Director: Justin Chadwick.
Cast: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana
Plot: King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) is desperate for a male heir to his throne. His wife Queen Katherine (Scarlett Johansson) is unable to help with this endeavor.
This is definitely a much better movie than what overall ratings suggest. Maybe, the controversial plot wasn't approved by most of the viewers and was hard to digest! The movie is based on a novel by the same name and another TV movie was made in 2003.
King Henry resorts to a Mistress--Mary Boleyn (Scarlett), which was quite a normal thing to do back then, apparently. He falls for the younger, more ambitious Boleyn sister--Anne (Natalie). Anne, through her cunning ways wins the heart of King and becomes Queen of England. Henry breaks away from Church and annuls his marriage to Katherine.
Eventually, Anne delivers a girl child (Won't ruin it much for anyone: This girl child is very significant in history of England, which we realize by the climax), but fails to deliver a male heir and miscarriages. Afraid of the King's death-punishment she keeps her miscarriage a secret and tries to persuade her homosexual brother George to help her bear a child. Being siblings and fearing incest/treason they can't do it. Though King learns about it from George's wife Jane. George is beheaded in full public view, and so is Anne.
The desire of political supremacy, position, power, and money drives most of the characters and they end up paying for it. It is quite a baffling film in terms of intricacies of British Monarchy.
There are very thorough performances by whole cast. Bana, Portman and Scarlett are brilliant.
Must watch to get a shocking peek in the history.
7.5/10
Cast: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana
Plot: King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) is desperate for a male heir to his throne. His wife Queen Katherine (Scarlett Johansson) is unable to help with this endeavor.
This is definitely a much better movie than what overall ratings suggest. Maybe, the controversial plot wasn't approved by most of the viewers and was hard to digest! The movie is based on a novel by the same name and another TV movie was made in 2003.
King Henry resorts to a Mistress--Mary Boleyn (Scarlett), which was quite a normal thing to do back then, apparently. He falls for the younger, more ambitious Boleyn sister--Anne (Natalie). Anne, through her cunning ways wins the heart of King and becomes Queen of England. Henry breaks away from Church and annuls his marriage to Katherine.
Eventually, Anne delivers a girl child (Won't ruin it much for anyone: This girl child is very significant in history of England, which we realize by the climax), but fails to deliver a male heir and miscarriages. Afraid of the King's death-punishment she keeps her miscarriage a secret and tries to persuade her homosexual brother George to help her bear a child. Being siblings and fearing incest/treason they can't do it. Though King learns about it from George's wife Jane. George is beheaded in full public view, and so is Anne.
The desire of political supremacy, position, power, and money drives most of the characters and they end up paying for it. It is quite a baffling film in terms of intricacies of British Monarchy.
There are very thorough performances by whole cast. Bana, Portman and Scarlett are brilliant.
Must watch to get a shocking peek in the history.
7.5/10
1 Comments
Follow this up with Elizabeth: http://worldcinema-yashesh.blogspot.in/2013/01/elizabeth-1998.html
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