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I coulda used a little
more Boleyn Girl...
"The Other Boleyn Girl" is not a special
film... merely a very good one with solid
performances and gorgeous visuals. It
presents the material in relatively short
order, efficiently dosing us with
information so that we may follow the story,
but not flooding us with extraneous bits and
pieces.
That is its flaw. I wanted the bits and
pieces -- and no, I am not talking about
Scarlett and Natalie's goodies.
I had the distinct impression, while leaving
the theatre, that the film had undergone
some harsh cuts in the editing room. Surely
there were some more meaty scenes that could
have enhanced our involvement with these
historical characters? I wanted to care just
a little more than I did. I wanted to shed a
tear or two for the magnitude of these
betrayals and marital infidelities. I wanted
to feel the true impact of these royal
decisions that affected Europe.
It never quite happened.
All that being said, "Boleyn" is a cut above
most of the dollop handed out in cinemas
this early in the year. I loved the cast --
Portman was, as usual, the standout as Anne.
Bana handled the fabled role quite
competently. Johansson was also very good as
Anne's sister, Mary. The cinematography,
costuming, score... all exquisitely
presented -- framing the film with a
resplendent periphery.
If only... If only... If only the film had
the patience and courage to demand an extra
30 or 45 minutes to flesh out the
relationships and weighty decisions made by
its characters. I just felt a tad rushed by
the screenplay when I was more than willing
to sit there and soak more of it in.
Oh well -- I had the same feelings with
Mendes' "Road to Perdition" and Scorsese's
"Gangs of New York" and Scott's "Kingdom of
Heaven". All of these films were wonderful
examples of craft and beauty, but failed to
fully engross me because they didn't make me
completely commit to caring. They were all a
few moments, a few shots, a scene or two
away from becoming truly great
accomplishments.
©
Written by TC Candler |
Director
Justin
Chadwick
Cast
Natalie
Portman
Scarlett Johansson
Eric Bana
Kristin Scott Thomas
Running Time
115m
Rated
PG13
Official
Website
n/a |
