Scarlett Time

Four months I had been waiting to see this movie, but the wait is over. The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, and Eric Bana, opened last Friday, and that was an event I wasn't going to miss.

The Other Boleyn Girl, based on a novel by Philippa Gregory that I haven't read, tells the story of the Boleyn sisters, Anne (Portman) and Mary (Johansson), and how they are manipulated by their father and uncle to help the family achieve a higher position in the British hierarchy. Both women are summoned, used, discarded, and summoned again whenever it suits the ambitious plans of their male elders, and this leads to continuous clashes between both sisters. Up until then, they had had a wonderful relationship, sharing dreams and hopes and fears. However, the moment king Henry VIII enters their lives, we witness how this sisterly love becomes strained, bitter, and shattered. All these stages are wonderfully portrayed by Portman and Johansson, even though the script sometimes rushes through the different phases. I understand adapting a book must be no easy task, but sometimes events seem to be precipitating way too fast. A scene will be presented, and immediately after another scene will have advanced things too quickly. At times, it seems writer Peter Morgan is struggling to show us instead of telling us (which is, of course, the right thing to do), but sometimes there is too much telling to go with the showing, because the showing was so perfunctory that the writer feels he needs to explain what happened. This, however, does not happen too often (and might even help the pace of the film), and it did not prevent me from enjoying the movie very much. Of course, my history is shaky, so any historical inaccuracies went unnoticed by yours truly, who just accepted everything that was presented on screen as unquestionable truth.
In addition to this, gorgeous production design, magnificent costumes, and beautiful locations complement the good acting and competent writing, and help wrap up a very attractive package.

Regarding negative aspects, I found the ending to be a bit lackluster. It struck me as weak, but I won't spoil anything for you. Also, whatever happened to William Carey? Maybe I missed it, but I think the character just disappears and is never talked about again. If you see the movie, please let me know.

To sum it up, The Other Boleyn Girl is very entertaining, with lots of drama, anguish, guilt, bitterness, confrontation, manipulation, and lies. In other words, it's all about love and its consequences, so go see the movie and support my beloved Scarlett!