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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
Synopsis
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.
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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
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 and popularity. 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 a novel) to be historical accurate. However, this movie does not really catch the essence of the story told by Philippa Gregory, is not "round" and never really graps one. There are huge gaps in the story told and only if one really knows one's history one can follow. I particuarly dislike the last scene when it looks like that Mary Boleyn raises the future Queen Elisabeth I.
It is however a sumptous movie. I like the costume design done by Academy Award-winner Sandy Powelland and the whole setting. Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn, Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn and Eric Bana as Henry VIII were performing well without being brilliant. Both were by far outshone by Kristin Scott Thomas as Lady Elizabeth Boleyn and Ana Torrent as Catherine of Aragon. The scene when Catherine of Aragon kneels before the king when the court is going to judge her marraige is one of the best. But that is not the main story. The performance of Mark Rylance as Thomas Boleyn, father of the girls, I did not like at all.
It is not a waste of time to watch this movie, but do not have too high hopes.
My disappointment does not result from historic side of thing as I am not expecting a movie (or a novel) to be historical accurate. However, this movie does not really catch the essence of the story told by Philippa Gregory, is not "round" and never really graps one. There are huge gaps in the story told and only if one really knows one's history one can follow. I particuarly dislike the last scene when it looks like that Mary Boleyn raises the future Queen Elisabeth I.
It is however a sumptous movie. I like the costume design done by Academy Award-winner Sandy Powelland and the whole setting. Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn, Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn and Eric Bana as Henry VIII were performing well without being brilliant. Both were by far outshone by Kristin Scott Thomas as Lady Elizabeth Boleyn and Ana Torrent as Catherine of Aragon. The scene when Catherine of Aragon kneels before the king when the court is going to judge her marraige is one of the best. But that is not the main story. The performance of Mark Rylance as Thomas Boleyn, father of the girls, I did not like at all.
It is not a waste of time to watch this movie, but do not have too high hopes.
119 of 131 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Yes,well,once again I get my come-uppance for not listening to all you other Amazonians out there who know what you're talking about. Instead I went out and bought this claptrap.
The Tudor/Stuart period has always fascinated me: frankly, you couldn't make up half the stuff that went on. Having loved the book, I really didn't think the movie could be that bad (especially having read an interview in which Philippa Gregory endorsed it. Pipps, what were you thinking of??) so I ignored the advice of the Amazon community and bought it. That was the first mistake. The second was watching it. Apart from the gorgeous costumes,the whole thing was a gigantic, horrible mess. The dialogue was laughably bad for a start. None of the scenes hung together properly, everything was disjointed, the characterisations were dreadful, and let's not even get on to the historical inaccuracies which turned it almost into a farce.
Now I know some people don't mind that, but it drives me mad (like with the series The Tudors). Either the inaccuracies are down to poor research and laziness, which is bad enough, or they're deliberate, in which case - why bother? The truth is usually far better anyway, and to present fantasy as historical fact is, I think (being po-faced about these things) reprehensible. Heck, we could all have done a better job for a quarter of the cash. Why go to the trouble of doing some bits right (using Katherine's reported speech, for example, when she went in front of the Lords to plead for her marriage) then flinging in a totally gratuitous Henry/Anne rape scene? What was the scriptwriter on? The events leading up to Anne's arrest, and the appalling way in which she and other innocents (such as Mark Smeaton and Thomas Culpepper,who didn't even rate a mention)were stitched up was completely ignored, and the whole scenario rushed through in about 30 seconds of utter drivel.
And what happened to Mary's first husband in the film, who disappeared without trace? Actually I think he died of fever in reality, but for all the film cared he might as well have fallen down a well. There he was, gone. Seeing as how the book/film is actually about Mary, you would have thought that her story would have been the focus, as it is in the book. As it was, it turned into The Henry and Anne Show. Carry on Henners.
If you really must buy, spend your money instead on the original BBC production (available on Amazon), which is far better (even in that one, though, Anne is played as an impudent young chit rather than the sophisticated, witty, charismatic and well-educated young woman who had been brought up in the French court). Ms. Gregory would have done better to endorse that one.
The Tudor/Stuart period has always fascinated me: frankly, you couldn't make up half the stuff that went on. Having loved the book, I really didn't think the movie could be that bad (especially having read an interview in which Philippa Gregory endorsed it. Pipps, what were you thinking of??) so I ignored the advice of the Amazon community and bought it. That was the first mistake. The second was watching it. Apart from the gorgeous costumes,the whole thing was a gigantic, horrible mess. The dialogue was laughably bad for a start. None of the scenes hung together properly, everything was disjointed, the characterisations were dreadful, and let's not even get on to the historical inaccuracies which turned it almost into a farce.
Now I know some people don't mind that, but it drives me mad (like with the series The Tudors). Either the inaccuracies are down to poor research and laziness, which is bad enough, or they're deliberate, in which case - why bother? The truth is usually far better anyway, and to present fantasy as historical fact is, I think (being po-faced about these things) reprehensible. Heck, we could all have done a better job for a quarter of the cash. Why go to the trouble of doing some bits right (using Katherine's reported speech, for example, when she went in front of the Lords to plead for her marriage) then flinging in a totally gratuitous Henry/Anne rape scene? What was the scriptwriter on? The events leading up to Anne's arrest, and the appalling way in which she and other innocents (such as Mark Smeaton and Thomas Culpepper,who didn't even rate a mention)were stitched up was completely ignored, and the whole scenario rushed through in about 30 seconds of utter drivel.
And what happened to Mary's first husband in the film, who disappeared without trace? Actually I think he died of fever in reality, but for all the film cared he might as well have fallen down a well. There he was, gone. Seeing as how the book/film is actually about Mary, you would have thought that her story would have been the focus, as it is in the book. As it was, it turned into The Henry and Anne Show. Carry on Henners.
If you really must buy, spend your money instead on the original BBC production (available on Amazon), which is far better (even in that one, though, Anne is played as an impudent young chit rather than the sophisticated, witty, charismatic and well-educated young woman who had been brought up in the French court). Ms. Gregory would have done better to endorse that one.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Whether you're a fan of the Tudors or not, this film is not for you. One of the worst films I've ever seen. You can tell they rushed it for the second half, and the way almost every scene just cuts off is frustrating. It would've been nice to actually see the full conversation, rather than one character asking a question, and then cutting immediately to what hathe consequences are. The acting from the Boleyn girls are acceptable, but not even Natalie Portman's pretty face can make this worth watching. Save yourself the money and stay the hell away from this crap. How you can make even an execution boring to watch is beyond me. I'm certainly getting my money back, that's for sure.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Why so underrated?
I can't see why this film has been treated so unfairly, mind you half reviewers give it 3 stars and up, so are the other half those who have read the book? Read more
Published 24 days ago by HJ
false expectations
this must be the worst film ever, nothing like any stories ive read of what really happened and this must also be the worst acting of henry viii ive ever seen too.
Published 2 months ago by amacrob
The Other Boleyn Girl Movie
I read the book first and am extremely glad I did! The book is amazing and I couldn't wait to read what happened next even though I knew the inevitable outcome! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Vkc23
Don't know what everyone's on about...
LOVE this film. It's brilliant.
Most other reviewers are saying that it's a load of rubbish, but then, nearly all of them have read the book. Read more
Most other reviewers are saying that it's a load of rubbish, but then, nearly all of them have read the book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Anon
Review of Philippa Gregory's, "The Other Boleyn" and DVD
Review of Philippa Gregory's, "The Other Boleyn Girl" and the DVD of the same film, directed by Justin Chadwick. Read more
Published 6 months ago by RR Waller
The Other Boleyn Girl
I really enjoyed this film initially but after reading the book i felt that it missed out on a lot of detail, however i still think it is a good film.
Published 8 months ago by Emily
Looks nice!
Very atmospheric and looks nice!....but this movie is just a reminder of how testing times were back then, just the mere thought of losing your head at the kings whim and the... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Tinksjane
Enjoyable.
I have a love of the Tudor era and was looking forward to this.
I did enjoy it but have to say it portrays Anne in a very harsh light, which wasn't to my liking. Read more
I did enjoy it but have to say it portrays Anne in a very harsh light, which wasn't to my liking. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Clozet
Harsh Times
'The Other Boleyn Girl' is a well told segment of Henry VIII's six wives tale. I was already very aware of the details of this story from studying it in college and watching The... Read more
Published 11 months ago by j.r
BORING!
THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL may look sweet, intelligent and entertaining, but really it is depressing, poorly made and just dull! Read more
Published 12 months ago by G. Stephenson
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