Masand's Verdict: The Other Boleyn Girl, enjoyable piece of pulp

JUICY POTBOILER: One gets hooked to this one-upmanship saga performed remarkably by Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

26/11: Terror comes precariously close

Featured Slideshows

The Other Boleyn Girl tells the story of two sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn — played by Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson respectively — who're driven by their ambitious father and uncle to advance the family's status by attracting the attention of Henry VIII, King of England, played by Eric Bana.

The girls are encouraged to seduce the monarch, whose wife Queen Katherine of Aragon has failed to give him a male heir. The King is drawn to younger sister Mary who he takes as mistress, but her conniving older sister edges aside Mary in her pursuit of the King, despite Mary's genuine feelings for Henry.

Blinded by ambition, Anne stops at nothing until she wins the King's affection and ascends to the throne after driving him to annul his marriage to Katherine and to pack Mary off to a country home.

A sizzling tale of rivalry between sisters, much like a historical soap-opera of sorts, The Other Boleyn Girl is an enjoyable piece of pulp whose facts are largely unknown, yet the stuff of intrigue and gossip for years. It's impossible not to be hooked to this one-upmanship saga that's performed remarkably by both leading ladies — Johansson does a swell job as the innocent romantic, and Portman is just perfect as the daring, deceptive sister.

It's the usually terrific Eric Bana who is reduced to glaring angrily and striding in and out of the ladies chambers. We've all read our little bit of history, we all know Anne Boleyn is the one who lost her head, but you'll never imagine why!

I'm going to go with three out of five and a recommendation not to miss The Other Boleyn Girl, it's a juicy potboiler about love, sex and betrayal and it's got a gorgeous cast that scorches through the screen.

Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)