Scan and Pan
Friday, February 29, 2008
The Other Boleyn Girl
The scheming Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) seeks to increase his family's position by offering his niece Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to be the mistress of Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Although there are immediate sparks between the two, the Duke of Norfolk considers Anne a liability after an accident that causes the King to be injured and instead aims to have her sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) replace her in the King's affections.
Director Justin Chadwick (responsible for multiple episodes of British television's Bleak House) earns high marks for how he visualizes the story, but deserves failing marks for how he handles it as a drama. It plays out very predictably, full of melodrama bordering on the risible at times and about as deep an exploration of its characters as a piece of tissue paper. The surprising thing is that Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen) has contributed such a weak screenplay. Granted, it's based on someone else's novel, but one expects better from a proven screenwriter. Never have I been so pleased to see someone's head removed from their body as I was when Anne Boleyn experiences that fate here, because it meant that my suffering through two hours of tedium was finally at an end.
The best part of the film is the beautiful lighting of cinematographer Kieran McGuigan (a veteran of British television shows like Bleak House and Spooks) that reminds one of the great Baroque paintings. There are so many scenes that could be freeze framed and placed on a museum wall as art. Production designer John-Paul Kelly (Bloody Sunday, Venus) and costume designer Sandy Powell (Interview with the Vampire, The Departed) do an outstanding job of re-creating the 16th century Royal Court with sumptuous sets and costumes.
Portman once again amply demonstrates what an overrated actress she is, while Johansson just isn't very credible as a 16th century English noblewoman. Rumors of discord on the set between the two may explain why there is so little chemistry between them on screen as sisters. Without exception, the rest of the acting is all on the surface without digging any deeper, which must be partly blamed on the director. The cast includes Bana as Henry, Morrissey as the Duke of Norfolk, Jim Sturgess as Anne and Mary's brother George, Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas as the parents of the Boleyn siblings, Benedict Cumberbatch as Mary's first husband, Ana Torrent as Catherine of Aragon, and Juno Temple as Jane Parker.
The Other Boleyn Girl is almost a complete waste of time. As beautiful as it may be to look at, its predictable melodrama will have you wishing you were somewhere else. Do yourself a favor and just be somewhere else.
[1.5 out of 5 stars]
Based on Philippa Gregory's novel, this historical soap opera set amongst the Royal Court of Henry VIII of England is insufferably tedious.
The scheming Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) seeks to increase his family's position by offering his niece Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to be the mistress of Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Although there are immediate sparks between the two, the Duke of Norfolk considers Anne a liability after an accident that causes the King to be injured and instead aims to have her sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) replace her in the King's affections.
Director Justin Chadwick (responsible for multiple episodes of British television's Bleak House) earns high marks for how he visualizes the story, but deserves failing marks for how he handles it as a drama. It plays out very predictably, full of melodrama bordering on the risible at times and about as deep an exploration of its characters as a piece of tissue paper. The surprising thing is that Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen) has contributed such a weak screenplay. Granted, it's based on someone else's novel, but one expects better from a proven screenwriter. Never have I been so pleased to see someone's head removed from their body as I was when Anne Boleyn experiences that fate here, because it meant that my suffering through two hours of tedium was finally at an end.
The best part of the film is the beautiful lighting of cinematographer Kieran McGuigan (a veteran of British television shows like Bleak House and Spooks) that reminds one of the great Baroque paintings. There are so many scenes that could be freeze framed and placed on a museum wall as art. Production designer John-Paul Kelly (Bloody Sunday, Venus) and costume designer Sandy Powell (Interview with the Vampire, The Departed) do an outstanding job of re-creating the 16th century Royal Court with sumptuous sets and costumes.
Portman once again amply demonstrates what an overrated actress she is, while Johansson just isn't very credible as a 16th century English noblewoman. Rumors of discord on the set between the two may explain why there is so little chemistry between them on screen as sisters. Without exception, the rest of the acting is all on the surface without digging any deeper, which must be partly blamed on the director. The cast includes Bana as Henry, Morrissey as the Duke of Norfolk, Jim Sturgess as Anne and Mary's brother George, Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas as the parents of the Boleyn siblings, Benedict Cumberbatch as Mary's first husband, Ana Torrent as Catherine of Aragon, and Juno Temple as Jane Parker.
The Other Boleyn Girl is almost a complete waste of time. As beautiful as it may be to look at, its predictable melodrama will have you wishing you were somewhere else. Do yourself a favor and just be somewhere else.
[1.5 out of 5 stars]
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