The Other Boleyn Girl

It’s the year 1525. Young Mary Boleyn is manipulated by her ambitious family into a relationship with the irascible and fickle Henry VIII. However, the monarch soon tires of his naïve, devoted lover and turns his attentions towards her older sister, Anne. Anne, however, has greater ambitions than merely satisfying the king’s whims and bearing him his yearned-for heir: she wants to sit by his side as the new Queen of England. Yet Mary, who is truly in love with the king, does not give up and a struggle for love and power erupts between the sisters. Is there room for true love in the stifling web of court intrigue, and is Anne prepared to pay for her ambitions? This star-studded adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s novel was taken up by screenwriter Peter Morgan, who has other “monarchist” themes to his credit: the television movie, Henry VIII (dir. Pete Travis, 2003), the drama, The Last King of Scotland (dir. Kevin Macdonald, 2006) and the tragicomedy, The Queen (dir. Stephen Frears, 2006).