nan | 楠木

The Other Boleyn Girl features a stunning cast and an intriguing story, and based on these merits it’s more than an entertaining picture to spend two hours on.

The cast features Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman as the Boleyn sisters, Mary and Anne. Eric Bana plays King Henry, while in notable supporting roles there are Jim Sturgess (of recent 21 fame) and Kristin Scott Thomas. The story, loosely adapted from the historical novel of the same name, follows the Boleyn family in their pursuit of royalty and power, using none other than the beauty of the sisters as the bait for the king. Their scheming pays off initially, but then jealousy between the sisters, and the over-ambition of Anne (she was determined to be queen) led to their eventual catastrophic downfall.

Natalie Portman, as Anne, gives a commanding performance, and firmly relegates Scarlett Johansson to “the other girl” role, which somewhat ironically should be the central character (the book was written to tell the story of the “other Boleyn girl”, Mary, who historically lived in her famed sister’s shadows). Portman shows agility and intensity, whereas Johansson seemed to be a little out of place – and it must be said she looks much better in modern costumes.

Speaking of costumes, this is a fairly lavish production, and the corruptness of Henry’s court is translated into vivid images on-screen. Bana’s figure especially impresses, and of course the ladies have their fair share of extravagant set pieces.

The narrative flows quite well, though perhaps the story could have been more refined. I felt the pace was somewhat hurried – perhaps too much material has been crammed in. Nonetheless, a fine film to watch.

7/10