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Smile UK Store - The Other Boleyn Girl [2008]
![The Other Boleyn Girl [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XbvGQAG0L._SL160_.jpg)
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List Price: £19.99
Our Price: £11.98
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
Starring: Natalie Portman, Ana Torrent, David Morrissey, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana
Directed By: Justin Chadwick
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Audience Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Binding: DVD
EAN: 5050582550498
Format: PAL
Label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Pictures UK
Region Code: 2
Release Date: 2008-06-30
Running Time: 111
Studio: Universal Pictures UK
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
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Editorial Reviews:
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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
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Abysmal
Comment: I am absolutely fascinated with the Tudor period and so I ignored previous reviews I had read about this film...and I was very wrong to do so. I cannot begin to understand how a film based on such a captivating story, and a enthralling part of English history, could be so dull! The characters weren't developed at all, in fact considering the film is called 'The OTHER Boleyn Girl', Mary Boleyn is barely seen. The underlying plots in the book of family politics and the three Boleyn siblings barely get mentioned, and a story which should have been played out over 15 years (including the reformation of the English church!), seemed to whizz by. In fact, the film barely had any similarities to the original novel and was littered with historical inaccuracies, which would have been fine if the film was any good. Also, Natalie Portman is a fantastic actress, but she was completely wrong for the part of a sly, conniving Anne. Steer well clear of this!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not accurate, but very watchable!
Comment: If like me, you have a keen interest in the Tudor period of history, read literature on the subject. That will give you a more accurate account of the facts.
If however, you are looking for a bit of hollywood entertainment to keep you amused for a couple of hours, the film is good to watch - if only for the beautiful costumes and our magnificent historical buildings.
It may also encourage younger generations to read and learn more about our history and the true facts of that time!
Customer Rating:
Summary: An enthralling and beautifully done historical romance
Comment: Hungry for political power, Sir Thomas Boleyn ( Mark Rylance)and his brother the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey), taking adavntage of the fact that Henry VIII's (Eric Bana) Queen Katerine of Aragon ( Ana Torrent)cannot produce a male heir conspire to makeone of Sir Thomas
Seymour's daughters the mistress of King Henry.
Initially Anne (Natalie Portman) is selected but after a riding accident he is nursed by Mary (Scarlet Johansen) who he coerces into becoming his mistress.
Meanwhile Anne marries the nobleman Henry Percy (Oliver Coleman) and refuses to keep this a secret, therefore being exiled to France by her angry uncle and father.
Lady Elizabeth Boleyn (Kristin Scott Thomas) is broken hearted about her children used as pawns in Sir Thomans and Norfolk's power play but is powerless to stop it.
Anne returns from France at a time when Mary is recovering from a miscarriage and beguiles the king with her beauty, charm and intelligence.
Though Mary bears the king a son born out of wedlock, Anne has enraptured the king and by withholding her sexual favours, forces his hand in wedding her.
The divorce of Queen Katherine and marriage to Anne Boleyn, as is well known, resulted in Henry breaking with the Roman Catholic Church and founding the Church of England.
Anne bears Henry a daughter Elizabeth but the marriage is unhappy and Anne is brutally raped by the King.
Desperate for a male heir Anne unsuccessfully asks her brother George Seymour (Jim Sturgess) to impregnate her. This is discovered and Anne is accused of adultery and imprisoned. Her sister Mary begs King Henry to spare Anne's life but both George and Anne are executed.
Mary fulfills her last promise to Anne and takes care of her infant daughter.
Ultimately one is struck by how for all Anne's machinations both girls are simply porns in a game by powerful men and don't stand a chance.
The closing scene tells us that though Anne did not produce the male heir desired by the King, she instead was the mother to Elizabeth who would reign for 45 years as one of England's greatest rulers, accompanied by a photographic shot of the little Princess Elizabeth (Maisie Smith), a truly beautiful ending and promise of great things to come out of the tragedy and heartbreak.
This is a beautifully set period piece with sterling acting and the starring roles by two of the world's most beautiful actresses.
The costumes and the background set was magnificent.
It holds the viewers attention throughout and is one of the best historical dramas on film in years.
There are historical inaccuracies and Anne Boleyn certainly did NOT at any time ask her brother to commit incest, this was in reality a malicious and paranoid accusation by Anne's sister in law Jane Rochford.
But I have seen very few historical movies that do not take liberties like this.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I'll start with the good... that won't take long.
Comment: The Good: Natalie Portman's performance was brilliant - she is totally convincing as Anne. She portrays her witty charm with ease and yet manages to show her notoriously vindictive bitchiness and overwhelming ambition with skill. I'm not sure about the historical accuracy of the costumes, but they looked amazing. Especially Anne's French style dresses, which emphasised her daring and flirtatious nature; Mary's classic English style dresses, fittingly portraying her as an "English Rose" and Katherine's strict minimalistic Spanish dresses, showing her as a strong and religious woman.
Other than that, I can't think of much else.
The Bad: Pretty much the whole thing. It is nowhere near as good as the book; it's missing so much! I know when books are recreated into films sacrifices must be made, but to butcher everything that makes it interesting is a waste of time. This is meant to be about Mary - the Other Boleyn girl - this is meant to be about her journey and how her family's ambition and eventual downfall affects her life, and yet this is somehow missed, which is a shame, as she has just as much of a story to tell.
You hardly ever see Mary's first husband in the film, (although in the beginning this is due to her family pushing her into Henry's bed). However, once Anne becomes the favourite, Mary is pushed aside and forced to go back to him, which is when they fall in love all over again, (before his untimely death due to "the sweats") and yet this isn't even mentioned!
The fact that Mary gives Henry a daughter first (Catherine, named after the Queen) and how he is displeased. There is no mention of her unyielding motherly instincts and how she longs for a simple life with her children, with a man who loves her.
Enter William Stafford - her second husband. He has a grand total of about a minute on the screen if that and is, personally, nothing like I imagined him. In the film it makes no sense at all - he randomly pops up in a hallway and timidly offers her his heart and a life on a farm, (basically asking her to run away with him) and all I can think is, "What? Who the hell is he?"
In the book there are fun flirtations - he is confident and she is coy. You see how they fall in love, how she runs away with him to his simple farm, marries him and gives him children. None of this is in the film! It was a massive decision she made for the sake of love, causing her to be disowned and disinherited by her family and it's a crying shame it isn't mentioned.
Scarlet Johansson's performance is at first fitting. She is shown as naive, shy and sweet, but as she is pawned around in her family's great game she becomes stronger and more outspoken. As she ages, she gains experience and knowledge and this was lacking in her performance - although, I felt this was due to the poor script as her character was not given the chance to grow like she does in the book. Another shame.
In the book Anne's rise to the throne is meant to be a back-story. Yes, it is fascinating and integral to the plot, but we've seen it before and we know how it ends. Mary's story is something that hasn't been told before and this film, as its title suggests, is supposed to be about that. Yet it is overshadowed by a story we've all heard and what's worse is this same story isn't even told in a great way.
Overall, it's a poor adaptation of a fantastic novel depicting the hidden story Mary Boleyn.
I strongly suggest buying the book, but don't even bother with this.
Customer Rating:
Summary: If you havent read the book its very good!
Comment: As someone who hasnt read the book this film adaption was very enjoyable. it was exciting and didnt bore. The characters were amazing and you really feel like you know them by the end...it isnt a waste to watch this film. and although it still wasnt quite 5 stars it was still worth watching and made a great evening!
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