Karin Badt: From the Berlinale: Justin Chadwick's 'The Other Boleyn Girl'

Sometimes a film is just a pleasure. The consensus at Berlin was not to bother watching Justin Chadwick's "The Other Boleyn Girl," based on Philippa Gregory's eponymous novel, and I was so glad I snuck in anyway. The drama is clear and well-directed: the two Boleyn girls, Anne and Mary (played by the equally sensuous Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson), both vie for the sexual attentions of Henry 8th. At first, Anne is the loser, as Mary--in a role reminiscent of sweet-natured Melanie in "Gone With the Wind"--and Henry VIII make love in an erotic blend of white frothy nightgown and muscular flesh. Yet Anne, feisty as Scarlet O'Hara, schemes to outdo her sister, not only getting Henry VIII to turn his gaze (and make love to her in a near-rape scene), but also convincing him to banish her own sister to the countryside. The intensity of the film lies in the loyalty, none-the-less, between the two sisters. Tender-hearted Mary will defend her manipulative impish sister to ... (link)