Solid effort, well worth seeing

Rating: 8/10 (10 March 2008)

A few things up front: I never read the book, I love period movies, and I've always been interested in the Tudors. In light of that...
"The Other Boleyn Girl" excels in many, many ways. The look and feel of the film are superb (I guess credit the art direction). There is always a brooding, mysterious, dark element in every visual. I think there were only two instances where we saw full golden sunlight, and those were two scenes, one at the very beginning and one at the very end, where children are shown running through a tall grass field.
The costumes are fabulous. The colors seemed a bit strong and almost gaudy for that era, but the clothes (men's and women's) are to die for.
Acting was very strong throughout. Scarlet as Mary Boleyn was fantastic, at first disliking the court and only going in order to help her sister's cause; then gradually warming up to Henry and eventually coming to love him; then her hardened, steely self towards the end as she sees her family come to disaster and herself as the only cool-headed person left who can do some good.
Portman's portrayal of Anne was terrific. She too went through a series of changes and made them all credible. Her gradual unraveling towards the end was particularly powerful and remained convincing.
Bana's Henry was, contrary to other reviewers' opinions, very engaging and quite central to the film. He was able to capture both the tenderness and poetic side of Henry along with his manic and despotic side.
Supporting roles were also well done: Queen Catherine, the Duke of Norfolk, Anne and Mary's brother, all had important contributions. Anne and Mary's parents, the Boleyns, were fascinating: the grasping of the father for advancement and riches, but always with some nagging doubts showing in his eyes; and the resigned strength of the mother who was powerless to interfere and could only watch her family's destruction.
Now, on the other hand, the script does suffer from numerous shortcomings. The language throughout is very much today's language, and one is often struck by phrases and sentiments which surely no one in that era could have conceived or framed in those words. There are a number of loose ends which the plot never ties up: what happens to Mary's son or her husband, for instance? And if Norfolk in the end betrays his family, why are we not given any insight to his moral wrestlings with this betrayal (after seeing him plot and scheme to advance the family interests all through the movie)? Music was generally weak; not at all period-appropriate, occasionally trying to be but generally not.
The most profound aspect of the movie is that it made one think about the role of women, how the only avenue for an ambitious woman to reach power and authority was to seduce a powerful man, and Henry was about as powerful as they got. To think that a miscarriage meant the difference between her being beheaded or being the most powerful woman in the realm is pretty amazing.
This is also a strong cautionary tale, as Anne seeks the security that comes from being married to the king, although the only way to do that is to convince him to annul his previous marriage which in turn makes all his future marriages just as easily revocable. The relationship between sisters is another dominant theme, part rivalry, part mutual support, and in the end unflagging devotion.
All in all, it is probably not the definitive portrayal of these characters, but it does capture one's imagination. Whether historically informed or not, the movie conveys a powerful sense of the turmoil and intrigue of the Tudor court.