Power, Honor, and Sisterhood

Rating: 8/10 (11 June 2008)

In an age of absolute monarchs, an authoritarian church, and despotic courts, the free will of an individual was often discarded for political or other such means. One family, the Boleyns who are an otherwise modest family with low connections to the court, will experience this with tragic results.
Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) is traditional father for his time. He is concerned not only for the future marriages of his two daughters Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Mary Boleyn, but also what his family can gain from such unions. It is no secret that he favors Mary above Anne so when he offers the latter to a suitor of otherwise middle class statue such as his own family, it is of little concern to him or anyone else in the family. Anne herself seems pleased with the choice and has little desire for a more wealthier and prestigious husband. Mary, even though it would be expected that she be married first, herself is excited over her younger sister's marriage and only promises support.
Thomas Howard (David Morrissey), otherwise known as the Duke of Norfolk, is the uncle to Mary and Anne. A political creature if one ever existed, he learns that the queen has suffered a recent miscarriage. He knows that Katherine of Aragon (Ana Torrent) will not be able to please King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) much longer so he devises a way for the still unmarried Mary to catch the eye of the king. Not for Mary or Henry's own personal sake but so that his family may gain by having a union with the crown itself. Especially so if the Mary is able to give Henry the son he has always wanted.
What happens next is a series of ironies and misfortunes that send the Boleyn family, especially Mary, Anne, and their brother George (Jim Sturgess) down a path of jealously, rage, sorrow, and destruction. Henry, a cruel and petty man who discards women much as he discards old clothing, is impossible to please and once both Mary and Anne fall into his sight then their fates have been sealed. In this way the fear of their mother, Lady Elizabeth Boleyn (Kristin Scott Thomas) are realized when she sees that her daughters are to be traded as if mere goods to be exchanged at a whim.
The Other Boleyn Girl circles, as one expects, around the relationship between Mary and Anne during their relationship with the king. Anne, who ironically was seduced by the king after her marriage while Mary was ignored, is able to give Henry the son he needs. However, by that time, Mary has already caught his eye and thus Anne finds herself no longer in favor. However, Mary goes further then perhaps even her uncle imagined by having herself crowned Queen of England (and upsetting not just the entire kingdom but the Catholic Church which Henry VIII would later break away from). While Anne is portrayed as an innocent girl who is heartbroken at her fate, Mary is just as calculating as her uncle and perhaps just as blind because of her greed. In this we have a good sister, bad sister conflict where a once close relationship has been broken because of lust and politics. Only in the death of Mary at the hands of an executioner do the two sisters finally reunite as they were before their lives were corrupted by the desires of their father, uncle, and the king himself.
If there is a complaint to be made it is the otherwise wooden acting that occurs mainly from Portmand and Bana which can only be blame on the script itself. As with all historical movies, one might question the historical accuracy that is portrayed when drama is needed to make things more "interesting". Regardless of these few problems, The Other Boleyn Girl is a case study in power politics and the price that must be paid when ambition outruns caution. However, love and honor can transcend these faults if only the will to do so is there.
8/10