradshaw-esque "B" pendant on her neck--counters, "Make me your Queen." Is the audience really supposed to believe that Henry the VIII--the most powerful man in the land--would divorce Catherine of Aragon, separate from the Catholic church, and put England in upheaval simply because Anne refused to sleep with him until he jumped through all her hoops? "I have torn this country apart for you," he hisses at her before finally getting his way. Based on Philippa Gregory's bestselling novel of the same name, The Other Boleyn Girl features an attractive cast and a familiar plot with some icky twists. Kieran McGuigan's cinematography is breathtaking and is as crucial to setting the film's tone as the dialogue. Actually, it fares better: Lines such as "Well? Did he have you?!" sound almost comical. But the sweeping shots of Henry's kingdom and the carefully framed close-ups of Portman and Johansson are breathtaking in their beauty and say what words simply cannot. --Jae-Ha Kim

Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson star as Anne and Mary Boleyn in this adaptation of the bestselling novel by Philippa Gregory. While their story is perhaps one of history's most well known, The Other Boleyn Girl has fun with the facts, creating a lusty, dramatic tale of deception and betrayal. The film begins with the girls' power-hungry uncle (David Morrissey), discovering that King Henry VIII's (Eric Bana) marriage to Catherine of Aragon (Ana Torrent) is falling apart. Their uncle suggests to their father (Mark Rylance) that he tempt the King into taking Anne (Portman) as his mistress, thus putting the family in the King's favour. But the King has no time for the strong-willed Anne, and instead turns his attentions to her already married, soft-spoken sister Mary. With her eye on the Queen's crown, Anne renews her attempts to seduce the king, driving a wedge between her and her sister.
Bana is a brooding, sexy Henry, and Portman and Johansson both give strong performances as the beautiful and bewitching sisters. While some might quibble over the historical inaccuracies of the film, most will let themselves get lost in the sea of beautiful bodices, and the anticipation of when those bodices might be ripped.

An extraordinary tale of sex, passion and royal intrigue. This is the little-known story of Mary Boleyn who was mistress to King Henry VIII before he married her older sister, Anne. Inspired by Philippa Gregory's novel of the same name, The Other Boleyn Girl is about great families jockeying for position and using their daughters as pawns in a deadly game. Set during one of the most notorious periods in British regal history, it is a powerful narrative and at its heart is the relationship between two rivals - The Boleyn Sisters.

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

• An enthralling and beautifully done historical romance
  Hungry for political power, Sir Thomas Boleyn ( Mark Rylance)and his brother the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey), taking adavntage of the fact that Henry VIII's (Eric Bana) Queen Katerine of Aragon ( Ana Torrent)cannot produce a male heir conspire to makeone of Sir Thomas
  Seymour's daughters the mistress of King Henry.
  Initially Anne (Natalie Portman) is selected but after a riding accident he is nursed by Mary (Scarlet Johansen) who he coerces into becoming his mistress.
  Meanwhile... more info

• I'll start with the good... that won't take long.
  The Good: Natalie Portman's performance was brilliant - she is totally convincing as Anne. She portrays her witty charm with ease and yet manages to show her notoriously vindictive bitchiness and overwhelming ambition with skill. I'm not sure about the historical accuracy of the costumes, but they looked amazing. Especially Anne's French style dresses, which emphasised her daring and flirtatious nature; Mary's classic English style dresses, fittingly portraying her as an "English Rose" and Katherine's... more info

• If you havent read the book its very good!
  As someone who hasnt read the book this film adaption was very enjoyable. it was exciting and didnt bore. The characters were amazing and you really feel like you know them by the end...it isnt a waste to watch this film. and although it still wasnt quite 5 stars it was still worth watching and made a great evening!

• Epic story of a brave girl Anne Boleyn
  The Other Boleyn Girl is set in the middle age England. The kingdom is on the brink of civil war as there is no male-heir to the King Henry 8. Then a cunning aristocrat plans to take advantage of this situation by forcing his daughter to become the King's mistress. The plans take a different turn as the King is attracted to both Boleyn girls! He seduces the first one easily but the other one will not give herself so easily!
  The film depicts the era so wonderfully. The court life and the vililage life... more info

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