Running Time: 115 minutes
Once upon a time there was a king that loved his land and would do anything to prevent throwing it into turmoil. He knew that the only way to preserve order was to have a strong male heir to whom the kingdom could be passed down. Unfortunately, his wife the queen miscarried, and proved incapable of providing a son to the king. The queen's name was Katherine of Aragon. The king's name was Henry VIII.
So begins the pseudo-historical tale of "The Other Boleyn Girl," a tale that begins with the king's pressing dilemma and ends by acknowledging that Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, would ultimately come to rule the nation as one of its most cherished monarchs, presiding over England for more than four decades.
It was the custom of royalty to take one or more mistresses in the day; young, beautiful women who, in exchange for sexual favors, would provide for themselves and their families a gateway into higher class. After all, when one pleases the king one expects the favor to be returned.
And so, when Katherine (Ana Torrent) proves unable to provide a male heir, word begins to leak out among the gentry that King Henry (Eric Bana) shall seek a mistress to provide what his wife cannot. Due to his position in court, the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) is privy to this news before it has become widespread, and suggests to his brother, Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) that he offer his daughter Anne (Natalie Portman) to His Majesty. Though both Anne and her mother are cool to the idea, the Duke persists and finally Sir Thomas agrees to have the king come to his manor in the hopes that Anne may woo him during his short stay.
Meanwhile, Anne's sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) has recently been married to a young man with plans to live in the countryside for the rest of their lives, and is thus out of the running for Henry's hand.
At least, she ought to be, but unfortunate circumstances lead to the king taking an affection for Mary, bringing the entire Boleyn estate to the royal court. She becomes pregnant before long (her husband is promoted and sent away from the court so as to remove any voice of dissent in the king's proceedings) and is shut away in isolation, as was the custom for pregnant women in England at the time.
Forced to abstain from sexual relations with Mary, Henry begins to take a fancy for Anne, newly returned from her French exile and grown much more sly in her absence. Thus grows the plot, like two twisted vines around a stake, each Boleyn sister taking the king's fancy at one time or another. One becomes queen; one gives birth to a son; one is considered treasonous; one is accused of incest.
Ultimately, two heads will roll from the headsman's block, and the heir to the throne proves to be a woman after all.
The story of Henry VIII's nightmarish attempts to preserve peace in his nation, including the separation of England from the Roman Catholic Church and the establishment of the Anglican order, is majestically interwoven with an intriguing romance that is, unless one is a Tudor scholar, impossible to distinguish from reality. The historical checkpoints in the film suggest accuracy even as the baffling final credits establish "The Other Boleyn Girl" as a work of fiction.
A dazzling score and beautiful setting contribute to the feel of authenticity throughout the film, and as usual Portman and Johansson put on a very enjoyable and convincing performance. Perhaps the finest acting is done by Mr. Bana, who manages the complexity of Henry's dilemma masterfully, at times impassioned and irrational and at other times cool and calculated.
"The Other Boleyn Girl" is probably not for everyone. The heavy historical context may make it difficult for younger viewers to swallow, though the film does manage to escape the boredom that is usually guaranteed by historical romance films. For those who consider themselves a bit more sophisticated--or those who are just looking for a great tragic drama--this one's for you.
Links:
~The Other Boleyn Girl on IMDb
~The Other Boleyn Girl trailer on Apple Trailers
~The Other Boleyn Girl official site
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