Synopsis
Sisters vie for the affection of King Henry VIII.

Review
Hmm, having to sit through a movie with both Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson in corsets. Rough. Anyway, based on the novel by Philippa Gregory, this movie tells (once again) the story of Anne Boleyn (Portman), the woman who changed the face of England and western culture forever with her relationship with Henry VIII (Bana), king of England. Henry's wife, Katherine of Aragon (Torrent), has failed to give the king a son, which is something he much desires for the stability of his kingdom. After a stillborn child, the nobles believe that the king will soon turn to a courtier as he is no longer visiting his wife. The Duke of Norfolk (Morrissey) pressures his sister Elizabeth's (Scott Thomas) husband, Sir Tomas Boleyn (Rylance), to put his daughter Anne into a position where she may become the king's favorite, for the favors and station that would impart upon the family would be great. But when the king falls during a hunt at the Boleyn's estate, somewhat due to Anne's actions, Henry falls for Anne's younger sister Mary (Johansson) when she tends to him. This brings the entire family to court and results in Mary being the king's favorite and ending up pregnant. This sets up a conflict between the two sisters and sets the stage for one of the most intersesting royal dramas in history. What follows is a powerful and realistic look at what life was probably like in the 16th century and brings life to the story of Anne Boleyn we've all read about in school. Natalie Portman deserves an Oscar nod for her performance as Anne, whose range travels the entire breadth of the character from regular noble girl to seasoned courtier to queen. It's very nice seeing Portman as a conniving and plotting seductress. Scarlett Johansson has a tough time up against Portman, but does a fair job as the younger sister to gets what she wants, only to be upstaged by Anne. Suprisingly, Eric Bana is okay as Henry VIII, portraying the king not as the overweight regent seen in portraits but as a powerful young man. As this is a movie from the women's perspective, Henry is not portrayed as much more than a tool for the women to use and play with, rather than as the in-charge king he was. Most of what he does is responding to what the women do, but then this is based on a book mostly for women. Ana Torrent does a fine job as the regal and elegant Queen Katherine who has the unenviable position as the queen who can't give the king an heir and who has to go through the indignity of a trial to determine if Henry can divorce her. Her speech to the court is fantastic. The movie looks very nice and does a fine job of conveying English life in that time period, although the constant use of doors, walls, and other furniture to block half of the frame (apparently to give atmosphere or something) gets really old. Do we need to keep having to imagine what else is in the room or get the feeling we're looking in on something we're not supposed to? No. The first few times it feels like we're looking in from someone's perspective, but it never turns out that way, just a way of framing the shot, which is tiring. Since all the characters act on their own free will and do dastardly things, it was hard to feel sorry or empathize with any of them.

Highlights
Portman; Queen Katherine; back from France; breaking with Rome; the ending

Rating
I give this film a rosè wine rating; it is both light and airy and dark and dangerous. As a period romance, it's pretty good. The villain changes depending on with whom your loyalties lie (at any given point). The score by Cantelon is okay.