It's the early 1500s, and all of English nobility is gravely concerned about the womb of Queen Katherine of Aragon (Ana Torrent) and the fact that a male heir to King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) has yet to come from it. Some nobles plot to take advantage of Henry's need for a concubine - with the slimy Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) persuading his brother-in-law, Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance), to push his two daughters, Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson), into the king's eyeline.
Henry is first taken with the defiant Anne but soon becomes infatuated with the more gentle Mary. Henry takes Mary as his royal consort - undeterred by the fact of her being married to a commoner - leaving Norfolk enraged and Anne betrayed. When Mary becomes pregnant and is laid up, Anne takes her opportunity to woo Henry away. But the price of Anne's bedroom company is a wedding ring, which requires a divorce from Katherine, which requires either the pope's consent or a break from the Vatican. (A history major or your average Episcopalian can tell you which way that went.)
Some may scoff at depicting the Tudor dynasty as if it were the soap opera "Dynasty," but screenwriter Peter Morgan ("The Queen") gives the bodice-ripping action of Philippa Gregory's novel a high-tone gloss by stressing the political machinations at work behind the bed-hopping. Director Justin Chadwick, who made the "Masterpiece Theatre" miniseries "Bleak House," wisely concentrates on the lavish period details and getting his strong cast to deliver the emotional fireworks of this royal love triangle.
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* SEAN P. MEANS can be reached at movies@sltrib.com or 801-257-8602. Send comments about this review to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
The Other Boleyn Girl
* WHERE: Theaters everywhere.
* WHEN: Opens today.
* RATING: PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images.
* RUNNING TIME: 115 minutes.
* BOTTOM LINE: A glossy production focuses on the political intrigue behind the sex life of Henry VIII.
