One does not learn the history of Verona from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ – neither from Shakespeare’s play, nor from Zeffirelli’s film, nor from Prokofiev’s ballet. This is what historical treatises are written and read for. Likewise, the story of the Tudor dynasty, the reign of Henry VIII, his relationships with the unhappy wives and their historical impact that gave birth to a major current in Christianity, are not learned either from the movies on the big screens, or from the television series nor from historical novels such as Philippa Gregory’s, which was the basis of the film ‘The Other Boleyn Girl‘ released in 2008 and directed by Justin Chadwick. The film by the British director, who specializes in television productions and is one of his few creations for the big screens, tries to present the story of the thousand days and the years that preceded them from a feminist perspective, emphasizing the relationships in the family Boleyn and bringing sister Mary on the same plane as Anne – the queen who will lose her head. The perspective is interesting, the realization has some problems.
‘The Other Boleyn Girl‘ is one of the cinematic versions of the story that deviates most noticeably from historical truth. Even if we’re not history experts, we’ve seen the events on screen enough times to know that Mary was the older of the two sisters, that the French exile lasted many years and took place during the sisters’ childhood and teenage years, or that a character key to the political intrigue was Cardinal Wolsey, who does not appear in the film at all. Instead, we are exposed in detail to the relationships between the two sisters, mutual loves and betrayals, parallel destinies, one of which would end in tragedy. I have no objection to historical licenses. The problem is that the material we are served instead of a more detailed description of the history of those years is a palace and alcove melodrama that fails to interest or excite. At least that’s how I perceived it.
What do we get when watching this movie? A stellar cast, first of all, with the perfect Scarlett Johansson as Mary and the slightly inappropriate – at times – Natalie Portman in the more difficult and complex role of Anne Boleyn. Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas, two actors I like a lot, are excellent as the sisters’ parents. Benedict Cumberbatch, then just before the big roles of his career, seems undercast. The most difficult role in Henry VIII movies always seems to me to be the one of Henry VIII. Eric Bana is a good actor, but his performance emphasizes the predator side too much and did not at all reflect the great dilemmas behind his decisions. In addition, the physical appearance is also far from what we know historically. I’m waiting for the movie where Henry VIII looks like in Holbein’s portrait. I found the historical reenactment – sets, costumes – accurate and detailed, British filmmakers are experts at this. ‘The Other Boleyn Girl‘ could and probably aimed to be a film about the fate of women in a man’s world and how the relationships between them can change something in the destinies of individuals and – in this case – of the nation. It only succeeded in being yet another film about the Tudor dynasty and not one of the best.