The Other Boleyn Girl DVD

Penned by The Queen screenwriter Peter Morgan and based on the novel by Philippa Gregory, this tells the story of the Boleyn sisters as they vie for the affections of ... Read on

Penned by The Queen screenwriter Peter Morgan and based on the novel by Philippa Gregory, this tells the story of the Boleyn sisters as they vie for the affections of Henry VIII. Natalie Portman stars as the doomed Anne, with Scarlett Johansson as her sister, Mary. Kristin Scott Thomas is their mother, Elizabeth, and Eric Bana a brooding, hulking presence as Henry VIII.

In the same vein as Elizabeth: The Golden Age and TV’s The Tudors, this is history told with broad, flourishing brushstrokes rather than the scratches of the academic’s fountain pen. The focus is on the claustrophobia and intrigue of palace life, and the blind ambition that comes to set sister against sister. And how else could Henry VIII’s turbulent married life be brought to life if not through melodrama? With sumptuous sets, sensual costumes and a scenery-chewing performance from Natalie Portman – whose leading lady status (and English accent) is now in full bloom – this is an entertaining historical drama which leaves no bodice unripped. Hide