The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 BBC Version)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jane Gurnett, Jared Harris, Philip Glenister, Ron Cook, Steven MackintoshBrand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Graham Smith
Composer: Peter Salem
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-18
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: BBC Warner
Movie Reviews of The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 BBC Version)
Movie Review: The Other Adaptation
Summary: 3 Stars
The story of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn certainly has enjoyed a lot of exposure lately with two years of the Showtime series The Tudors - The Complete First Season full swing and the 2008 Hollywood adaptation of Philippa Gregory's novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Natalie Portman as the ill-fated second wife of Henry VIII now released on DVD. With these money-generating Tudor-related vehicles generating such popularity, it comes as little surprise that an older once-televised version is now seeing the light of day. Be that as it may, I have grown weary with the actual telling of the tale in this instance. Or perhaps the fault lies in the production quality of the 2003 BBC version of the same story crafted by Ms. Gregory in her 500+ page novel. Whereas the Hollywood version sparkles with colorful jewel toned sets exemplifying the opulence of King Eric Bana's court and a bevy of model-esque beauties of the blonde, brunette and redhead categories statuesquely adorn the royal auspices of Jonathan Rhys Meyer's Pre-Elizabethan world, this 90 minute drama seems anemically plebian in comparison. Ultimately, however, the main fault seems to be in the selection of the piece's main character.
Although Natascha McElhone plays the part of Fran?oise Gilot, Picasso's live-in lover in the 1996 film Surviving Picasso with an initial ing?nue quality that endears her to an audience anticipating her eventual seasoning as a woman, as Mary Boleyn, married sister of Anne, she fails to exude that fresh je-ne-sais-quoi that allows the Gregory character to win over her readers in spite of her human frailties. As her work in "Ronin" suggests, roles that require a little Mata Hari sophistication fit well with McElhone's physical appearance. However, despite the obvious conniving of the Boleyn family and its domino effect on its two daughters, the character of Mary requires more innocence--a quality Scarlett Johanson's lush renaissance beauty mirrors much better than McElhone's persona that exemplifies the attribute of sharp 21st century savvy.
On the other hand, Jodhi May, as Anne, radiates with a charm that certainly does not originate from her looks alone. At first glance and with the full understanding of the importance of male succession in 16th century life, we wonder how in the world someone as plain as Anne could entice a king away from his Church and his wife. Yet, May pulls this off without a hitch, embodying the enigmatic Anne and her apparent charm from the inside out in a much more subtle manner than the acclaimed Natalie Portman. While Portman projects the ultimate shrew in need of a spanking, only May's blazing eyes convey her wily ambition. Buttressed by her family's desire for power, she diverts from the truth with great finesse that seems second nature.
Jared Harris adequately portrays the young Henry incensed by what he cannot have. Much more low-key than Rhys Meyer's tantrum-throwing monarch, he gives one the sense of strength and confusion that seems appropriate for his predicament as the heirless tyrant.
Bottom line? If the story of Henry VIII and his wives never fails to entertain you, than this adaptation of the Philippa Gregory novel from across the pond may keep you in your seat for its playing time of ninety minutes. However, if you have become accustomed to the beautiful sets and people that populate the Showtime series, `The Tudors' and high profile actors that portray the same characters in Hollywood's version of "The Other Boleyn Girl," you will find this drab BBC presentation wanting in many ways. The technique of having the two main characters look soulfully into the camera and confess their thoughts diary-style breaks rather than sustains the story's momentum. Although a fully accomplished actress with a repertoire of fined performances, Natascha McElhone's Mary does not succeed in fully conveying every nuance of the character as depicted in the book. Recommended only for die-hard Tudor enthusiasts.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"
Summary of The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 BBC Version)
An extraordinary tale of sex passion and royal intrigue. This is the little-known story of Mary Boleyn who was mistress to King Henry VIII before he married her older sister Anne. Inspired by Philippa Gregory's best selling novel this film is about great families jockeying for position and using their daughters as pawns in a deadly game. Set during one of the most notorious periods in British regal history it is a powerful narrative and at its heart is the relationship between two rivals - the Boleyn sisters.Running Time: 90 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/BBC UPC: 883929008216 Manufacturer No: 1000036754King Henry VIII and his passions are so gripping, viewers still can't get enough of them nearly five centuries later. Consider the riveting British drama The Other Boleyn Girl, witty, tragic, and as full of real emotions as, well, Jane Austen's novels. The BBC film, based on the novel by Philippa Gregory (and remade into a much glossier Hollywood version in 2008), allows the viewer to sympathize with the plight of women in 16th-century England, while being slightly revolted by the whole sticky mess.
Imagine two sisters whose father and entire family encourage them to debase themselves to curry favor with the handsome young King Henry (Jared Harris, Ocean's Twelve, To the Ends of the Earth). Mary Boleyn, played with winsome gravity by Natascha McElhone (Californication), is the first sister to catch the eye of the king, grown weary of his wife, Queen Katherine (Yolanda Vazquez, Notting Hill). "Use your wiles!" insists Mary's father, Sir Thomas Boleyn (noted British theater actor Jack Shepherd), as the appalled, newly married young woman tries to resist. Mary ultimately carries on an affair with the king and bears him an illegitimate son--but sister Anne sees her own opening as the king becomes restless again.
The film takes a decidedly modern approach to this period drama, by having the sisters occasionally speak directly to the camera, confessing their deepest desires (since clearly their own family couldn't care less). The men around them are desperate to advance their standing in the court and don't hesitate to push the young sisters into moral harm's way to get what they want. Things take a dangerous turn when Anne, played by the revelatory Jodhi May (Defiance), musters up ambition of her own to be not only a royal plaything but queen herself. The lack of a male heir, however, and Anne's own pride begin to spell her downfall, as her family distances themselves ("don't let that girl sink us all alongside her!" her horrified, and somewhat horrifying, father declares). It's the film's great achievement that though we know (most of) the end of the tale, we remain riveted to the very end. --A.T. Hurley
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