THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL

"I shall be Queen"

As King Henry VIII (Bana) struggles to contain his disappointment that his Queen has still not given him a male heir to the throne of England, The Duke of Norfolk (Morrissey) plots to position his family in greater standing at court. After the King becomes enamoured with his niece Mary Boleyn (Johansson) and invites the young woman to court, the Duke sees this as his opportunity and forces Mary to give in to the King affections, even when this means portraying her husband and sister Anne (Portman), who first caught the King's eye. Falling pregnant, Mary is left alone by his Majesty through fear that the baby could be lost but Anne sees his as her chance to gain the King's affections and steal power for herself.

When it comes to naming the English king that has one of the most fascinating social lives, everyone would name Henry VIII but could he actually have been manipulated into marrying his many wives?

Henry VIII was obsessed with having a male heir to the throne, even though his daughter Elizabeth would become one of the most influential monarchs in English history, and his six wives were unable to provide him with one but this obsession as used for him to usher in an agenda that wasn't his own, pushing the Catholic church out of England. To do this the Boleyn family and their allies force their way into court by introducing an already frustrated King to Thomas Boleyn's daughters but while Anne became the Queen, it was her sister Mary that captured Henry trust and heart.

Based on the novel by Philippa Gregory, 'The Other Boleyn Girl' tells the story of the lesser-known sister of Anne, Mary and her relationship with Henry VIII. While history portrays the Boleyn family's part in pushing out of the Catholic Church from England and the influence Anne had in the King's first divorce from Catherine of Aragon, her sister Mary was in fact the first Boleyn girl to be pushed into the King's bed. Mary later bore a child, Henry Carey, rumoured to be Henry VIII's son but it was her relationship with the monarch that this story deals with.

To tell a story like this you would need an actress that you would believe that could draw the eye of a king and that actress is Scarlett Johannsson. As the innocent Mary, a woman who was forced into the king's bed by her family and their collaborators, even though she was married., Johannsson shows again that she is an actress that the film community should be taking seriously. Playing the more seductive Anne, the women who really temps a king, is Natalie Portman, revelling in a role that gives her the chance to be seductive enough to push Henry into doing her bidding. This is a role that Portman clearly enjoyed and one that shows there is more to her than playing an intergalactic queen from a galaxy far, far away. David Morrissey, Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jim Sturgess are the plotters Duke of Norfolk, Sir Thomas Boleyn, Lady Elizabeth Boleyn and George Boleyn, with Eric Bana playing Henry VIII, the cast is one that should have no problem bringing this story to life.

'The Other Boleyn Girl' is historical drama with everything you need. The Royal family, a scandal, seduction, love and betrayal are ingredients for a drama that will draw you in. The only problem that the movie comes up against the 'Show Time' TV series 'The Tudors', which has covered this story with much more detail. This aside this is still a must for all English Royal history buffs.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Trailer
A preview of 'Wild Child'

OVERALL

The lack of any bonus features for 'The Other Boleyn Girl' is almost criminal. In this day and age a DVD should not be released without any extras. Fans will be very disappointed with this release.

DVD

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2008