Johansson a forgettable “Other Boelyn Girl”

“The…“The Other Boelyn Girl” Based on the novel by Philippa Gregory Directed by: Justin Chadwick Starring: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Kristin Scott Thomas

out of

Based on the Philippa Gregory novel of the same name, “The Other Boleyn Girl” presents itself as an entertaining tale of historical intrigue and scandal. However, despite its lavish visuals and all-star cast, “Boleyn” is so over the top and poorly paced that it achieves the impressive goal of making history seem unbelievable.

“Boleyn” weaves together the lives of the two Boleyn sisters, the ambitious, manipulative Anne (Natalie Portman) and the innocent, timid Mary (Scarlett Johansson). The two are quickly torn apart by the political and emotional machinations of the court of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) of England. Vying for the king’s affection, the two girls begin a rivalry that results in excessive melodrama and ends in predictable tragedy.

The most impressive facet of “Boleyn” is its visual splendor. The costumes are all glamorous and intricately detailed. Anne and Mary often wear similar dresses, but, in keeping with their characters, Mary always wears lighter colors. There’s also careful use of lighting to differentiate between the two sisters, with Anne constantly bathed in light and Mary often half hidden in shadows. Taken together, these techniques show the rift between the two Boleyn girls, which only makes their bumbling narrative development even more disappointing.

There’s no adaptive vision in “Boleyn.” The film desperately attempts to fit far too much detail into its two-hour frame. It starts out slow, establishing well the Boleyns’ willingness to use Anne and Mary to improve their position in the king’s court. However, once the film moves to the court, the pace fluctuates wildly. Months skip by in mere minutes.

This uneven pacing makes the dramatic events of the second half feel hollow and forced. The narrative structure is also massively flawed, as Mary barely factors into the events of the film past the first half hour. As a result, “Boleyn” quickly degenerates into a melodramatic Anne Boleyn biopic.

Johansson is incredibly talented at giving a subtle, doe-eyed performance, but the role calls for much more than that. There is no strength or passion in her portrayal of Mary. As such, it becomes distressingly easy to cast aside the “other Boleyn girl.”

Portman is the only one who even somewhat fits her role, but her portrayal of Anne goes from childish mischievousness to vindictive maliciousness so quickly that it’s almost laughable.

The two leading women also face a degree of trouble with British accents, which further destroys the film’s credibility. The strongest performance comes from Kristin Scott Thomas as the Boleyn matriarch, Lady Elizabeth: She’s the only one who genuinely captures the intensity and desperation of her character.

“Boleyn” is a disappointment. It lets Portman overtake the screen, relegating its most powerful and unique tool, Mary, to the status of a throwaway character. Given a strong adaptive vision – one involving the excising of a great amount of unnecessary detail – and a more appropriate cast, “Boleyn” could have been a poignant, enlightening film. Instead, it ends up feeling like an overproduced TV movie that manages to say nothing new about the tragic history of the Boleyns.