“The Other Boleyn Girl,” the adaptation of Philippa
Gregory’s novel, promises to be a story of seduction, adultery, betrayal and
murder, about Queen Anne Boleyn’s sister, Mary, who was also one-time mistress
of King Henry VIII.
Set during the reign of Henry VIII (Eric Bana), a defining
moment in England’s
history, two sisters Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson)
Boleyn have to win the affection of the King due to the ambitions of their father
and uncle.
Forced to leave the simple life in the country side, the two
see themselves thrown in the swirl of the dangerous life in court.
Soon the two sisters become rivals for the heart of the
King and forget why they ended up there in the first place.
At first Mary wins the affection of Henry and becomes his
mistress. She also gives him an illegitimate son.
But Anne starts to show her real interest in the court: the
crown. Little by little, she succeeds through cleverness and shrewdness, to
push back her sister as well as Henry’s wife, in order to win.
In the meantime, England is torn apart as the King is
surrounded by liars.
The Boleyn girls, even though find themselves battling, one
for her true love, the other for ambition, remain bonded through their blood
connection.
This is actually the second adaptation of the book, the
first one was being made in 2003 by BBC.
The 2008 version was written by Peter Morgan, who also wrote
the screenplay for “The Queen” and a 2003 TV version of “Henry VIII.”
Henry VIII was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later
King of Ireland) from 21 April 1509 until his death on 28 January 1547. He was
an avid gambler and dice player and practiced many sports in his youth. Henry
married his brother Arthur's widow, Catherine, on 11 June 1509. Due to the fact
that Catherine couldn’t offer Henry an heir he got involved with Anne Boleyn.
He divorced Catherine and secretly married Boleyn, who was crowned Queen of
England on June 1st 1533 and gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth (Elizabeth I
of England),
three months later. Rumors are that Mary (Anne's sister) Boleyn's two children
were fathered by Henry VIII.
