court intrigue

As most of my avid readers know by now, I love anything and everything that has to do with British history; particularly when it comes to the Tudors. I've been begging my husband for a couple of weeks now to take me to see The Other Boleyn Girl, and tonight we finally went. The verdict? I loved it! That is to say, I loved it as much as you can love a scheming, diabolical, and totally ambitious family such as the Boleyn's. Mary (portrayed by the lovely Scarlett Johansson) and Anne (played by the fabulous Natalie Portman) are two sisters who couldn't be more different. Mary is as kind and thoughtful as she is beautiful, and Anne is the perfect foil to Mary's sweet temper and naive ways. The girls are brought to court to gain favor for their family with King Henry VIII, but soon both sisters find themselves competing against each other for his affections. Of course they aren't the only ones to scheme: an aggressive uncle and a passive father don't help the situation either.

Everyone knows that in the end Anne is made queen and eventually beheaded, but it was still totally absorbing to watch the drama unfold on the big screen. It was also a lot of fun to see Natalie Portman play against type (she makes a tremendous villainess), and casting the beautiful Eric Bana as the tyrant King Henry didn't hurt either.

Overall I loved the underlying theme of the movie: be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. The Other Boleyn Girl was a great period film based on historical fiction.