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Justin Chadwick, The Other Boleyn Girl
03/03/2008 The primary reason I went to the teenager-crowded movie theatre on Friday, February 29, is that Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, two of my favorite actresses, would finally be on screen together in The Other Boleyn Girl. The film, based on Philippa Gregory’s popular novel with the same name, had been pretty hyped before its Leap Day debut, and all of the exposure had worked its magic on me: I couldn’t wait to see it. I even broke my standard book-turned-into-film rule - always read the book first - for the occasion. I just couldn’t wait to see it, and besides, I’m in the middle of another book that I don’t want to put down (Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, another review for another time.) However, despite the requisite perks characteristic of a movie set in Tudor England, like the breathtakingly beautiful costumes befitting a movie set in this era, the plot and direction of The Other Boleyn Girl fell short of my high hopes. I do not regret those two hours spent watching the movie, because it was inexplicably but completely absorbing. What I derived most from the movie, though, was not a desire to read the book and certainly not to see the movie again, but the realization that 16th century England, much like the movie, was really nice to look at, but lacking where it counts. In order to save the best for last, let’s begin with the things that could have been better. Parts of it were extremely predictable, and by this I mean that as soon as I heard the opening music and saw some unfocused leaves of grass, I thought, “Here we go. I bet we get a field of grass and some small children playing in it,” and that is exactly what came into focus. Granted, this was a lovely sight, with the long, golden grass blowing in the wind, three small children dressed in old European clothing playing in the field. This is the audience’s introduction to Mary, Anne and George, happily played by handsome Jim Sturgess, from Across the Universe, and it is evident from the beginning that the dark-haired sister, Anne, is considered superior to the light-haired sister, Mary. The parents of the trio, strolling down a nearby path, are, ridiculously enough, already discussing the girls’ marriage offers. Welcome to the times; please check your feminist ideals at the door. It is a well-known fact, of course, that women were considered property until the 20th century or so, and understandably, it gets worse the further back in time we go. However, the Boleyn girls are shuffled around, traded and mated like cattle solely for the purpose of social status that the women could not possibly even benefit from. The book and movie are not historically accurate, but the fact that two men’s greed and lust for power brought down not only an entire family, but also broke up the marriage between King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, not to mention the long-term relationship between England and the Catholic Church, is truly remarkable. The only good part about any of the male characters in the movie is that, eventually, Sir Thomas Boleyn gets a long overdue slap in the face from his heartbroken and disappointed wife, played by a necessarily meek but still wiser than her husband Kristin Scott Thomas. Unfortunately, this is only after two of her children are decapitated, and the third has lived through unprecedented trials and tribulations. The Other Boleyn Girl actually has nary a sympathetic character. Dad and Uncle Boleyn are truly despisable, and King Henry, played by Eric Bana and always seen wearing furs, is morally bankrupt and must say less than 100 words the entire film. Anne, while spunky and actually quite likeable until her ruthless second pursuit of King Henry (she manages to ignore the fact that Mary is pregnant with his child at this time.) She goes on to continually betray her sister, tries to –brace yourself – sleep with her brother to save her own head, and actually goes insane by the end of the film. All this, only to be historically decapitated. Mary, although she is the nicer of the two, commits adultery with barely a second thought to her new husband, and allows herself to be a pawn far too often to be considered a strong female character. The men are indeed shameless in their self-interest and disrespect of the women in their lives, but an observer has to wonder how much longer the women will let them do it. More than once it is stated that ambition is a positive trait for a man, but a sinful indulgence for a women. All in all, the movie is a frustrating thing to sit still through for a female viewer. The one character who emanated kindness and much needed sanity throughout the film, even from the decadent insides of the Royal Castle, was William Stafford. His freckled face and gentle eyes assured me that not everyone alive in those times was completely out of their gourds. Unfortunately, the knowledge that the movie has been translated from a much longer and more detailed novel is ever-present, as the camerawork is defined by unexpected, quick transitions from one scene to the next. The Other Boleyn Girl with a running time just shy of two hours, almost seems over-edited. Despite all of these things, the movie is still enjoyable. I found myself holding my breath at all the right parts, and sighing with relief at some others. It’s just that, as the credits rolled, I couldn’t really figure out why I had cared so much. The movie, a lot like the people involved in the whole Henry-Boleyn ordeal, is pretty on the outside, but lackluster where it really counts: characterization, logical plot development and a feeling of viewer satisfaction at the end of the movie. That green dress Natalie Portman wears upon her return from France – and on the movie poster, check it out - does make me covetous, but it doesn’t make up for everything else. And it will look just as good on your TV screen at home, so if I were you, I’d wait. Comments [post a comment]Comments are closed |
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