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10:25 pm
February 16, 2009
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I added this question earlier but the server downtime wiped it – grrrr!
Just had this question from a student and said that I would share it:-
\”How accurate a portrayal is the film \”The Other Boleyn Girl\” in viewing the lives and events of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn?\”
Now, I haven't watched it in a while and I have blotted the memory out because I thought it was pretty awful but I do remember thinking it was very rushed. I know movies have to rush through things but nobody could understand from the movie that Anne and Henry's relationship was so long and passionate. There was no chemistry, no inkling of the depth of Henry's feelings for Anne and why he was motivated to break with Rome to marry her. I also think it showed H raping A!
From memory, it also made Anne out to be conniving and very unpleasant yet Mary B was an angelic virgin, and I think it also pretty much implied that Anne and George may have had incest. Can anyone remember anything else?
Thanks!
Debunking the myths about Anne Boleyn
11:07 pm
July 9, 2009
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Yeah The Other Boleyn Girl is on the top 5 5 worst movies I've ever seen list. I liked the book, though.
I agree that it was completely rushed. They make it seem like Henry and Anne's relationship lasted maybe a few weeks, not almost a decade. Regarding the break with Rome, there was a throwaway line by Kristin Scott Thomas as Anne's mom that made me laugh out loud. Anne says something and she replies \”no! That would mean breaking with the Catholic Church.\” And that's pretty much all the consideration it's given.
And yes, Henry rapes Anne. I know Henry must have been a special kind of gullible to have allowed all the shenanigans Wolsey, Cromwell, and Anne made him do, but TOBG took it too far. Catherine of A tells Henry he should be sure of what he's getting in Anne, so he immediately goes from there and rapes Anne, because that was apparently the logical thing to do.
I have no problem with Mary being portrayed as a saint, despite what history says of her. I don't have a problem with Anne being shown as scheming. But that was honestly the worst Anne/Henry/Tudor-related movie I have ever seen. It's pretty amazing that they could take such INTERESTING history and turn it into such a BORING insipid movie.
Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne.
3:45 am
June 23, 2009
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Oddly enough, the only part of that movie that I truly connected to was Anne's execution. (as horrible as it sounds). It was only at that point could I truly identify with the character of Anne. Besides the movie and the book was slanted towards Mary Boleyn's point of view. It seemed to have a 'certain' prejudice against the character of Anne Boleyn.
Diem et animus scire cupio: I desire knowledge of the soul.
6:13 pm
June 20, 2009
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That movie was pretty awful. I can't believe they would make it out like Henry raped Anne, and then she married him. The book is a pretty hard read if you know the story of Anne. But the movie, I think they did wrong by Anne and even Mary by portraying them that way.
Let not my enemies sit as my jury
6:13 pm
June 30, 2009
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It depends who the film is supposed to about I suppose, I mean its supposed to be Mary Boleyns view isn't it, so it kind of skims over the break from the church, Henry and Anne courting etc. Its very fast paced and doesn't show atall why Henry would have fallen in love with either of them really, I mean all Anne does is refuse a gift from him and hey presto he abandons Mary after giving birth (literally, he leaves the room as she cries out for him), makes her leave court and withing 10 minutes he is marrying Anne!
I don't know why they added that rape bit as i'm sure it's not in the book? I suppose it could have happened, Anne would have never told anyone but I don't think there was any need for it! She doesn't actually sleep with her brother in the film, he says he can't do it, but Jane Boleyn sees them on the bed together and goes to tell Norfolk. So Cromwell isn't even involved in the scheming!! So no not very realistic atall. Esp the bit at the end where Mary begs the king for Annes life and marches away with Eliazabeth and it makes out as if she raised her!
Still got it on DVD though I love Natalie Portman, i think she is beautiful so what can I say, shame she played Anne so wrong because she could have made a brilliant Anne
9:15 pm
June 27, 2009
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a bunch of my posts got lost/deleted from the other day =\\
but basically what I said is that yes there was a scene where henry raped a crying anne(i dont think this was in the book, but i may be wrong)
the courtship was definitely rushed, and Anne was definitely too harsh in this movie(nothing against natalie- she is my favorite actress & role model, & shes very talented & this certainly wasn't her fault), and aside from a few forgettable quips there was very little of the real anne in this film.
Of course, a lot of the scenes in the film are simply not historically accurate at all- and neither is the portrayal of mary boleyn. the woman who was the mistress of 2 kings & the 'english mare' shown as being \”the good girl\”?? =\\
Anne Boleyn: Laetissima
"for all those who meddle in my cause, i require them to judge the best"
2:04 am
June 20, 2009
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I don't remember anything in the book about Henry raping Anne. There were quite a few things that she did before they consummated their relationship.. I don't think she did anything like that, but I'm not the author…
Let not my enemies sit as my jury
10:52 pm
July 28, 2009
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i cant lie i was extremely disappointed in this movie. it was diff from the book and def far from real life. i watched it and found myself talking to the screen the whole time as to the wrongs i saw… def not the best portrayl of our queen and her king….:(
*Autumn*Star*
le plus heurex
9:23 pm
December 21, 2009
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Totally agree – awful film, but because it was about a subject Im soo into I had to watch it. Very very rushed and lots of mistakes & inacuracies.
But as a tudor fan you have to see them all??
The Most Happi
5:13 pm
December 8, 2009
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Nooooo…not Philipa Gregory!
From what I can remember of TOBG, the only things that Gregory got right is that there was a woman called Anne Boleyn, who had a sister called Mary Boleyn and they were both romantically involved with a king called Henry VIII. The rest was completely made up and utter nonsense. I`d never read the book, as I`m not a big fan of historic fiction per se, but I went to the cinema to see it. When Anne seduced her brother I actually walked out (the second time in my life that I walked out the cinema, the first being Four Weddings and a Funeral).
Be daly prove you shalle me fynde,nTo be to you bothe lovyng and kynde,
9:57 pm
January 7, 2010
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This is my first post. I'm thrilled to find this site as most people start rolling their eyes at the least, or run away as fast as they can to avoid my talking about history in any form!!
I had to add a note about The Other Boleyn Girl. While I agree it was the most overly dramatic movie I've seen, there was one scene that got my interest. It's been awhile since I saw the movie but I remember a part in which Ann/NAtalie Portman is so thoroughly exhausted with trying to keep the king's interest and her image of a carefree and fun-loving young woman that she is barely able to think anymore let alone maintain a serene and charming person. I can't recall if the movie hinted that her exhausted contributed to her miscarriages and her overall quick temper of if I read into it. i may have to watch it again just to see what that was about! It would seem that it could potentially explain her miscarriages and her quick temper. How many times have we gritted our teeth to be pleasant at a function and it wore us down?! Ann would have been grittign her teeth for YEARS!
Just a humble thought from a new poster!
9:55 am
February 16, 2009
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Hi Edie,
Sorry about the delayed reply, only just noticed your post! Welcome to the forum, it's great to \”meet\” you.
Great point about Anne's exhaustion and stress and that may well have contributed to her miscarriages and her quick temper. I don't know how she coped with all of the pressure that was put on her as she had not been raised to be a queen. I know from experience how awful it is wanting to get pregnant and for it taking a while, it consumes your thoughts even when you're not married to a King who is demaning an heir to the throne. Poor Anne.
Again, sorry for the delay, Edie, and welcome!
Debunking the myths about Anne Boleyn
10:09 am
February 16, 2009
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There's just been a question regarding Philippa Gregory and TOBG on the Q&A page – /q-a/what-about-the-allegation-by-the-writer-of-the-other-boleyn-girl-philippa-gregory-that-anne-boleyn-was-definitely-guilty-of-at-least-one-murder/
Philippa Gregory says the following about TOBG and her treatment of Anne:-
“Anne was charged and found guilty of incest with her brother. The novel suggests that this is show trial and implies that Anne would have done anything to save her life and get a son. This is no distortion of the story. … There is no suggestion in the book that Anne was definitely guilty of incest but this is the charge she faced, as every historian records, and she was found guilty and so executed. Since the novel is written in the first person, it is an account of the trial, the guilty sentence, and the execution. It is not a later explanation.”
and also
“Nobody can know the answer to this one. Anne was accused of adultery with George at their trials and his wife gave evidence against them both. Most people think the trial was a show trial, but it is an interesting accusation. Anne had three [sic] miscarriages by the time of her trial, and she was not a woman to let something like sin or crime stand in her way–she was clearly guilty of one murder. I think if she had thought that Henry could not bear a son [sic] she was quite capable of finding someone to father a child on her [sic]. If she thought that, then George would have been the obvious choice.”
Although Gregory says that she has not distorted the story, I find her throwaway comments regarding Anne being guilty of at least one murder (with no source to back this up) and incest as offensive, inaccurate and with no foundation whatsoever.Her comment about the incest and George being the obvious choice for being the father of her child actually made me laugh. Of course, when we're having problems getting pregnant we all consider doing it with our brothers don't we girls??!! 
I have no problems with historical fiction and people using artistic licence but Gregory is actually saying that her novel is based on the truth and I don't feel that it is. I also have no problem with people having different views and opinions of Anne as long as they are willing to say why and to back up their views with evidence. We had that comment left a few weeks ago which suggested that Anne was sex mad and was guilty of incest, adultery and more, but the author would not give any evidence to back this up and that is frustrating. I think I get so passionate about this because Anne Boleyn is not just a character from fiction, she was a living, breathing person who was terribly wronged, as were the five men executed for adultery with her. To malign them and to perpetuate these myths is simply wrong. 
Debunking the myths about Anne Boleyn
10:31 am
June 30, 2009
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Can't believe she said this! Whose murder was she supposed to be guilty of?
Even in those days, people knew sleeping with your brother was not the way to get pregnant, it was also a sin and I don't believe Anne would commit a sin even for the King (to get a son). I'd be more inclined to believe she slept with Mark Smeaton than her brother!
Is there evidence she actually had 3 miscarriages? And so what if she did, in those days I imagine women had several miscarriages. I can't imagine it was that abnormal really, Henry didn't exactly give her many years to keep trying did he? Women still have them today even with all our medical advances, treatments and improved diets
12:00 pm
February 16, 2009
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If I can remember rightly, the novel suggests that Anne was involved in the poisoning of Bishop Fisher and friends (can't remember who dies and who survives), so that would be the murder suggested by Gregory.
No, I don't think there is firm evidence that Anne had three miscarriages. I'll have to look in \”The Lady in the Tower\” to see what Weir says as she does suggest various dates for pregnancies.
There's an interesting wikipedia article on TOBG and the claims and inaccuracies of the book – see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T…..oleyn_Girl
I used to think that Philippa Gregory's novels were harmless and that people should be able to separate fact and fiction and just take her novels as fiction, but if in her notes she is making these claims then people will believe that they are historical fact.
Debunking the myths about Anne Boleyn
3:56 pm
December 30, 2009
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I saw a couple of review for Weir's \”Lady in the Tower\” which were pretty scathing about her sources or rather lack of them. The reviews implied that there were quite a few errors of fact in the book and much simply Weir's own theories with no evidence to back them up. The general impression I got was that the book was not worth reading.
What do you think, Claire?
8:04 am
February 16, 2009
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Hi Jasmine,
I thought that \”The Lady in the Tower\” was a great book and I like the fact that the whole book is focused on Anne's fall so Weir gives so much detail about things. I really enjoyed finding out more about the men who were executed as sometimes they are forgotten.
I read John Guy's review where he points out various mistakes that Weir has made by using historical sources that aren't quite what they seem to be and he does have a point, but the world of primary sources is a minefield and it is hard to know what to rely on so I can sympathise with Weir and she's not the only one to have relied on a source that was not reliable. Josephine Wilkinson told me of how the biographer of Athenais de Montespan used what she thought was an authentic diary of Louis XIV only to later find that it was a fake.
I would still recommend Weir's book as I think the good far outweighs the bad.
Debunking the myths about Anne Boleyn
8:10 am
December 30, 2009
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Thanks, Claire. I have a number of Weir's earlier biographies – Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth etc, but have come across a lot of recent criticism of her writing and methods on a number of different sites, as well as critical reviews. It is always useful to get a wide range of opinions.
8:37 am
February 16, 2009
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Alison Weir does tend to get criticism because she is not your usual academic historian with a doctorate in history and I think that the history world can sometimes be a little bit \”snobbish\” and look down on people like Weir. I too have a few of her books and have thoroughly enjoyed them and found them very useful. I don't think you can do better than Eric Ives on Anne Boleyn though.
Debunking the myths about Anne Boleyn
8:03 am
December 8, 2009
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Its not just snobbery though, is it? Weir never cites her sources, she is over reliant on secondary sources and in her latest book, she has used sources that are known to be fake. On top of all that, she presents an awful lot of myth as proven fact. Her books, as such, are unreliable. The Princes In The Tower is one of worst examples of historical biography I've ever had the mis-fortune to pick up. Thankfully, I got it from the library, and didn't fork out any cash for it!
Be daly prove you shalle me fynde,nTo be to you bothe lovyng and kynde,
