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(More customer reviews)Hollywood is releasing a new adaptation of Phillipa Gregory's "The Other Boleyn Girl," so unsurprisingly the older BBC adaptation is also (finally) seeing the light of American day.
And it's a pleasant, intimate little look at the difficult world of women in Tudor England. It's hampered by what is obviously a very low budget, but Jodhi May and Jared Harris turn in performances that knock it a few notches higher. Seriously, they're both amazing.
While serving Queen Katherine, Mary Boleyn (Natascha McElhone) catches the eye of King Henry VIII (Jared Harris), and soon her scheming, power-hungry family has shoved her into his bed. Initially she's horrified and ashamed, but soon finds that she's starting to fall in love with the charming king.
Meanwhile, Mary catches her sister Anne (Jodhi May) in bed with an engaged courtier, and the disgraced girl is sent away. When Anne returns, Mary is pregnant, and the Boleyn family is afraid of losing Henry's favor. But when he meets Anne, Henry immediately drops Mary, and becomes enraptured by the ambitious, frank young girl.
But Anne's one mistake -- and exile -- have hardened her, and she's determined not to be the "king's whore" like her sister, but his wife. Amid a storm of angry protest, Henry divorces his wife and marries Anne. But when she gives birth to another daughter, her position begins to slip...
"The Other Boleyn Girl" is not an epic movie -- it's more of a Tudor chick-flick. The big issues (women's reduced rights, splitting from the Catholic Church, poor Katherine of Aragon) are pushed to the background, in favor of a more intimate look at two young women's lives.
The direction is something of a hit-and-miss -- there are some lovely moments, like Mary's moment in the church when she realizes who she's in love with, or Anne's tantrum in front of the court. And Philippa Lowthorpe really gets across what a woman's life would have been like in the Tudor court, as well as the controversial idea that Anne really WAS guilty of incest. Unlikely, but interesting in fiction.
But the sets and costumes look a bit low-budget for the sumptuous Tudor era -- this is glaringly obvious in Katherine's chambers, which look like they were assembled hastily on a soundstage. And for some reason, the characters keep talking to the camera as if they're in a reality show.
What pulls this above "average"? That would be the acting. McElhone gives a graceful, understated performance, but May is the real powerhouse here -- her Anne fills the screen as a vibrant, passionate young woman who is burned by her family's ambition. And Harris is simply amazing as the young Henry -- not a bloated, diseased wreck, but a charming and athletic young monarch.
"The Other Boleyn Girl" is a rather mediocre TV movie that is given a massive boost by a trio of talented actors, particularly Jodhi May. Just don't expect too much historical detail.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 BBC Version) (2003)
An extraordinary tale of sex, passion and royal intrigue. This is the little-known story of Mary Boleyn who was mistress to King Henry VIII before he married her older sister, Anne. Inspired by Philippa Gregory's best selling novel, this film is about great families jockeying for position and using their daughters as pawns in a deadly game. Set during one of the most notorious periods in British regal history, it is a powerful narrative and at its heart is the relationship between two rivals - the Boleyn sisters.
Click here for more information about The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 BBC Version) (2003)
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