Interesting period piece, with attractive stars and sumptuous costumes....worth a look

Rating: 7/10 (29 February 2008)

King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) sits on the throne of England. His virtuous wife Catherine of Aragon, mother to Princess Mary, has just given birth to another stillborn child, a son. Sensing the king's growing discontent and fading love for his honorable wife, a key adviser decides it is time for the king to have a mistress. He calls on the family of his sister (Kristin Scott-Thomas) and her social climbing husband, Sir Thomas Boleyn. After all, they have two lovely daughters to offer. One, Anne (Natalie Portman) is beautiful and very clever while Mary (Scarlett Johannsen) is also fair, kind, and sweet but not as quick-witted. Oh, wait, Mary has newly been married to a country landowner so that leaves Anne. The father invites the king to his country estate so that the royal can get acquainted with his older daughter. However, on a foxhunt, Henry is injured when Anne, on horseback, leads the company into dangerous terrain that only she knows well. The king ends up bedridden and Mary is designated to be his nurse, as she is patient and adept at caregiving. Suddenly, Henry prefers Mary and, as he is the king, he moves the entire Boleyn household to court and makes the wedded Mary his mistress. Anne, greatly miffed and rejected, brews up some trouble for the sister she once loved well. But, is Henry through with Anne and devoted only to Mary? We shall see! This is an interesting period piece with a story that, somewhat familiar, deserves to be told again. Most folks have heard that Anne eventually married the king, gave birth to Elizabeth, and subsequently lost her head over some sort of controversy. But, here is a portrait, little known, of her much kinder sister who was also involved with the king, due to her father's insane scheming. As the principal players, you could hardly find a better looking trio than Portman, Johannsen, and Bana and they perform quite well. All of the secondary actors are superb, too, with Scott-Thomas spouting the best lines of the film, absolutely, in great style. Noteworthy indeed are the costumes, for they are sumptuous and worth the ticket price alone. There is also some nice scenery and excellent production values, while the script is interesting and makes history come alive. Most importantly, the film clearly shows that while feminism is a "recent" phenomenon, women have had important roles in the world's turning since time began. If you are a fan of romance and adore period pieces, this one is definitely for you. Yet, even those who usually can't be bothered will, I predict, take a shine to this one, where the drama is heavy and the stars so wonderfully winsome.