The Other Boleyn Girl (Movie)

I have been watching The Tudors and decided to take a little side trip and watch The Other Boleyn Girl (Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana) to get a feel for more of the Boleyn story. Well, now I am completely confused.

Though both stories are dealing within the same period and the same basic characters, the two adaptations could not be any more different. Now I understand poetic license, but when facts are toyed with, it leaves the watcher quite befuddled.

For instance, Mary Boleyn is referred to as the older sister in The Tudors and the younger sister in The Other Boleyn Girl, so off to Google to find out. According to The House of Tudor, Mary is the older sister. OK, The Tudors got this one right. The Other Boleyn Girl tell of an illegitimate child that Mary bore during her time with Henry the VIII, The Tudor’s doesn’t comment on this. This time to Wiki. Apparently, Mary bore two children, but then again who is counting. So I will give that one to The Other Boleyn Girl. Now the most curious part, the end of The Other Boleyn Girl shows Mary taking the young Elizabeth and leaving Court to raise the child. Really, does anyone think that was possible? I thought Governess cared for her, but then people do like a happily ever after ending when dealing with royalty.

The more I look into the Tudor history, the more confused I get. I understand that movie making is supposed to be fantasy, but how hard would it be to research what is “known” and go from there instead of making it up as you go.

Now back to the actual movie. Overall, it is quite a stunning spectacle. The costuming and staging are beautiful. The casting is reasonable, though Henry should have been shorter and rounder, but then again who would want to see that. I have also seen in some reviews that the sex scenes in The Other Boleyn Girl shocked people. Well, if you are offended by that, which there really was not much shown, it is a PG-13 after all; I suggest that you completely bypass The Tudors. That one will make you blush.

Unless you know some of the prior history of the time, you would have been lost in this movie. The timing is a bit choppy, sort of like a Cliff Notes version of a small part of the Tudor Period. If you are not looking for a history lesson you might like this movie, but just be warned that it is an adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction novel and not necessarily a work of fact.