They did it with Pride and Prejudice, and now they’re doing it with The Other Boleyn Girl, a true Hollywood makeover. I’ve seen the BBC versions of both P&P and The Other Boleyn Girl several times and I must say I really like them, the British way of portraying time pieces I really appreciate, because unlike most of the Hollywood time pieces, they are not sugar coated.
The history of Britain appeals to many, it speaks to the imagination of all, kings, queens, knights, dukes etc etc. It started with the Normans, then came the Plantagenets, the Tudors, the Stuarts, the Hanoverians, and last but not least the House of Windsor. The story I want to talk about is The Other Boleyn Girl since it’s the latest Hollywood “discovery” and due to appear in cinema sometime next year.
A little history class; The Other Boleyn Girl deals with the lives of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII and her sister Mary Boleyn. Anne gained more fame than her sister, because, not only was she Henry VIII’s second wife which made her Queen, but also because she was the first of his wives that was beheaded for ‘treason’(the reason being that prosecution claimed shed committed adultery with several men including her own brother who was beheaded the same day) , in other words, the King had found a new love, and this was an easy way to get rid of her, he announced his engagement to Jane Seymour the day after the beheading. He later played the same trick on his 5th wife Catherine Howard.
Well if that isn’t an interesting story to tell… Over time there have been numerous films, series etc about Anne Boleyn’s tragic life, with most recently the BBC production of The Other Boleyn Girl for tv in 2003, a brilliant version if you ask me! Jodhi May did a excellent job portraying Anne, and they really DO look alike (I’ve been to Hever Castle, Anne’s family home in Kent because my cousin lives near, and I’ve seen the portraits). I’m really curious about Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal. But the thing I’m curious about most is Eric Bana…..Eric Bana as King Henry VIII? I’m sure the casting people had their reasons, but I can’t see them. What were they thinking? Lets replace the fat and ugly King (sorry, but I really can’t call Henry anything else, I know appearance isn’t everything but in this case….ah well) with the Hollywood six-pack hunk???
Not to be mean to Eric, I’m not judging his acting, it’s just that, at the time Henry married Anne, he was in his mid 30s (Anne was about ten years younger) and I believe he had already lost the looks he might have had in his 20s, and also he had gained bit in weight and in size. My point is, Eric Bana looks NOTHING like Henry VIII unless they changed his entire appearance for this film.
The time period in which this story plays out was dark and dusty, grim. The 2003 version was just that grim and cold. That’s what I like about British productions, they are usually darker (take the British detectives for example) and more real than their flashy Hollywood counterparts, the actors don’t have to have the perfect looks and sizes, like in Hollywood, they can have imperfections, which makes them true, it’s more about talent. And isn’t that the way it is supposed to be? I can’t wait.
Sylvia Schippers
