The Other Boleyn Girl on DVD (2003)

A customer from Bangor , 19/09/2008

This British, small-screen, and first, dramatisation of Phillipa Gregory's best-selling novel was originally shown as part of the BBC's Xmas and New Year package for 2003 on BBC2 - it was eagerly anticipated by many Gregory fans who had read the book and knew it would only be a matter of time before someone attempted to put it on screen but tellingly this version was 'inspired' by the Gregory novel and was filmed following sessions of 'improvisation' by the actors - it shows. Unfortunately, despite an understated and charming performance by Jared Harris as Henry, this piece falls pretty flat. The problem seems to be that all life, drama and colour has been drained out of it - which appears to be deliberate 'styling' with a paired down, 'minimalist' approach (even McElhone and May's dresses look positively drab and puritanical) - and in doing so loses much of the magic of the book. Beautiful Natasha McElhone is uncomfortably too old for the part of Mary Boleyn and for inexplicable reasons is portrayed as the older sister of Anne - in the book (and mostly agreed by historians) Anne was the older sister. This type of apparently unnecessary deviation of Gregory's story occurs quite frequently here - possibly to assist with this abridged retelling - but results in a frustratingly thin plot. In contrast May fairs better in the more beefy role of Anne and does succeed in procuring much sympathy from the viewer in her inevitable and tragic fate - but all this feels a bit 'too little too late'. The usually wonderful Philip Glenister turns up here in a woeful example of miscasting (as Mary's second husband) which again only serves to add to the awkwardness of the whole thing. Anyone who has read the book will know that the story is colourful and full of life - totally driven by ambition, passion, envy and an ever present threat of real danger - all this appears to have been lost here with the bleaching out of colour from the frame. The result is something which is almost unrecognisable from the original novel - but yet much closer than the 2008 Hollywood version.

  11 out of 11 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Ferring , 23/10/2008

Although it was very well done I lost a bit of interest which surprised me. I love historical films and so was greatly disappointed.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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MattCPLon1 from London , 19/10/2008

Be careful - this is not the recent major hollywood version of the Other Boleyn Girl, but a BBC version. The acting isn't bad in this version, but the script and dialogue are very shallow compared to the book and the constant monologuing to camera is really annoying!! Do not rent unless you feeling having something send you off into a gentle doze on a Sunday evening.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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* * * This review contains spoilers * * *

A customer from London , 26/10/2008

I very much enjoyed reading the book, but always try to avoid the 'compare the film to the book' trap, so I won't use that as an excuse to give this film a poor rating. I just think that the script doesn't do justice to the historic context of the story. Its focus is too much on the sex and even goes as far as confirming Anne Boleyn slept with her brother in a desperate bid to give the King a male heir. There is no historic evidence for that. There are a lot of sources that quote her being close to her brother but this hasn't been confirmed anywhere. Philippa Gregory's book mentions the possibility, as an illustration of how the court was rife with insinuations and rumours, but all this comes to light only after 'evidence' is being gathered against Anne Boleyn, in order to get rid of her so the King could marry Jane Seymour. I also think that without reading the book the script doesn't give you a clear understanding of the family dynamics of the Boleyns, which plays a vital part in the story. But sex sells, I guess, more than historical detail. These are just a few examples of why the film fails, IMHO.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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A customer from Bangor , 19/09/2008

This British, small-screen, and first, dramatisation of Phillipa Gregory's best-selling novel was originally shown as part of the BBC's Xmas and New Year package for 2003 on BBC2 - it was eagerly anticipated by many Gregory fans who had read the book and knew it would only be a matter of time before someone attempted to put it on screen but tellingly this version was 'inspired' by the Gregory novel and was filmed following sessions of 'improvisation' by the actors - it shows. Unfortunately, despite an understated and charming performance by Jared Harris as Henry, this piece falls pretty flat. The problem seems to be that all life, drama and colour has been drained out of it - which appears to be deliberate 'styling' with a paired down, 'minimalist' approach (even McElhone and May's dresses look positively drab and puritanical) - and in doing so loses much of the magic of the book. Beautiful Natasha McElhone is uncomfortably too old for the part of Mary Boleyn and for inexplicable reasons is portrayed as the older sister of Anne - in the book (and mostly agreed by historians) Anne was the older sister. This type of apparently unnecessary deviation of Gregory's story occurs quite frequently here - possibly to assist with this abridged retelling - but results in a frustratingly thin plot. In contrast May fairs better in the more beefy role of Anne and does succeed in procuring much sympathy from the viewer in her inevitable and tragic fate - but all this feels a bit 'too little too late'. The usually wonderful Philip Glenister turns up here in a woeful example of miscasting (as Mary's second husband) which again only serves to add to the awkwardness of the whole thing. Anyone who has read the book will know that the story is colourful and full of life - totally driven by ambition, passion, envy and an ever present threat of real danger - all this appears to have been lost here with the bleaching out of colour from the frame. The result is something which is almost unrecognisable from the original novel - but yet much closer than the 2008 Hollywood version.

  11 out of 11 people found this review helpful

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* * * This review contains spoilers * * *

A customer from London , 26/10/2008

I very much enjoyed reading the book, but always try to avoid the 'compare the film to the book' trap, so I won't use that as an excuse to give this film a poor rating. I just think that the script doesn't do justice to the historic context of the story. Its focus is too much on the sex and even goes as far as confirming Anne Boleyn slept with her brother in a desperate bid to give the King a male heir. There is no historic evidence for that. There are a lot of sources that quote her being close to her brother but this hasn't been confirmed anywhere. Philippa Gregory's book mentions the possibility, as an illustration of how the court was rife with insinuations and rumours, but all this comes to light only after 'evidence' is being gathered against Anne Boleyn, in order to get rid of her so the King could marry Jane Seymour. I also think that without reading the book the script doesn't give you a clear understanding of the family dynamics of the Boleyns, which plays a vital part in the story. But sex sells, I guess, more than historical detail. These are just a few examples of why the film fails, IMHO.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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