A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.
scarlett johansson sibling relationship based on novel or book england kingdom politics queen royalty religion mistress historical fiction king period drama royal court anne boleyn henry viii palace intrigue 16th century aristocrats scathing
Harri reviewed The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
No, It Won't Stop: The Tudors Will Keep Coming Back
After browsing a couple of helpful and quite critical reviews in advance, I was not exactly disappointed to witness bad history seasoned with even worse dialogue. I have to admit that I rarely have high expectations for Tudor-flicks for various reasons. For one, characters can be awfully flat and one-sided partly due to audiences' preferences and expectations. Also, historical accuracy tends to come out quite uneven: minor details (though not unimportant) such as language, food, architecture, costumes and so on seem to be much easier to get right than world views and politics, let alone presenting them convincingly.
Of course one has to give credit to any treatment of history or legend that seriously attempts to not only take into account but to actually include contemporary dispositions and demands on some levels. On the other hand, concentrating on sleaze and daring rumours and leaving most of the historic substance out hardly accounts for an adaptation. There is simply no depth in any of the characters. Anne's fascination with Protestantism or King Henry's devout Catholicism are hardly noticed.
Behind flaws and disappointments one can find a fair amount of real history as well, of course. I also believe that many viewers will find the Boleyn sisters quite sympathetic characters.
calvin reviewed The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
The Other Boleyn Girl
Pretty insignificant. Both ladies were really good though. They steal the whole movie. After Tudors though, what were they thinkin!?!