The Other Boleyn Girl
The only thing that could come between these sisters... is a kingdom.
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history, The Other Boleyn Girl tells the story of two beautiful sisters, Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson) Boleyn who, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). While both women eventually share the king's bed, only one will ascend to the throne for a brief and turbulent reign that ends tragically with a swing of the executioner's sword.
Member Reviews
Performances - detersti
A good movie with good performances by all. Natalie Portman was esepcially good in her role. I thought she made every scene very believable and while I haven't seen every movie she's ever made, I wouldn't be surprised if this was her best performance ever. I was also a little surprised at some of the sets. I'm not an expert, but I got the feeling that some of the locations seemed a little too new to have taken place during the 1400's, but then I'm no expert.Neither The Best Nor The Worst Of The Many Tudor Movies - revsdd
For a dynasty that only lasted a little over a century (although in that relatively short span of time it produced 5 monarchs - or 6, if you count Jane Grey - including two of the greatest in Henry VIII and Elizabeth I) the Tudors have had a disproportionate impact on both history and Hollywood. "The Other Boleyn Girl" is the latest in the Tudor-inspired collection of films. It's not the best of the bunch (I'd personally give that place to "Lady Jane") but it's also not the worst. It features an excellent performance from Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn and also from Scarlett Johansson as her younger sister Mary. Yes, it perhaps has too much of a soap opera type feel to it (although that tends to be the way we regard the British monarchy today as well) but it is interesting and I thought it portrayed a believable account of the complicated relationship between the two Boleyn girls as they competed for the attention and love of Henry VIII, played by Eric Bana, who I thought failed to nail that part as well as he could have, but who wasn't bad. I also thought that Ana Torrant gave a pretty good performance as Henry's first Queen, Catharine of Aragon.
The reconstruction of 16th century England (in the sets and the costumes) was well done, while some of the dialogue was, frankly, less than engrossing. To modern eyes, the most unsettling thing about the movie might be the way in which the Boleyn girls were used as pawns by their own father and uncle - knowingly sent off to the royal court to be sexual playthings for the king (even though Mary was already married) - in order to gain the family favour and status. As I said, this is neither the best nor the worst "Tudor movie" you'll find, but it is a decent enough movie - not a masterpiece, but worth a couple of hours to see it through.Loved the costumes ... - TheWorldOfTeE
This movie had a very interesting story ... it was worth watching, for sure. I loved the costumes in this movie and the detailed scenic scenarios. I also liked the fact that the bad sister was beheaded in the end. I think she deserved it, her cunning nature and deceipt towards the king. I just didn't like the fact that actually she was beheaded for nothing because she did not end up sleeping with her brother, afterall. So the execution was for really for nothing. I was disappointed at the father of the Boleyn sisters, that he would pimp them so that his family could have the wealth status ... The characters were well played. I believe the story needed a lot more work (historically) and that is why I didn't love this movie.
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Performances - detersti
A good movie with good performances by all. Natalie Portman was esepcially good in her role. I thought she made every scene very believable and while I haven't seen every movie she's ever made, I wouldn't be surprised if this was her best performance ever. ...Neither The Best Nor The Worst Of The Many Tudor Movies - revsdd
For a dynasty that only lasted a little over a century (although in that relatively short span of time it produced 5 monarchs - or 6, if you count Jane Grey - including two of the greatest in Henry VIII and Elizabeth I) the Tudors have had a disproportionate ...Loved the costumes ... - TheWorldOfTeE
This movie had a very interesting story ... it was worth watching, for sure. I loved the costumes in this movie and the detailed scenic scenarios. I also liked the fact that the bad sister was beheaded in the end. I think she deserved it, her cunning nature ...