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105 of 116 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
But it is very pretty to watch..., March 2, 2008
THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL suffers from overexposure to the passion for all things Tudor that has produced multiple novels, television series, and films that range from great to mediocre. Having not read Philippa Gregory's best selling novel, this viewer entered the theater without preconceived notions of the path the story would take/stray in the wake of heightened interest in historical data. From the opening scenes to the end the impression is one of having viewed some very beautiful scenery, sumptuous costumes, grand lighting - and very little involvement in caring for the plight of the characters. The soggy music score underlines the unrelenting dark atmosphere of the story and the production, and despite a cast of actors known for credibility in historic roles, there is little compassion stirred.
King Henry VIII (Eric Bana, in relatively little screen time) tires of Katherine of Aragon (Ana Torent) and her inability to bear a male heir. The Boleyn clan (Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas in collusion with the Duke of Norfolk David Morrissey) seize on Henry's frustration and serve up their daughters Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson) to satisfy his dalliances. The younger Mary beds him first, does produce a son, but falls out of favor leaving Anne to work her newly honed skills of feminism learned during her exile in France on the easily seduced King to become his queen, yet is able to only bear him a daughter, Elizabeth. The results are tension in the castle, in the Boleyn family, and between the sisters Anne and Mary. History is molded by the writer to maintain more of a Hollywood soap opera that a recreation of fact and it all ends with beheadings and the child Elizabeth running gaily through sunny old meadows of England.
The actors all try to make us buy into this version of betrayal and lust and loathing, but the dialog (written by Peter Morgan) is tired and used and anything but in keeping with the period. But then, the movie is a collection of scenes that are very pretty to watch... Justin Chadwick directs. Grady Harp, March 08
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Other Boleyn Girl - Surprising Period Piece About An En Vogue Topic, March 8, 2008
The Other Boleyn Girl is bound to give historian's mixed feelings, and has elicited a wide range of reactions from audiences. It benefit's from and adds to the interest surrounding King Henry VIII's royal court. Showtime's Tudors miniseries has heightened interest in all things related to English royal history.
Yet the writers have taken enough artistic liberties to raise questions regarding the accuracy of these accounts. This story is based on the historical fiction novel The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. Despite the artistic liberties taken with the story it is very well put together and interesting to watch for those willing to broaden their historical views on the period.
The Story and the Acting
The story of King Henry VIII's many romantic exploits are well known. He married Catherine of Aragon for political gain, yet engaged in many well publicized affairs. Eventually, each of the Boleyn sisters landed in his crosshairs.
Eric Bana is very good as the king, though his isn't the best written role in the film. Anne Boleyn's character is dynamic and vindictive, and Natalie Portman shows her range here. Her sister Mary, played by Scarlett Johansson, catches the King's attention. Though she is newly married, her husband is disposed of and the King has soon added her to his list of conquests.
But Anna will not be outdone. She coyly preys upon the King's desires, and soon becomes the object of his affections.
All three of these actors put in strong performances. Johansson's role is understated and Bana's is exaggerated. Only Portman has a character with full range, both manipulative and vulnerable.
Jim Sturgess, whose star seems to be rising, has a somewhat understated role as the brother, George Boleyn. His role is ultimately manipulated by the powers that by to undermine Anne when her perceived value falls. He is perhaps the most under-utilized actor here, with few lines and a role not in keeping with the importance he played in history. Yet with his lead role in 21 to add to this one, he is clearly not hurting for work.
Yet the sets and the costumes are also characters here, as in any period piece. The castle is made shadowy with expert lighting. The costumes and the makeup are also beautifully done, though I can't comment on just how historically accurate they are. Yes, we can expect Academy Award nominations in many categories, including costumes, set design, art direction and cinematography.
The DVD Extras
While the DVD version of this includes the standard commentary track to accompany the film, it is the other extras that really add dimensions to the story. There are bios and back-stories of principal characters which were close in production value and content to something one might watch on The History Channel. Including the standard author, cast and crew sound-bites, there were also interviews of historians to put the story in context.
Warnings and Considerations
At the close of the picture, after the inevitable historical event which everyone familiar with the story will be expecting, there is a somewhat strange montage of all the characters which includes brief captions explaining their fates and the historical significance of the events they took part in. The notes are hard to read, somewhat prosaic and are definitely subjective. Yet they do seem to convey a message which I conclude was intentional: that the somewhat petty sexual and interpersonal exploits of this group of people had tremendous historical consequences for the UK, Europe and the world. This is very subjective, yet it partly justifies what is otherwise a very convenient and abrupt technique to end the movie and tie up all the story lines neatly.
This is definitely a version that is not for kids. The story deviates in sometimes shocking ways, with the sex turning violent in at least one scene.
Some of the actors do suffer from a loss of their accents in some scenes, yet the in-the-moment performances make that easy to ignore.
Conclusion
If you're a fan of period pieces and all things English royalty, this movie is already on your list. It's worth the price of admission.
Enjoy!
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38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fans of the book will be majorly disappointed, March 1, 2008
As a standalone movie, "The Other Boleyn Girl" is okay....not great, but okay. However, as someone who is a die-hard fan of Philippa Gregory's novel, I wasn't at all impressed with this film adaptation.
The problem with this movie is that the script sucks, pure and simple. Obviously, the basic plot is the same as the book: The young Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) is commissioned by her ambitious family to cast her husband aside and become the mistress of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) while her older sister, Anne (Natalie Portman), jealously looks on. Eventually Henry's eyes drift over to Anne, who replaces Mary as the favorite and embarks on a dangerous plan to replace Queen Katherine (Ana Torrent) on the throne of England.
Unfortunately, this movie doesn't capture the energy and passion of Gregory's brilliant novel. The pacing is tediously slow, and so many details of the plot were changed for the film, for no apparent reason at all. The Boleyn girls grow up at court, so the way Mary and Henry initially meet was rewritten in the film. Mary had two children by Henry, but only the boy is shown in the movie. Lady Boleyn (Kristin Scott Thomas) was reinvented for the screen and is portrayed as a woman who actually gives a crap about her children, but in the book she supports the use of her daughters as pawns in the family's quest for power. I didn't understand what happened to Mary's first husband in the movie...he just sort of wanders off-screen 15 minutes into the film and is never seen or heard from again. (In the book, he dies from the sweat, which is why Mary is later free to marry William Stafford.) What else? I was disappointed in the way the incest issue was handled in the film. I guess the producers assumed that it was too taboo of a topic for the movie, because they totally changed the way it was handled. Oh yes, and King Henry never raped Anne Boleyn in the novel, and he certainly didn't tire of her before he married her! That was so ridiculous.
There are many more discrepancies between the book and the film that I don't even have time to list, and they completely ruined what could have been an excellent film. Another thing that bothered me is the way the pacing constantly shifted. At times things moved very slowly, but then the plot jolted forward at lightning speed, especially toward the end of the film. Major historical events were glossed over and only mentioned in a sentence or two of dialogue, such as Katherine's banishment and the establishment of the Church of England. If you blink while watching this movie, you'll definitely miss something important.
This movie had all the makings of a hit. Visually, it's absolutely stunning. I especially loved all the brilliant costumes. Also, the performances by the actors were phenomenal. I was particularly enchanted by Portman's portrayal of Anne, which was completely on the mark. However, all of the actors were limited by a terrible script. It's such a shame.
I am so incredibly bummed about how crappy this film turned out to be. Do yourself a favor and read the book BEFORE you see the movie so you know what you're missing (that is, if you even want to bother with the movie at all).
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