 KSL Movie Show Review:...
THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL **1/2 By Steve Salles Standard Examiner movie critic GO: if you want to see ladies in waiting, hoping to scratch each other’s eyes out. DON’T GO: if you were hoping for something more historical and less hysterical. Mary-Kate and Ashley, Paris and Nicky and those Spears sisters have nothing on the Boleyn girls, Anne and Mary. These two single-handedly restructured the religious order of an entire nation. Try that one on, Britney. Fortunately (as far as I can tell), the filmmakers were fairly intent on getting their story right (although I think they added some sizzle) to the point where it appears to be an episode of “Desperate Chambermaids.” The essential tale of cad king Henry the VIII (Eric Bana) seemed to follow historical tomes as he’s grown weary of his Spanish Queen, Katherine of Aragon (Ana Torrent), mainly because she can’t produce any male heirs to his throne. So he takes Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) as a mistress who is already married to another gentleman (thus the cad label) but hey, Henry is the King after all. What he says goes. Unfortunately, his and Mary’s illegitimate children will not be looked on favorably by the citizenry, so he must choose a different tact. In walks the sassy Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) who spurns the King’s advances, which only drives him even more crazy. She says the only way she will sleep with him is if he gets rid of the Queen and marries her. Gutsy gal, I’d say. This becomes increasingly difficult since the Pope is reluctant to grant Henry a divorce (being Catholic and all), so it’s suggested that Henry become the head of his own church where he’ll be more like to obtain a quickie divorce from Queen Katherine. It’s all quite scandalous and political, but likely not nearly as sensual as the film portrays as they try to make it about these two feuding sisters fighting for the affection of the King. In reality, I understand the two ladies were not close and rarely spoke to each other. Also the film suggests that Anne was quite the devious manipulator, but history would indicate that she was more likely an upstanding lady that would not bow to impropriety (not nearly as exciting, is it). Still, some fine performances all around, with enough historical accuracy to make it watchable, just maybe not as much of a cat fight as we’d like to think occurred. So, purists may scoff, but “The Other Boleyn Girl” may open the eyes of a new generation that thought all that old-time royal nonsense was just for people that wore puffy shirts and powdered wigs. The Old English did have their moments - and this is certainly one of the wildest. Try to top that, Paris. On second thought, please don’t. THE FILM: “The Other Boleyn Girl” OUR RATING: **1/2 STARRING: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Kristin Scott Thomas and David Morrissey BEHIND THE SCENES: Directed by Justin Chadwick (“Sleeping with the Fishes”) - filmed in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Kent, England. PLAYING: Running time: 115 minutes MPAA RATING: PG-13
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