Two sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn (Natalie Portman & Scarlett Johansson) vie for the affections of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana).

The cinematography and directing in The Other Boleyn Girl is stunning. Many shots could be captured and framed as a still life. But, the most surprising and refreshing aspect of the film was Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Anne Boleyn. After watching the past couple of seasons of The Tudors, I’ve looked forward to seeing other takes on the story of King Henry VIII and his affair with Anne Boleyn. Though The Other Boleyn Girl is based on a novel by Phillipa Gregory and not “actual events”, it awakens ones imagination as to what could have or possibly did really occur during Henry VIII’s reign and before Elizabethan times.

As much as I like Charlotte Johansson and as much as she was good enough in her role as Mary Boleyn, Anne’s less ambitious and more innocence sister, Portman is a much better and convincing actress and did quite an impressive job as the infamous ambitious temptress. Portman conveyed the extreme ambitiousness that Anne Boleyn had. Though, I think she could have been a little more ruthless. But I suspect the director wanted to keep it palatable for the masses, which is too bad ’cause I would have liked to have seen even more out of Portman and something less predictable out of Johansson. I would also liked to have seen more of Kristin Scott Thomas who on some level was a bit wasted because she had so little screen time but as usual, when she’s on camera, is quite commanding even in her subtleties.

Also, though I’m a fan of Eric Bana who played Henry VIII, his presence was a bit light and ineffectual in the film as if the director and writer thought giving Bana less dialogue and screen time would leave focus on the struggle between the two sisters. Makes sense, but the film suffered a little for it. Unless you know the story of King Henry VIII, with his eight wives (two of which he had killed), his extremel ambitions, arrogance, and very modern and brutal approach to politics, you would never know that Bana’s portrayal was miscalculated, or rather, just not strong enough. I’m taking nothing away from Bana as an actor. It’s more the directorial and writing that took away from the bite that was missing from Henry VIII in this film.

Nonetheless, if you love opulent period dramas, with just damn beautiful visuals, cinematography and costumes, and strong cast, you’ll really like The Other Boleyn Girl. Rent it!