Customer Reviews
The Other Boleyn Girl - Blu-ray Info 
2008-09-06
Version: U.S.A / Region A
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50
Running time: 1:55:18
Movie size: 29,25 GB
Disc size: 43,06 GB
Average video bit rate: 23.95 Mbps
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit) English / French (Canadian) / Spanish (Latin American)
Subtitles: English / English SDH / French (Parisian) / Spanish (Latin American)
Number of chapters: 16
#Audio Commentary
#Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD, 24 minutes)
#To Be A Lady (HD, 11 minutes)
#Translating History to Screen (HD, 10 minutes)
#Members of the Court Biographies (HD, 17 minutes)
#Camera Tests (HD, 2 minutes)
#HD Trailers
#BD-Live
#Picture in Graphics Track
Let's Play Telephone with Tudor History 
2008-09-02
Do you remember that "telephone" game? The child at the beginning of the circle whispers a word to the kid next to them and it passes down the line becoming more distorted as it goes along. By the time it makes it back to the beginning it usually has no resemblance to what it was supposed to be.
This is a pretty good metaphor for "The Other Boleyn Girl." The dramatic license in Phillipa Gregory's caused controversy but ultimately resulted in an entertaining story.
In contrast, the film plays somewhat like a game of telephone that started with a Cliff Notes version of Gregory's novel. As the film progress, the storyline spirals farther and farther outside the realm of credibility.
The life and times of Henry VIII were tumultuous, dramatic, and populated by interested characters. It should have been an easy task to write a reasonably entertaining script about this era. Unfortunately, a fifth grader's plagarized essay on this period would a lot easier to get through than this extremely boring and disappointing film adaptation.
I can't fault Eric Bana's performance. He made a great Henry VIII despite limited screen time. Other cast members made valiant efforts to squeeze something out of the terrible script they were saddled with. Sadly, the beautiful costumes and scenery might have been an asset to this film if I could have stayed awake to appreciate them better.
Avoid this turkey.
Henry VIII 
2008-09-01
Good period piece, exceptional costuming, sets.Good Story, but had difficulty picturing Natalie Portman in the role as the deceitful sister.
THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL 
2008-08-29
GREAT DVD. ON AMAZON YOU CAN GET IT AT A FRACTION OF THE ORIGINAL COST.
Pretty Good 2008-08-28
Saw this at the theater, first. Not too bad. Good to see natalie Portman has started to act. her amadala was, to be honest, pretty plastic. Scarlet Johansson was good. She has a much better range than Portman. The Henry VIII actor should have been chosen to look a bit more like Henry. Also, the presence of the English King was a bit weak.
Okay, but see HBO's the Tudors for real drama. 2008-08-22
Based on the best-selling novel The Other Boleyn Girl is a captivating tale of intrigue romance and betrayal starring Natalie Portman Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana. Two sisters Anne (Portman) and Mary (Johansson) are driven by their ambitious family to seduce the king of England (Bana) in order to advance their position in court. What starts as an opportunity for the girls to increase the family fortune becomes a deadly rivalry to capture the heart of a king and stay alive.System Requirements:Running Time: 115 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/CLASSICS Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396214507 Manufacturer No: 21450
A Better Choice is Anne of the Thousand Days 2008-08-22
Forget buying The Other Boelyn. A better choice is Anne of the Thousand Days. The story is told with a far superior script, and cinematography. Richard Burton as King Henry VIII is outstanding. Eric Bana's performance pale's in comparison. An extra reason is that the outstanding movie Mary, Queen of Scots is included on a second DVD. It is a real bargain.
Entertaining soap opera 2008-08-21
The Other Boleyn Girl
This movie is about men who barter with women. Two sisters, close in age, are born to the Boleyn family. The mother, Elizabeth Howard, married Thomas Boleyn against her family's wishes, as she married "down" in society, but she was happy because she married for love. Unfortunately, her conniving brother and fame-seeking husband barter off her daughters for a place in the royal family.
The movie starts off with Mary's (Scarlett Johansson) wedding to the merchant's son. She could have married higher on the social scale, but like her mother, she married for love. Shortly after her marriage, her older sister Ann (Natalie Portman) is asked by both her father and uncle to "entertain" the king when he comes to visit. King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) and his wife have been unable to have a son (they're born stillborn). Ann's conniving father tells her it is important for her to impress the king on the stag hunt, so when the stag goes down a deep ravine, Ann is the only rider who follows (without getting injured, I might add). But the King, not to be outdone, follows and falls off his horse. After this embarrassment (of his own fault), the king is no longer interested in Ann. In fact, she proves to be an embarrassment to him, so Thomas Boleyn sends in his other daughter, Mary, to attend to the king's injuries. What follows are a series of disturbing acts by the men in this story, as well as the now extremely jealous Ann. Mary's husband offers her to the king in a moment of horrible betrayal and Mary's world suddenly crumbles as she's handed off like a piece of furniture. The only person on her side is her mother, who rages at the father who bartered off both daughters like cattle.
After Mary's first night with the king, she is interrogated by her uncle and father before her mother, the queen, and half a dozen people in the room. Shortly thereafter, Ann runs off and marries a noble, and the marriage is quickly "erased" while Ann is banished to the countryside. The way the uncle and father manipulate these two is terrible. The king is probably his most tender when he is with Mary and since her husband is so inadequate in the bedroom, it's easy to see how she enjoys the king's company. Ann, on the other hand, becomes more and more spiteful, starting a series of events that will eventually destroy her (and you won't be sympathetic either). Perhaps the most amusing point in this movie is when the girls' brother is forced to marry a woman he hates. Laughable, because he eagerly helped his father and uncle barter off his sisters.
Ann is finally brought back into the picture when Mary becomes pregnant with the king's child and is bedridden. Her task is to keep Mary foremost in the King's mind at all times (so he doesn't bed someone else), but that's about the furthest thing from Ann's mind. No surprise there. But don't worry, Ann gets exactly what she deserves (just like the real Ann).
The Other Boylen Girl 2008-08-16
This was really a disappointment. If I had not read the book, I'd have been totally confused, because so much was left out or just plain incorrect. The story jumped around-no continuity at all.
Great! But don't read the book first! 2008-08-16
I guess because I did not read the book first, I loved this movie.
I can see that many people rated their dissappointment based on reading the novel and comparing the movie. I find that unfair.
Although I know how they feel. It's impossible to reduce the breadth of a novel within the time restrictions of a feature film.
