The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

Two sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.

Director:

Justin Chadwick

Writers:

Peter Morgan (screenplay), Philippa Gregory (novel)

Stars:

Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Natalie Portman	...	Anne Boleyn
Scarlett Johansson	...	Mary Boleyn
Eric Bana	...	Henry Tudor
Jim Sturgess	...	George Boleyn
Mark Rylance	...	Sir Thomas Boleyn
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Lady Elizabeth Boleyn
David Morrissey	...	The Duke of Norfolk
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	William Carey
Oliver Coleman	...	Henry Percy
Ana Torrent	...	Katherine of Aragon
Eddie Redmayne	...	William Stafford
Tom Cox	...	Rider
Michael Smiley	...	Physician
Montserrat Roig de Puig	...	Lady in Waiting
Juno Temple	...	Jane Parker

Storyline

A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.

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Plot Keywords:

king | king henry viii | children | love | court | 

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Taglines:

In a time when a woman's destiny was determined by her father, one sister followed the rules. The other defied them.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 February 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Deux soeurs pour un roi

Filming Locations:

Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£954,994 (UK) (7 March 2008)

Gross:

$26,814,957 (USA) (18 April 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Focus Features, BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One exterior shot shows Penshurst Place is shown as Anne Boleyn's family home. She actually grew up at Hever Castle in Kent.

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Goofs

Details of some historical characters and events have been changed to fit the dramatic narrative.

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Quotes

Sir Thomas Boleyn: [first lines - strolling through the woods with his wife while the children playfully race through the sunlit fields] I received a request for marriage today for Anne from the Carey family. William, their eldest son.
Lady Elizabeth: Oh, that's wonderful.
Sir Thomas Boleyn: I turned it down. Offered them Mary instead. Everyone improves the standing of their family with their daughters. I think Anne can do better than a merchant's son.
Lady Elizabeth: [exasperated exhalation] And Mary can't? I think you underestimate her.
Sir Thomas Boleyn: Oh no, that's not true. I ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: 2012 Teachers Tournament Quarterfinal Game 2 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Westron Wynde"
Traditional

User Reviews

Not a good historical film, but a considerable drama with indefensible historical laxity.

Don't trust either good or bad critics upon "The Other Boleyn Girl". It's a serious thing to castigate such a bold work. First of all, this movie is a mediocre adaptation of a heart-breaking novel of late epochs of the English kingdom and the royal family. This work of art(both novel and the movie) has a courage to reveal the unknown reasons of English kingdom becoming less potent with the Renaissance revolution from Italy, and losing the support of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church, accordingly becoming adversaries with Italy.

The Renaissance revolution is strongly flowing all over the movie just effectively with the Love. Yes, Renaissance invented the Love; but not lonely. There supposed to be growing artists, poets, sculptors, etc. Where are they? Even, we see the palace of the kingdom, the courtroom, the royal family's bedrooms all like a dungeon. Love wouldn't be existed, unless there is Art. Regrettably neither director nor the screenwriter is aware of the Renaissance flow of the actual novel. Hence the spirit of the movie is lost; and they still try to make us believe that the king of England is cruel and he has set apart the lovers. On the contrary, in fact English kingdom always had let literature, theater and love grow.

Beside this failure, this fiasco of the plot; the cinematography and the costume design are stunning. The music score is outstanding, yet we feel that the whole movie is in a mournful silence.

After all, we have a touching story with a great deal of melodrama in a sensational way. It seems like it took much effort to get together this powerful cast of actors and their cordial acting. Give it a try; at least it's worth seeing.