The Other Boleyn Girl Review

Based on the best-selling novel by Philippa Gregory "The Other Boleyn Girl" tells the true story of King Henry VIII and his love for two sisters in Tudor England. Make no mistake that this is a love story, but it is one of those rare ones with eloquent scripting, strong performances and a gripping plot.

Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) and her younger sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) are at the mercy of their ambitious father and uncle, whose eagerness to advance the family's standing and fortune stands in the way of the family's happiness. While Mary dreams of marrying for love, Anne, with the ambition of her father, wants to marry for position and money.

Mary marries a man of the same class and is happy with her match for a short while. Until her father and uncle hear that the King (Eric Bana) is having trouble in his marriage and see it as an opportunity for Anne to become his mistress, eagerly inviting him to visit. If they had any idea of what tragedies lay ahead for the family following the King's visit they would never have invited him to stay and two of England's most passionate and scandalous love affairs would never have taken place.

With Eric Bana in the lead role, King Henry VIII never looked so good.

"The Other Boleyn Girl" paints a sensuous portrait of palace life, and gives a glimpse into the politics and pressures of living in the court of King Henry VIII. Anne's ruthless wit and charm manages to win over a great man but his obsession with having a son breeds a ruthless anger that strikes with finality.

It is an ironic point of history that the years King Henry VIII spent trying to produce a male heir, resulted in the separation of the Catholic Church to The Church of England, and many failed marriages, only to have his daughter Elizabeth take the throne after all. This is one part of history worth a watch!