The Other Boleyn Girl!
 

Anybody been to see this flick yet? I saw it today in Los Angeles and it is very good. A very tragic story. Henry was not a nice guy.

Scarlett Johansson is extraordinary as Mary Boleyn. Great period movie. Costumes are realistic. Eric Bana (born Eric Banadinovich) is a believable Henry VIII. I really like this period of European history, mid 16th century.

Anne and brother George's executions were handled tastefully, as best it could under the circumstances. I've seen worse on HBO. I recommend to anyone interested in historical films.

Anybody out there from the UK that wants to comment?

I planned on seeing it given the story and the talent invloved but the reviews have been pretty dismal so I guess I'll wait for DVD... I have "Anne of The Thousand Days" in my frame of reference and would likely be disappointed if I held it to that standard.

I'm just wondering if it's historically accurate, or is it made for film? I don't know, never looked into it myself. I have to say I find it quite amusing that the actresses are American doing a Brit accent :)..actually, the best ones for that, have to be Gwenyth and Renee...they do it extremely well!

Anneand her sister were French ..maybe that is why Genevieve Bujold was so awesome in Anne of The Thousand days..so kind of lame that they put on fake English accents in it.

I believe it only opened here today. I do plan to see it

Anne of a Thousand Days was a great film. I haven't seen it in a long time though

I'm going by memory here (not firsthand, thanks :p ), but I thought Anne was English but ended up in France as a lady in waiting (and possibly royal mistress) due to family connections. (Granted, she would have acquired French manners and accent.)
But I agree that Bujold gives a very good performance, even though the film is pretty unreliable as a history (not that this would necessarily affect someone's enjoyment in viewing the film). I remember cringing when Mary Tudor is at her mother's deathbed, when in reality Henry kept them apart as punishment for Catherine's refusal to accept divorce.

As for the new movie, I saw a review that it is much too tame for such a raunchy tale, that it never really goes far enough. (I know some people are already bothered by the incest implications in the script.)
For you Brits, I heard there is another version of The Other Boleyn Girl that aired on the BBC that is much better. Have any of you seen it?

- Jake

I hope this is not a spoiler (I haven't seen the movie), but I hear that it is not very accurate, & that the filmmakers take some liberties with how far Anne will go to conceive a child.

- Jake

I've been hearing for a couple of years that there are plans for a big movie about Mary Queen of Scots. I hate the old Katharine Hepburn one, and the one from the 1970s has Vanessa Redgrave badly miscast (other than her height) in the role. I forget who was up for the part this time.

- Jake

Oooh... I would love a movie about Mary Queen of Scots. I recently read a great book about her (I got it when I was up in Edinburgh). I didn't realise she was 6ft tall!

:nod: indeed they do.

i saw the film last week and as far as historical films are concerned, this was probably one of my least favorite [and i've seen a ton]. frankly, the way the movie began and ended reminded me much too much of elizabeth. i just didn't very much care for the cast -- though eric banna did surprise me.

for more of an interesting look at the tudors, watch the showtime series.

I thought it was all a bit daft. I don't mind films ignoring the historical facts but the tale was crazy. Some of the dialogue between Henry and Mary was straight out of the school playground. Mark Rylance was pretty good but he is a great actor. It is disappointing when the break with the Church of Rome is portrayed as just a divorce issue - the politics behind it are fascinating. But maybe that isn't particularly interesting for a film.

Not a 'must see' film but Scarlett Johansson kept my interest.

It seems when these period films aren't done quite right they lapse into absurdity ..Even the great Cate Blanchett couldn't quite save Elizabeth The Golden Age but she almost did . She is that good.

Cate's performance was very good and actually I enjoyed that film. But this wasn't as enjoyable. As I say I don't mind them changing the facts if the story is at least believeable. This wasn't. I'm keen to see 10,000BC but at least I know that will be ridiculous before I get there :)

Pip.. Have you ever been to the Heaver Castle? It's SOOO awesome! I was taken there the very first time I landed in England, as it was to visit some friend's in Cambridge. We were taken to the Heaver Castle right after getting out of the airport.. and I'm STILL to this day blown away!:blob2:

Do you mean Hever castle?:D

No.. I have never been there

There ya go.. LOL.. :laugh: Thanks Stew..;)

Awww.. it's a cool one to go and see for sure..

:)I knew what you meant - I was just being cheeky!

Were you being a cheeky bugger? LOLOL:laugh:;)

:laugh: hey not bad - you're learning well. But a Northerner would say cheeky bugger, a southerner like me would say cheeky fu*ker...........:laugh:

I think 5'11'' to be exact, but huge for her day. Whoever plays her needs to tower above most of the cast. The height plays a role in how she supposedly dressed up as a man when she wanted to go about unrecognized, and how she was so conspicuous when she landed in England, and how she escaped from imprisonment in a castle by hanging sheets from a high window and scaling down the side. (I think it was Fraser who writes about this.)
I'll get flamed for this, but I always thought that as far as well-known American actresses are concerned, Julia Roberts (of fifteen years ago) would fit the bill in many ways. She is tall, down-to-earth, does not come off like an intellectual (or a trashy bimbo), is pretty without being perfect-looking, and has some believable charm that might inspire lust or chivalry in others. Of course, she's too old now, & Mary really should be played by a Brit.

- Jake

Yeah... I see how Julia would have worked in that role.

What amazed me about Mary's height is how small her bed was!

Forf some reason i didn't watch the Tudors when it was on TV here... so I'm downloading it now :cool:

Well that makes sense now.. My boyfriend is a Geordie.. LOL.. He's from Newcastle, and I've picked up a lot of his lingo.. Me, I'm a Texas girl.. LOLOLOL

That must be a disappointment:nod:......:laugh:

Does he say 'Why Aye Man'.......... they all do!

I've never met a Texan - seriously. I do like Californian girls though......:laugh:

:laugh: You have me rolling over here.. LOLOL.. Nah.. he's not a dissappointment! Quite the opposite actually.. He's the one who introduced me to ALL of those great chocolates and biscuits, and all sorts of fun things! LOL.. Plus, he's a great guy! And of COURSE he says.. "Why Aye Man".. LMAO.. I HAD to get several versions of different "Geordie" handbooks when I went over there to "meet the Parent's " LOLOLOL.. It took me 2 days to finally understand them.. as all I was doing the first 2 days were saying.. "Aye" to everything..:laugh:- His Mom was even rolling! LOLOL-

Oh - the person who introduced you to sausage rolls and pork pies - that's typical Geordie food - I understand now!

I can't understand them at all so you've done better than me!:laugh:

LOLOL.. You are a mess.. Yep, that's him! And some GREAT fish and chips and Yorkshire puddings, and Gamin steaks too! YUMMMMMM... LOL:laugh:

Apparantly, according to some tv blurb, about the movie, they didn't actually film at Hever castle (which sounds daft to me!) because it didn't have the right atmosphere or something (maybe it's changed a bit from the Tudor days...I dunno, although I've been and it looks great...) so instead they chose other places including Penshurst Place which is about 1/2 hour away from us (and very nice it is too)