The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

Product Details

Format : NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0043396262348
Product Group : DVD
Release Date : 2008-06-10
Studio : Columbia, Tristar Vid
UPC : 043396262348

ASIN : B0016KCCDQ

Customers who bought this goods also bought.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A tale of two sisters competing for the same king, The Other Boleyn Girl uses historical facts as window dressing for this work of fiction that is entertaining, if not wholly believable. Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) is the doe-eyed vixen ordered by her power-hungry uncle to bewitch King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Her shy sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) has always been in Anne's shadow; Anne is prettier, more accomplished, and desired by many men. So when the King picks Mary--the "other Boleyn girl"--as his mistress, Anne turns on her sister and schemes to become not only the King's consort, but his new queen. With a pair of American actresses in the lead roles and an Aussie portraying their hunky object of desire, the English accents are all over the place in this period piece with a modern feel. Though the Boleyn girls' mother points out that her "daughters are being traded like cattle for the advancement of men," it is Anne who ultimately throws her slight weight around to bully Henry into doing her bidding. When he begs her to give herself to him, Anne--wearing a Carrie Bradshaw-esque "B" pendant on her neck--counters, "Make me your Queen." Is the audience really supposed to believe that Henry the VIII--the most powerful man in the land--would divorce Catherine of Aragon, separate from the Catholic church, and put England in upheaval simply because Anne refused to sleep with him until he jumped through all her hoops? "I have torn this country apart for you," he hisses at her before finally getting his way. Based on Philippa Gregory's bestselling novel of the same name, The Other Boleyn Girl features an attractive cast and a familiar plot with some icky twists. Kieran McGuigan's cinematography is breathtaking and is as crucial to setting the film's tone as the dialogue. Actually, it fares better: Lines such as "Well? Did he have you?!" sound almost comical. But the sweeping shots of Henry's kingdom and the carefully framed close-ups of Portman and Johansson are breathtaking in their beauty and say what words simply cannot. --Jae-Ha Kim

Beyond The Other Boleyn Girl

Paperback Book

On Blu-ray

The Soundtrack

Stills from The Other Boleyn Girl (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Don't buy the DVD, just read the book!! (2008-07-20)

If this period in history at all interests you, buy one of the DVDs about Elizabeth I ("The Virgin Queen" is excellent), but don't bother with this piece of trash. I loved the book, but hate, hate, hate the movie. Possibly because I really don't like Natalie Portman (what a terrible choice for Anne Boleyn), but also because it doesn't deliver all the promise that was the book. Read it, and broaden your mind. Watch this, and let brain cells DIE.The Other Boleyn Girl

This version doesn't quite tell the whole story! (2008-06-25)

The movie, while providing some interesting glimpses into the lurid life in the Tudor Court of the 16th century, fell a bit short of Philippa Gregory's original story. The BBC casting crew responsible for the screen production did a respectable job on creating a film that captured the political conniving that went on between the evil Norfolk and the grasping Thomas Boleyn to push their nieces and children into the arms of lusty King Henry. While adequate attention was given to describing the various relationships between the children and their parents in the Boleyn efforts to become upwardly mobile, not enough time was given to developing how they were to eventually unable to fit into the whole court scene in London. History tends to see these kind of Johnny-come-lately climbers as opportunists at best. There were lots of important sideshows going on in the margins of the main plot that were just hinted at and no more. What about Anne's penchant for Percey and Wyatt? How did the royal court of France actually change Anne? What was Cromwell's role in this whole piece? Where did Jane Parker (married to George Boleyn) fit into this unfolding scandal of scandals? While I had no problem catching the overall drift of the movie - because I've read Tudor history - there were too many gaps in the movie as a result of the quick transitions between scenes. One moment, Anne has gone to France to cool her heels and the next moment she's back in court ready to replace her sister as the king's next strumpet, but this time on her terms, not his. I thought the screenwriters took a lot of licence in constructing a bedchamber scene near the end where Anne begs her brother to help conceive a child in order to impress the king that she is pregnant. Unfortunately, the artful Jane Parker, lady-in-waiting to Anne and wife to George, spies them about to enter into the incestuous arrangement and reports it to Cromwell. All this is convenient conjecture which might have played out better if the viewers were allowed to see how truly detestable Anne had become as queen of the realm. Other than those omissions, this movie proved to be very instructive on how lethal the quest for power can be, especially when the rules of engagement are based on whim and fancy. Scarlett Johannsen, playing the role of Anne's younger sister, Mary, comes off very well as the quieter and kindlier of the two women. Maybe that was her secret to surviving the the ups and downs of life at the top.

"I am Henry the eighth I am, Henry the eighth I am, I am"* (2008-05-03)

Seeing that this movie is from a novel based on historical events, the general gist of the story may not be unfamiliar to most, although the accuracy of some of the content may be debatable. Short Attention Span Summary (SASS): 1. Henry VIII (Eric Bana) was a handsome, hunky, hunka hunka burnin' love 2. Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) and her sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) were babelicious babes 3. Married Henry didn't have an heir, so he wanted to pick up a spare 4. Sir Thomas Boleyn had tons of ambition and a couple of daughters to spare 5. Henry picks up the wrong one, who might have turned out to be the right one, if not for .... 6. ... the other Boleyn girl 7. Abstinence can make the heart grow fonder but befuddles the brain 8. The lady may have been in waiting, but the King wasn't 9. By George! I think she's done it 10. Off with her head! Warning to students: Quoting the above in History class may be detrimental to your grades. More hysterical drama than historical drama, this movie seems more "Desperate Housewives" than period piece, but there's no denying that the costumes and sets are stunning, and the lead actors and actresses simply amazing, despite the lack of the proper accents. I'm going to vote for the entertainment factor here. Amanda Richards(*from the song by Herman's Hermits)

Related Link