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The Other Boleyn Girl - with Free Bookmark (Exclusive to Amazon.co.uk) [2008]
from Universal Pictures UK
starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess, Juno Temple
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

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 2.5 / 5.0

• the movie can not match the book
  
  The Other Boleyn Girl is a historical novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn, sister of Queen Anne Boleyn.It was a phenomenal success. I still remember when I bought the book "The Other Boleyn Girl" at a bookshop at Angel in LDN. I was hooked from page one. That lasted to the very last page. I honestly can not say that about the movie.
  My disappointment does not result from historic side of thing as I am not expecting a movie (or... more info

• Could have been so much better
  I enjoyed the book very much, so when I heard that they were making a film of it I couldn't wait. I broke one of my golden rules and that is buying a DVD without renting it first or seeing it at the cinema.When I finally managed a quiet evening to myself I put it on imagine my upset to find that it was nothing like the book at all, no streamy scenes as it was a 12 rating the book is full of them. leading actors dull with no passion I wanted to give them all a big kick.The only saving grace is the costumes.... more info

• charismatic but nothing compared to the book
  I thoroughly enjoyed this film but I went into it with the right attitude -i expected a hollywood version of an english tale. I love all Phillipa Gregory books and am extremely interested in Tudor history but I can also enjoy a glitzed up star-studded film. The book is without a doubt better than the film but I would still recommend the film-the beheading scene is just brilliant. I thought Scarlet Johannsen was great as Mary - perhaps a little too sexy. I wouldn't ahve cast Natalie Portman as Anne but I've... more info

• Ghastly
  There have been a lot films, books etc about the 'romance' between Henry 8th and Anne Boleyn but this surely must hold the record of being the worse ever! The book on which it is based is engrossing but the film is so unbelievely bad that I had could only watch it in total astonishment. Buy teh book but please don't waste a penny buying this truly awful movie!

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