The Other Boleyn Girl

A friend of mine and I were discussing who might be the most-often portrayed historical figure in movie history. He suggested, and he could very well be correct, that it is Adolph Hitler, but certainly one of the contenders is England's Henry VIII, who has been seen in movies almost since the very beginning. Some great actors, such as Charles Laughton, Robert Shaw, and Richard Burton have all played him to great acclaim. Now we can add Eric Bana to the list, although he is second fiddle to a pair of sisters in The Other Boleyn Girl.

Just what is it about this period of British history that calls for so many films? I suppose it's the palace intrigue, and this intrigue doesn't get much juicier: a king snubs his nose at the Pope and breaks off with the church so he can get in the knickers of a woman, completely changing the face of European religious history. This particular story has been told many times, particularly in 1969's Anne of the Thousand Days, which starred Burton and Genevieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn. The Other Boleyn Girl, though, adds the wrinkle of Anne's sister, Mary.

According to the film, Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, has reached the end of her child-bearing years without producing a male heir. Thomas Boleyn, a social-climber, conspires with his brother-in-law, the Duke of Norfolk, to introduce Anne to the King in the hopes that he will make her his mistress. Anne, though, is too headstrong for Henry's tastes, and he takes much more to the docile Mary. She is already married, but this presents little problem, as her father, uncle and even her husband have no problem pimping her out to the king. As Mel Brooks said, "It's good to be the king."

Mary bears the king a son, but it is a bastard, and when Anne returns from a brief exile to France, Henry sees her in a whole new light and quickly forgets about Mary. Anne will not lie with the king, though, because she doesn't want to bear an illegitimate child--she wants to be queen. That there already is a queen would seem to be a problem, but Henry ignores the Pope's refusal of an annulment and the Church of England is born. But Anne bears a girl (who will grow up to be Cate Blanchett) and when a second pregnancy ends in a miscarriage, makes a rather foolish decision that will cost her her head.

All of this stuff is great drama, and for the most part the screenplay by Peter Morgan, who wrote a much more contemporary tale of English royalty, The Queen, does a nice job of making it all sing. But the direction by Justin Chadwick is soggy, and frankly the competition between the two sisters is the least interesting part of it. But this was the point of the novel they were adapting, which I have not read. I wonder if the novel, though, completely eradicates the character of Cardinal Wolsey, who was integral to the plot, as this film does.

Most of the acting is fine. Bana, as the young, virile king, as opposed to the corpulent, leg-of-mutton-chomping king of later years, looks and acts the part, and Mark Rylance is effective as the scheming elder Boleyn, while Kristin Scott Thomas, as Mother Boleyn, projects just the right sense of subdued outrage at how her daughters are being used. Natalie Portman has a grand time as the shrewd Anne, manipulating the king to her purposes until she's over her head. But as for Scarlett Johansson, well, I'm still waiting for her to show what she did in one of her first roles, Ghost World. It seems that ever since she's played characters who are either victims or doormats, and she has that pouty, wide-eyed look of supplication that by now seems a parody of itself. I see that she will next play Mary Queen of Scots, which is yet another corseted victim in British history. I am not expecting great things.

For those interested in this period of history, The Other Boleyn Girl provides momentary pleasures, but on the whole is a bit of a slog. I would give it a mild thumbs up, but can understand those who would not.