«Book Translation Dissapointment»
To begin with, let me say that I am a huge fan of Phillipa Gregory's. I read my paperback copy so many times that pages almost fell out. But after watching this movie I almost started hating the novel. Yes I understand that Hollywood has many difficulties in translating book to film, but this was basically a failure. So many literary AND historical inaccuracies it was laughable.
The mother was shown as too sympathetic and the father extremely weak, Mary and Anne became enemies much too quickly, Mary was married too late, and Stafford?! They should never have brought him into the movie so early; it ruins his future relationships and role with Mary. A major dislike for me was Mary's great reluctance to leave the country for court-mainly this was bad because in the book she BEGAN at court-as well, her loving the King came up really suddenly, she sleeps with him twice and BOOM! "Anne, I love him," a little fast even for this movie. And WHERE did William Carey go to?! Just "disappeared" and Mary starts leaning toward Stafford. Implausible, yet no one seemed to notice. But I felt pity for the character of Anne during her virtual rape by the King-that was NEVER even insinuated in by any historians. And George Boleyn, for a character with such a pivotal role in the story, he had very little screen time, though Jim Sturgess did a fine job.
Also, the basic premise of the story-two sisters' rivalry for a King's love and standing in court-is twisted by having Anne try to catch the King first, and getting him injured. Anne was shown as having an extraordinary amount of power over even her family, especially too much sway over her uncle. The debate over sending Queen Katherine away was cut too short, as was the furor over divorce. Showing Mary in the countryside and Anne in France would have also been nice touches.
I truly admired Katherine of Aragon's character-very regal and formidable and her quoted lines from the novel- and how the failed Henry Percy marriage was shown. Also, Mary's lying in and both sisters' birthing scenes were very adequately stifling and scary. This could definitely be shown as an "anti-teen pregnancy movie." Anne's coronation was suitably gaudy and brought to film well as did the people's ill reception of her as queen. Another well-done accuracy was Jane Boleyn's betrayal; almost all sources agree she began the family's downfall. But when the King decided to forgo Mary completely just to have the HOPE of getting with Anne I became utterly disgusted with the movie and could barely finish it. This is saying a lot for me since Scarlett Johannsen and Natalie Portman are two of my favorite actresses.
So maybe the author approved of the novel being dissected and stripped apart by this movie's portrayal, I as a fan, truly dislike this movie adaptation. I was all set to enjoy and revel in seeing some of my favorite characters and storylines brought to life, but this time Hollywood failed me.
[Sunday, October 05, 2008]
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«If you like drama and twisted story lines you'll like it but...»
When I first watched this movie, I had no knowledge of its historical context. I just thought that it was a fictional story set in 15th or 16th century England. As I watched it though I quickly realized that it is one of Henry VIII's many love stories. Before viewing the movie I had little knowledge about Henry VIII other than he had six wives whom he beheaded. I was intrigued by the plot of the story and decided to investigate into the history of his rule a bit further. I quickly found out though that the details of The Other Boleyn Girl are not entirely accurate.
I recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for over-the-top drama in a historical movie, rather than accurateness. I enjoyed watching the movie because I had little knowledge about the historical background beforehand and felt the tension unfold as the characters' relationships became more and more complex.
As far as the script and dialogue, don't expect to look for any deeper meaning beyond the text. Enjoy the movie for what it is rather than what you expect it to be. If you like complex soap-opera-like drama then you will definitely enjoy this movie.
[Tuesday, September 30, 2008]
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«disappointed»
i was excited to hear that there was going to be a movie based on the other bolyen girl book. the book is from mary boleyn's point of view. the movie, however, follows the point of view of anne boleyn. the acting was good, and the costumes where great but i just wished that they had stuck to the book a little more closely.
[Monday, September 29, 2008]
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