Directed by:
Justin ChadwickScreenplay:
Peter MorganCinematography:
Kieran McGuiganComposer:
Paul CantelonCast:
Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess, Kristin Scott Thomas, Mark Rylance, Ana Torrent, Juno Temple, Eddie Redmayne, Andrew Garfield (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Big budget Hollywood adaptation of the historical novel by Philippa Gregory. The story is a fictionalised account of the life of Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) who was mistress to King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) before he married her sister, Anne (Natalie Portman). Set during one of the most dramatic periods in British regal history, the narrative focuses on the relationship and rivalry between the two Boleyn girls and the power game being played by their family in which the sisters are mere pawns. When Mary is ousted in favour of Anne, she leaves the King's Court to marry a commoner, but is compelled to return when her sister embarks on a reckless plan to try and save herself from ruin. (Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (6)
The Other Boleyn Girl is enjoyable, fast and not boring, but the attribute “historical film with an all-star cast” is invalid. Rather, it is another (alongside Elizabeth: The Golden Age) modern period farce that jumps from one event to the next just to accelerate the pace and only secondarily focuses on the story and its characters. Justin Chadwick presents intrigues, love, betrayal, and manipulation in the manner of Cruel Intentions rather than a serious period drama. The Other Boleyn Girl looks like a serious movie and is really impressive only in those few moments when Ana Torrent (Queen Catherine) is in front of the camera.
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No naive infatuation in the fight against difficult times, no fateful confession that will forever remain in you. The Other Boleyn Girl takes the path of the uncompromising, where romantic ideals are nipped in the bud, love promises end with only one resolute command, and a child is not always just the fulfillment of a relationship. Desperate romantics, therefore, must get a magnifying glass for the screening, to get what they came for and be able to leave satisfied, but those who tune in to the wave of intrigues and desperate efforts will undoubtedly enjoy this royal spectacle.
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The performances are very interesting, especially Natalie Portman, who plays both the delicate Scarlett and the masculine Banu. However, The Other Boleyn Girl is surprisingly a dry historical drama with an unusual editing for a historical film. It does have the traditional trademarks like several poetic shots of wheat waving in the wind. The cinematography is beautiful, the work with lighting is excellent, but otherwise this film, despite its attractive look at first glance, comes across as a rather uninteresting fresco. It needed a more experienced director.
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The story of the Boleyn siblings, and it’s also incidentally about Henry VIII. It’s an excellent treatment that opens up the path to The Tudors series in a great way. For viewers who aren’t fans of history, they may just see some unexpected dramatic twists. ;)
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The cleverly written story benefits mainly from the pair of actresses in the main roles and plays with the viewer in such a way that first the first one is likeable, then the second, then both, then a moment later neither of them... And finally... Let’s just say it's worth it. In the Scarlett X Natalie battle, the latter did it for me this time (which I was surprised by), Eric Bana is fit to be the king, and Kristin Scott Thomas' mother is clearly the leader of the supporting characters. I praise the costumes, the cinematography and the music, but I don't praise the almost two-hour runtime, which seemed unnecessarily long about fifteen minutes before the end. Still giving it four stars, though.
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