Running time: 116 minutes
Starring: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Mark Rylance, David Morrissey, Kristin Scott Thomas
Rating 6 out of 10
The fascination with the Tudor period continues with The Other Boleyn Girl. It's scripted by Peter Morgan, who was Oscar-nominated for his excellent screenplay for The Queen, but he's highly unlikely to pull off the same feat with his latest work. Those with a historical eye have already cited the film for alleged inaccuracies, but from a cinematic point of view it has all the hallmarks of a glorified soap opera.It's reminiscent of the largely unsuccessful 'Hollywood attempts period England' genre, which is surprising given the large British contingent working behind the camera, including director Justin Chadwick, previously best known for the recent highly-lauded BBC adaptation of Bleak House.
It doesn't really help that the three leads are played by foreigners. Australian Eric Bana is a moody, broody Henry VIII, Israeli-American Natalie Portman is the feisty Anne and American Scarlett Johansson is her quieter sister and the mother of the future Queen Elizabeth. Yes, they can do the accents, but there's very little spark or conviction about any of the performances.
Any vigour that there is is left to the British supporting cast, with Mark Rylance impressing as the girl's proud father who is desperate to further his family in the eyes of the King, David Morrissey excelling as the scheming Duke of Norfolk and Kristin Scott Thomas thoroughly believable as the girls' doubting mother.
Sandy Powell's costumes are another highlight, but it would have been nice to have had more realism elsewhere in the final edit. The screening I attended was interrupted by frequent guffaws from the audience at the unintentional humour provided by the script.
Paul Hurley
