The Other Boleyn Girl

On Feb 15th, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson were seen puckering up on the red carpet at the International Film Festival Berlinale in Berlin, Germany on the occasion of the premiere show of the movie 'The Other Boleyn Girl'.

The movie tells the (distorted) story of two sisters, Anne (played by Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson). Driven by their ambitious father's desires to advance the family's power and status, the two court Henry VIII, King of England (incarnated by Eric Bana). The script is written by Peter Morgan ("The Queen," "The Last King of Scotland") adapted from the best-selling novel by Phillipa Gregory.

Peter Morgan was previously involved in a similar project, the 2003 "Henry VIII" made for Granada Television, but critics present at Berlin were of the opinion that it's probably not as good as either of those two scripts. The story was modified to remove controversial elements, such as the fact that Mary was actually 12 when she married her first husband, who was 24.

Henry VIII was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 21 April 1509 until his death on 28 January 1547. He was an avid gambler and dice player and practiced many sports in his youth. Henry married his brother Arthur's widow, Catherine, on 11 June 1509. Catherine's inability to produce the desired heir made Henry get involved with Anne Boleyn (Natalie). Actually, Anne was motivated by her father, Sir Thomas Boleyn who was desperate to bring his family back to prominence.

King Henry VIII divorced Catherine and secretly married Anne Boleyn, who was crowned Queen of England on June 1st 1533 and gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth (Elizabeth I of England), three months later. However, Sir Boleyn's scheme goes off course when the King takes to the other Boleyn girl, Anne's younger sister and best friend Mary (Johansson). Although married already, Mary gives in to family pressure and reluctantly provides the King with a boy, but along the way, she finds herself falling in love with the surprisingly tender monarch. Of course, this love affair is no obstacle for Anne whose hunger for the throne now overpowers her sisterly love, and she enacts a plan that eventually tears her family and her country apart while leading to her legendary demise.

The movie releases on this Friday, February 29th. Here is the movie's official website: theotherboleyngirl.com. Its runtime is 115 minutes and it's rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images.