Yung Isang Dalagita ni Manang Boleyn

The Other Boleyn Girl
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!

The story is about two sisters who, motivated by their family's ambition, compete for the affection of King Henry VIII of the House of Tudor.

Mary Boleyn, younger of the two (at least in the film), becomes the King's choice despite her being married to a local commoner and the family's designs for her sister Anne Boleyn to be the pick. The drive roots from the Queen's inability to give King Henry a male heir which eventually leads him to seek for a concubine. Mary eventually gave birth to a male heir but by that time Anne, who didn't stop furthering her ambition to enamor the King, was already able to finally snatch the monarch's special attention. Henry VIII disclaimed his son to Mary and blindly sued for Anne's love.

Taking advantage of the situation, Anne plotted for herself to be the legitimate Queen of England which substantiated after compelling the King to do crazy stuffs (i.e. turning from the Catholic catechism and dethroning his own wife, Catherine of Aragon). However, all the comforts that came with it was short-lived as Anne Boleyn, after giving birth to a daughter, miscarried another daughter that triggered marital problems with the King similar to that of the former Queen Katherine's.

Complexities turned into more problems and even into incest which ultimately caused Anne Boleyn's death sentence. She's the mother of the last monarch of Tudor... Queen Elizabeth I (a female heiress, after all the King's quest to have a male successor).

The storyline, although patterned in this factual period in the House of Tudor, is a mishmash of historical inconsistencies added to give a cinematic appeal to the plot. I think, it produced the intended effect. Dramatic points in the movie are compelling and the script-works involved are done fairly well. I have something against the pacing as often it jumps over supposedly long periods of time without good transitionary scenes. It makes the film seem to be rushed, overshadowing the superb acting-job made by most of the casts.

Speaking of, Scarlett Johansson (Mary Boleyn) and Natalie Portman (Anne Boleyn) - sans my total crushness on her - did a terrific portrayal of their roles' supposed personalities. The innocently naive Mary and the ambitious headstrong Anne. Throughout the film, both actresses have been skillfully in character that you can feel what the roles should convey. Eric Bana (King Henry VIII) borders on mediocrity while Anna Torrent (Catherine of Aragon) performed strongly but lacks exposure. Another performance to take note is of the Boleyn son, George (Jim Sturgess - Jude in the Beatles film "Across the Universe"), whose supporting role produced a good chemistry with his sister Anne on the film.

The production is of no question. Great costumes, nice settings, and the overall quality of reliving the Tudor era of England is there. Excuses aside for the Victorian geeks who might have seen flaws on the accuracy of the sets.

In all, it's a great film to capture the heart. The ending seems a bit dragging but the meaning is there. It may not be of classic status nor as comparable to other movies built around the Tudor controversies but it sure is inspirational and moving to watch.

Seven out of ten.

Yung Isang Dalagita ni Manang Boleyn

The Other Boleyn Girl
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!

The story is about two sisters who, motivated by their family's ambition, compete for the affection of King Henry VIII of the House of Tudor.

Mary Boleyn, younger of the two (at least in the film), becomes the King's choice despite her being married to a local commoner and the family's designs for her sister Anne Boleyn to be the pick. The drive roots from the Queen's inability to give King Henry a male heir which eventually leads him to seek for a concubine. Mary eventually gave birth to a male heir but by that time Anne, who didn't stop furthering her ambition to enamor the King, was already able to finally snatch the monarch's special attention. Henry VIII disclaimed his son to Mary and blindly sued for Anne's love.

Taking advantage of the situation, Anne plotted for herself to be the legitimate Queen of England which substantiated after compelling the King to do crazy stuffs (i.e. turning from the Catholic catechism and dethroning his own wife, Catherine of Aragon). However, all the comforts that came with it was short-lived as Anne Boleyn, after giving birth to a daughter, miscarried another daughter that triggered marital problems with the King similar to that of the former Queen Katherine's.

Complexities turned into more problems and even into incest which ultimately caused Anne Boleyn's death sentence. She's the mother of the last monarch of Tudor... Queen Elizabeth I (a female heiress, after all the King's quest to have a male successor).

The storyline, although patterned in this factual period in the House of Tudor, is a mishmash of historical inconsistencies added to give a cinematic appeal to the plot. I think, it produced the intended effect. Dramatic points in the movie are compelling and the script-works involved are done fairly well. I have something against the pacing as often it jumps over supposedly long periods of time without good transitionary scenes. It makes the film seem to be rushed, overshadowing the superb acting-job made by most of the casts.

Speaking of, Scarlett Johansson (Mary Boleyn) and Natalie Portman (Anne Boleyn) - sans my total crushness on her - did a terrific portrayal of their roles' supposed personalities. The innocently naive Mary and the ambitious headstrong Anne. Throughout the film, both actresses have been skillfully in character that you can feel what the roles should convey. Eric Bana (King Henry VIII) borders on mediocrity while Anna Torrent (Catherine of Aragon) performed strongly but lacks exposure. Another performance to take note is of the Boleyn son, George (Jim Sturgess - Jude in the Beatles film "Across the Universe"), whose supporting role produced a good chemistry with his sister Anne on the film.

The production is of no question. Great costumes, nice settings, and the overall quality of reliving the Tudor era of England is there. Excuses aside for the Victorian geeks who might have seen flaws on the accuracy of the sets.

In all, it's a great film to capture the heart. The ending seems a bit dragging but the meaning is there. It may not be of classic status nor as comparable to other movies built around the Tudor controversies but it sure is inspirational and moving to watch.

Seven out of ten.