All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The screen writing for The Other Boleyn Girl was disappointing. It was historically inaccurate and quite different from the book by Philippa Gregory. However, there are some exemplary performances from Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana (although he looks nothing like red-haired Henry VIII), Jim Sturgess, Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne, Ana Torrent and Kristin Scott Thomas. An exception is Natalie Portman, who has excelled in other roles, but she was not really the right person to play Anne Boleyn.The cinematography is superb and the costumes are splendid.It would have been better if they'd left out the incest scene. Most historians agree that the accusation of incest against Anne Boleyn was false, it was nothing more than a convenient way for Henry VIII to get rid of her.

Reviewed June 2010Though it features fantastic production values and decent acting, it falls quite short of an epic classic it could have been. It is based on real events during the initial phase of Henry VIII's infamous six wives saga. This is a story of ambition, power, ego, jealousy and lust and the makers should have gone all out with an R rated content to induce the grit, drama and madness of the period; Instead it wimps out as an uninvolving paperback thriller. Main problem here is that it does not linger on any important moment as it jumps all over the place in a hurry that leaves us no character to care for. Having said that, it should be appreciated for it's lavish sets and costumes, beautiful locales and all this richness captured in the best camera available today. Natalie Portman delivered a fantastic performance as the wily ambitious Anne Boleyn, a commoner who changed the face of England by making the already married King Henry part with the Roman Church to make way for her. Eric Bana looked apt as King Henry VIII and was especially good with his cold stares and authoritative one line repertoires. Finally it is still an entertaining movie but if you know a bit about the history of this story you cannot ignore the potential that was not utilized.

Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) is the older sister embodying the hopes of her family. Mary (Scarlett Johansson) is the other sister and her good heart is not seen as being useful. With no male heir, King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) is frustrated with his marriage to Catherine of Aragon after a stillborn male baby. The Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) sees a way to introduce his niece as a mistress to the king. Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) and Norfolk's sister Lady Elizabeth Boleyn (Kristin Scott Thomas) offer the more outgoing unmarried Anne. Instead, the king is taken with the shy Mary who recently married William Carey (Benedict Cumberbatch) hoping for a quiet life. Mary is ordered to be the king's mistress and one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting. The family joins her in court as they gain in prestige. Anne secretly marries nobleman Henry Percy and tells her brother George (Jim Sturgess). George tells Mary who then tells her parents fearing a scandal over Percy who is engaged to another arranged by the king. Anne is exiled to the French court. She would return to take the king from Mary. She would give birth to future queen Elizabeth. Mary is widowed and remarries William Stafford (Eddie Redmayne). Ambitious courtesan Jane Parker (Juno Temple) marries George and would cause a great royal scandal.Anne seems to be written as the flamboyant sister while Mary is the shy one. Portman is older than Johansson and that does fit the Boleyn sisters. However, I think Johansson and Portman are more fit in personality to switch their roles. It's pushing through a lot of plot and the material may be better for a TV series. The actors are capable and the story is fascinating. The execution is a little flat but still very watchable as a vast costume soap opera.

As its story the movie points out a historic event that was the crucial stage for the Catholic Church in England. The movie nicely plays on the character relationship, building enough depth for each character, and nicely shifting the focus to and from Anne and Mary. What's makes it very interesting for me is the level of acting I find in this movie, which a great work in overall. The two main female roles played by Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson were outside of their own usual characters. Natalie Portman is a frequent at the roles of the protagonist who often gets the sympathy of the audience. In this movie she really succeeded in shedding her usual image and transformed into the ruthless Anne Boleyn this movie envisioned. Scarlett Johansson on the other hand is used to the more challenging role, particularly action roles. But here she really grasped the emotions and mannerisms of a girl being tossed into the politics of the aristocrats. I also enjoy Eric Bana and Jim Sturgess' convincing performance, and was pleased to see the seeds of even greater actors in the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne.