Psychotic Ambition

 The Other Boleyn Girl

 Starring: Natalie Portman, Scarlet Johannsen, and Eric Bana.

The Other Boleyn Girl is the adaptation of the novel by author Phillipa Gregory. It is a historical drama piece about the life of the 16th-century aristocrat, Mary Boleyn who was the sister of Anne Boleyn (once the queen) and mistress of King Henry VIII of England. 

 This film gets really juicy after Mary, the Kings Mistress, becomes pregnant with child and because of her near miscarriage has to go on bedrest. Her sister, Anne, is summoned back from France (where she was exiled to because of her impulsive secret marriage to a nobleman that King did not approve of) to keep the King’s interest from straying from the family.

 Anne then plots to steal the King’s affection not only from Mary (who she blames for her exile), but also from the Queen.

One line in the film is when Anne tells Mary of her plans, Mary says to her “You strive too high sister!”.

And guess what, the King does leave the queen to remarry, Anne of course, and Anne becomes queen. 

Too bad this did not have a happy ending. Anne gets pregnant only to give birth to a daughter. Knowing she is falling out of favor with the King she rapidly gets pregnant again, only to have a miscarriage. During the miscarriage she summons her brother and sister and tells them of a new scheme. SHE MUST produce the king with an heir otherwise it is over for her. The only option is to sleep with her brother. Which at this point, Mary is so upset she flees back to the country, wanting no part in this new development. However, Mary and George are not able to have this incestuous relationship, but George’s wife sees them and assumes that they do. She then tells the King who imprisons Anne and her brother George for treason.

When Mary hears this news, she races back to court and begs the King to pardon her sister, for she is too late for George. The king gives an answer that Mary assumes that he is letting her sister go. But when they lead Anne up to the execution and a letter arrives from the King, Mary and Anne both know what her fate is to be, execution.

Mary then storms into the bedroom and snatches up Elizabeth and takes Elizabeth with her, fulfilling her final vow to her sister.

This film started off fairly slow for me, but was packed full of plot twists and turns. It got really good when Natalie Portman returns from France. She has this quiet intensity about her acting that is frikkin amazing! After she is raped by the King, just before their marriage, her acting steps into high gear. 

A man will drive you to madness and Natalie stepped right into that. BABY, she put her foot into it. So did Scarlett, but her character towards the end steps into the shadows of Anne. So you are focused on this desperation of Anne that spirals completely out of control and you are sucked in. You are sucked into her view point, regardless if this woman has lost her mind and is acting irrational. 

The execution scene, Natalie and Scarlett share this look after Scarlet reads the letter from the King that he will not spare Anne. DAMN is all I have to say. That one look sums up the whole frikkin movie, the whole ending. 

If you watch this movie, you can fast forward the beginning and just skip straight to the middle. Once you get to that point, you are enraptured, I guarantee it!

Kudos to Natalie Portman for this part.