|
| The Other Boleyn Girl [2003] | ![The Other Boleyn Girl [2003]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kMUPmFCmL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Phillipa Lowthorpe
Actors: Yolanda Vasquez, Jared Harris, Natascha Mcelhone, Steven Mackintosh, Jodhi May
Studio: 2 Entertain Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £4.99
Buy New: £3.98
You Save: £1.01 (20%)
New (11) from £3.55
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 35
Format: Pal
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Running Time: 90 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5051561026812
ASIN: B0012X6RG0
Theatrical Release Date: 2003
Release Date: October 6, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Inspiring and compelling October 12, 2008
A powerful and truly inspiring adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl. All the performances are stunning. The rough camera work gives it an immediacy and power which is utterly compelling. It's low budget naturalism is a virtue. It doesn't distract with flash costumes and chocolate box locations. Instead it draws you in to it's world and makes you totally involved with the characters and their lives. Gripping from beginning to end.
 Absolute Rubbish! October 10, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm seriously shocked how bad this is after all these positive reviews. It's filmed in a kind of trendy "fly on the wall" documentary style with the actors doing Big Brother diary room pieces to camera. It looks like it's been filmed by a 12 year old on a camcorder with a pair of tights over the lens.
The actress playing Mary is pushing 40 (when Mary would have been roughly 20 when she met the King) she has all the emotional range of a door knob and gives the flattest performance I think I've ever seen. Her brother George is playing as a chirpy cockney type "or rite Anne leave it out thatz the King yous takining to", he's so bad I was thinking "can't wait till you get the axe". The actress playing Ann isn't that bad (amongst a sea of rubbish not that hard to shine) but the story line is so rushed through there's no sense of her character or build up to her change in thinking about the Henry, half her story is missing so there's no feud with Wolsey, one minute she's a naive school girl in love with Henry Percy, seconds later she decided to catch the Kings eye (in a completely different story line to the book & real life) and then two seconds later she's married the King, with barely a mention of Catherine or the 7 years it took for Henry to rid himself of her.
I couldn't watch till the end, turned it off as it's quite frankly one of the worst pieces of television I've ever seen and a massive insult to the book.
 Absorbing drama let down by dull cinematography!!! September 16, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
After the tragic film adaptation of Gregory's bestselling novel starring Natalie Portman and Scarlet Johansson I was somewhat relieved when I discovered this lesser known BBC adaptation of the Other Boleyn Girl.
To start with the story remains not only a truer account of history but indeed a more faithful adaptation of Gregory's brilliant book. It moves along at a steady pace allowing no time for boredem and while understandably details have been omitted/altered (most notably the order of Mary's children: in this film Henry is born first and Catherine second, while there is surprisingly no mention of Anne) this does not affect the overall quality of this movie. The script is reasonably well-written despite its lack of witty one-liners that in my opinion are the essence of Gregory's novels but apart from a few mishaps regarding the characters (one scene where Mary suggests thast George and Anne conceive a chid together) the script is far from bad.
The acting from the three leads is contentious to say the least. The fact that all the actors are alot older than the characters they play does take a bit of getting used to but it's nothing major. Natascha McElhone (Mary)is appropriately timid, obedient and loyal although I did feel she could have been a alot more feistier. Mary Boleyn was afterall known as the Great Prostitute living in the french court from the age of 10 and being a mistress to many of the most influential men of the time. I'm glad she wasn't portrayed as loosely as the Mary Boleyn from the Tutors but I still think there could have been alot more flirting on her side especially regarding her relationship with William Stafford, which was possibly one of the poorest on-screen relationships I have seen in quite a while. I wasn't that pleased with Jodhi May (Anne). Leaving aside the fact that she isn't exactly pretty I felt like she could have been alot fierier. It has been admitted that Anne Boleyn was never a great beauty but her wit, charm and seductive nature was notorious throughout the Tutor Court. Unfortunately May didn't portray any of this charm, looking like a miserable old hag most of the time. As for Henry VIII himself, well surprisingly I found his portrayal to be the strongest of the three. Alright he's not as goodlooking as Johnathan Rhys Meyers and he certainly doesn't bring much charm and flirtatious banter to the role but he brings what I've yet to see another actor bring to this part: a caring side. I'm sick of seeing actors portray Henry as some monster intent on destroying his wives. I'm sure he did have a human side to his character at some stage.
Secondary features are what really let this film down, which is surprising because BBC have a reputation for excellence in this field. The entire production all looks very low-budget with extremely dull costumes, unimaginative hair styles and virtually no make-up (a huge mistake considering the age of the actors). There is a huge absence of any musical score, interior locations are very drab and shabby and exterior locations are few. Then there's the little question regarding the actual shooting of this production. The shaky handheld camera shots don't really work in this film (although this will be more of a personal preference) however the worst aspect of this film is the interview style sequences it does, which are just a lazy way of telling the story.
Overall The Other Boleyn Girl is an interesting, absorbing tale definitely worth the watch. I'd recommend it to fans of the book or for those of you out there who like myself were left disappointed by the Hollywood treatment of this masterpiece. I rate it 3* due to it's poor stylistic design, which makes it highly likely that this film will not stand the test of time. In fact I have a feeling it shall be one of those movies that are shown to children in history class. A great pity but unfortunately unavoidable!
 Very Good June 19, 2008
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is a super tale with some real strong acting. I have waited for some time for this to come out on DVD and have not been disappointed.
At times the truth has been changed a little -but that does not take away from a great film.
A must for fans of Historical Drama June 13, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I can only echo what previous reviews have said that this version of The Other Boleyn Girl is superb. Not only is it loyal to the book, it is a far superior account of Philippa Gregorys' story than that of the recent film. It makes far more sense in how the passing of time is represented, rather than a flash in the pan that the film presents the case as.
It demonstrates the true passion that not only existed between Henry and Anne but in the entire Tudor period. I am ecstatic that around 6 years after this production was made it is finally being released on DVD, for this price it is a must have.
|
|
|
Learn how to have your own
Amazon Shop
Travel Maps and Guides
zeugma
| | Holiday Travel |
alpharooms.com for cheap holiday deals in spain and worldwide
Disneyland Paris for a great family holiday or short break.
Holday Cottages throughout Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and France with Cottages4you
Hilton - need we say more, you will find Hilton Hotels in most areas throughout Britain, in cities and in the countryside.
Don't forget Travel Insurance
Airport Parking
|
|
|
|
