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Directed By
Justin Chadwick
Written By:
Peter Morgan, Philippa Gregory
Cast:
Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess, Kristin Scott Thomas, Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ana Torrent, Alfie Allen, Jade Ramsey, Nikita Ramsey, Mark Rylance, Christopher Fosh, Oliver Chris, Tiffany Freisberg
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The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
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Movie Review by Veronica 
January 22nd, 2009
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Pretty Ok
Favorite Movie Quote: "Betrothed is not married... It is a long way on bended knee to the altar."
Ok so this movie wasn't great, I guess the main reason being, at least for me, is that I already knew the outcome. That's one of the problems with historical fictions I suppose, although the details are created whimsy the main plot follows the facts, which in this case any good fourth grader would know. As such, we cannot rely on the story, plot or intricacies to entertain us but rather the flourish with which it is all carried out. In this sense the movie was done exceptionally well. The script flowed well, the costumes/hair/makeup were breathtaking, and all the characters were quite convincing.
I have a personal bias towards period pieces, ever since I was a little girl I dreamt of having grown up in a time of kings and castles, horses and carriages, lady's and servants. This movie was so much fun to watch. Once again, not terribly creative and I did spare myself watching the 11 million movies made last year or the year before on Queen Elizabeth but my love for Scarlett Johansen and the fact that there was nothing else on at midnight on a Wednesday caused me to watch this movie, and the eloquent script, enchanting visuals and convincing acting suckered me in until the end.
The story begins with Lord Boleyn marrying his youngest, Mary off to a merchants son, holding off on Anne with greater aspirations for her. He decides to entertain the king for a few days, in hopes of allowing him to take a liking to Anne and advance the social standing of her, and subsequently the family. Anne travels on a hunting excursion with the King at which time he follows her into some sort of ravine or something and becomes grossly injured, liking her even less now. Mary is sent to tend to the king and his wounds and during that brief moment together he becomes smitten with her and invites her and the family to join him at court, so that she may serve upon the queen (Katherine of Aragon).
Soon after their arrival he requests her presence in his bed, beds her and soon enough gets her pregnant. During this time her sister secretly marries and consummates a marriage with a high ranking lord that has already been betrothed to another girl. As her punishment she is exiled to the court of the French queen. During Mary's first trimester she has a scare where she thinks she's miscarried and as a result is put on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. Knowing that the king will not sleep with her while she is in this state and seeing him around with the very girl that is married to the man that Anne married, they retrieve her from France to "entertain the king" and keep his attentions on Mary until she can bed him again.
The king very soon takes notice of her and attempts to send her gifts, in an ultimate attempt to sleep with her. She uses the wiles learned in France and repeatedly sends his gifts back. Her sister Mary gives birth to the kings first (and only) male heir which he basically dejects in order to please Anne (whom he is now actively chasing). Since she continually refuses him, he does anything to please her, including breaking from the Catholic Church in order to divorce and remarry Anne. He establilshes the Church of England and the first child that Anne gives him is a girl, Elizabeth. She becomes pregnant again but by this point he is already terribly angry and unpleased with her. She miscarries the child and in a desperate attempt to not be killed for being an infertile witch she beds her brother in hopes of becoming pregnant again.
Then the very girl that was seen with the king after Mary was put on bedrest witnessed the act and told the king and everyone else for that matter. Anne, now Queen of England was tried and found guilty of incest and adultery and, as was customary in those times, had her head chopped off.
No one other than Mary was ever able to give the king a male heir (and their was a bastard) so in following tradition; Anne and Henry's daughter Elizabeth took the throne.
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