The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess, Kristen Scott Thomas
Directed by Justin Chadwick
Okay. So I should probably begin by saying that I am a HUGE Philippa Gregory fan, and I LOVE The Other Boleyn Girl (her book). So it was pretty clear that the film adaptation would have to be perfect in my book loving eyes. However I guess I have to review the film as a film itself. Eurgghh.....
First, Plot: Tudors. Henry VIII. Manslut. Inventor of Divorce, creator of the Church of England. His life and his court was basically a 16th century version of The Bold and the Beautiful. A sexy soap opera of history. Although if you're looking for softcore porn, check out The Tudors, the (completely historically inaccurate, but who cares, its hot, right?) TV show starring twenty-something Johnathan Rhys-Myers as the King. But back to TOBG. Two sisters: one blonde, voluptuous and pouty, the other older, smaller, wittier and less blonde. Each fighting for the love of the king, until one goes further, fighting for power. Tsk tsk, Anne Boleyn should have learnt from Macbeth: Ambition can be deadly.
When I found out which actors were attached to the film, I actually assumed Natalie Portman was going to play the naive Mary Boleyn, instead of the sly seductive Anne. That seemed more of a Scarlett Johansson role to me. However I was very glad to see Portman play Anne, because she formed a character limited by a generally weak script (I'll get back to this later), into a layered one, whose actions we are not meant to agree with, we understand and almost sympathize with. However I was pretty much disappointed with Johansson's portrayal of Mary Boleyn. Yes, we felt her pain when she was pushed aside for her sister moments after perhaps the happiest moment in her life (I don't like spoiling), but unlike Portman, she couldn't break through a mediocre script and allow us to really understand her character.
Eric Bana. HOT. Who cares what he said, really. (Okay I'll comment... he did a good job with what he was given.)
Now the script. Peter Morgan, come on... From The Queen, The Last King of Scotland (what's with all this royal stuff anyway?), I really expected more from you. I get how difficult it is adapting a well loved, lengthy novel to the big screen while pleasing fans and film critics at the same time, but STILL. The character of Mary was totally underdeveloped. We don't understand why she even liked Strafford (who is fantastically developed in the book), and what on earth happened to her husband??!? Sent away from court? That was pretty weak, Morgan. There were many soundbites, I'll admit. Beautiful remarks from Anne to Henry ("Ah, found one") , and fantastic lines from Catherine of Aragon (Henry's first wife).
Another problem I had was the sense of time. Even though we witnessed pregnancies from conception to birth, I and other movie goers whom I have asked felt that what was supposed to have been a couple years felt like a couple days, which made whatever character development thrown at us seem unrealistic.
Based on the final shot of the film I assume the message of the film is the power and significance of women in power. I think the message was pretty open... What do you think?
P.S. I was very glad to see Jim Sturgess playing another interesting and different role. More huge things are ahead for this guy, I know it!
Starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess, Kristen Scott Thomas
Directed by Justin Chadwick
Okay. So I should probably begin by saying that I am a HUGE Philippa Gregory fan, and I LOVE The Other Boleyn Girl (her book). So it was pretty clear that the film adaptation would have to be perfect in my book loving eyes. However I guess I have to review the film as a film itself. Eurgghh.....
First, Plot: Tudors. Henry VIII. Manslut. Inventor of Divorce, creator of the Church of England. His life and his court was basically a 16th century version of The Bold and the Beautiful. A sexy soap opera of history. Although if you're looking for softcore porn, check out The Tudors, the (completely historically inaccurate, but who cares, its hot, right?) TV show starring twenty-something Johnathan Rhys-Myers as the King. But back to TOBG. Two sisters: one blonde, voluptuous and pouty, the other older, smaller, wittier and less blonde. Each fighting for the love of the king, until one goes further, fighting for power. Tsk tsk, Anne Boleyn should have learnt from Macbeth: Ambition can be deadly.
When I found out which actors were attached to the film, I actually assumed Natalie Portman was going to play the naive Mary Boleyn, instead of the sly seductive Anne. That seemed more of a Scarlett Johansson role to me. However I was very glad to see Portman play Anne, because she formed a character limited by a generally weak script (I'll get back to this later), into a layered one, whose actions we are not meant to agree with, we understand and almost sympathize with. However I was pretty much disappointed with Johansson's portrayal of Mary Boleyn. Yes, we felt her pain when she was pushed aside for her sister moments after perhaps the happiest moment in her life (I don't like spoiling), but unlike Portman, she couldn't break through a mediocre script and allow us to really understand her character.
Eric Bana. HOT. Who cares what he said, really. (Okay I'll comment... he did a good job with what he was given.)
Now the script. Peter Morgan, come on... From The Queen, The Last King of Scotland (what's with all this royal stuff anyway?), I really expected more from you. I get how difficult it is adapting a well loved, lengthy novel to the big screen while pleasing fans and film critics at the same time, but STILL. The character of Mary was totally underdeveloped. We don't understand why she even liked Strafford (who is fantastically developed in the book), and what on earth happened to her husband??!? Sent away from court? That was pretty weak, Morgan. There were many soundbites, I'll admit. Beautiful remarks from Anne to Henry ("Ah, found one") , and fantastic lines from Catherine of Aragon (Henry's first wife).
Another problem I had was the sense of time. Even though we witnessed pregnancies from conception to birth, I and other movie goers whom I have asked felt that what was supposed to have been a couple years felt like a couple days, which made whatever character development thrown at us seem unrealistic.
Based on the final shot of the film I assume the message of the film is the power and significance of women in power. I think the message was pretty open... What do you think?
P.S. I was very glad to see Jim Sturgess playing another interesting and different role. More huge things are ahead for this guy, I know it!
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