The Other Boleyn Girl

[Sweet T]

Greetings all!

I messed up and read the book before seeing the movie. Analysis: Don't see the movie.

That said, I will definately read more from this author, Phillpa Gregory. Her style is intelligent and entertaining and I was drawn into her story very quickly. Highly recommended.

Regards,
Sweet T
www.yesteadyhands.com

[Baroness Doune]

You didn't mess up.
Reading the book was the only way to understand what was supposed to be going on in the movie.  Too much was crammed into the movie - characters were  very superficial and then there were the things that make you go "Huh?"

I will still buy the movie when it comes out on June 10, 2008.  For Henry VIII's costumes.  Yum!

[CountessofPhoenix]

I read the book after seeing the movie and the movie did leave out so much. I've read several other of Phillippa's books. "The Constant Princess" about Katherine of Aragon, "The Virgin's Lover" about Elizabeth and Dudley, and "The Boleyn Inheritance" about Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and the Duchess of Rochford. All were excellent reads as was Allison Weir's Innocent Traitor about Lady Jane Grey. All of these fiction novels posed the most interesting questions about what really happened.

[Lady Ann of Draycott]

I have not read the book nor seen the movie but I've been wanting to rent the movie when it comes out on DVD. 

My question is, should I read the book first and then rent the movie? 

It seems from a couple of your comments that might be a good idea in order to understand the movie, but I don't want to ruin watching the movie either.  I love to do both but so many times the books are better than the movies.

[damsel58]

IMO, the book /is/ better than the movie. The only reason I would recommend even watching the movie is the costumes are pretty. It really failed in conveying the flavor of the book, or even making the events interesting.

[CountessofPhoenix]

You probably know enough history of the story to watch the movie first if you so choose. The book is wonderful and I speculate that it is probably more factual than fictional. You really see Anne's character as the manipulator she had to have been to keep Henry's attention for so long. Meanwhile Mary was such an opposite to her. Either way you'll learn a lot!

[DuCoeur]

Read the book and haven't seen the movie yet.  For a different take on the story Read Mademoiselle Boelyn by Robin Maxwell.

This Deals about the early days of the Boelyn sisters.  Mary was not the innocent as portrayed in the Other Boelyn Girl...Remember she was Mistress to Francois I of FRance before Henry VIII saw her.

A different perspective from the Other Boelyn Girl.

[Amyj]

I've read the book and seen the movie...I read the book first (and I'm pretty sure all Gregory's others too...)  My suggestion is:  If you normally prefer to have read a book before seeing the movie - do so with this one...If you normally prefer vice-versa, do the same here.

I found myself getting just a teensy bit frustrated at the differences between the two...(Henry meeting Anne at the Boleyn estate rather than at court, softselling the back-and-forth of Henry between Mary and Anne...)  But, it's in my opinion, a fun romp through a period of history.  I love the fact that we know the events happened, but we don't really know the conversations. I for one would like to see Gregory's other books adapted for film too.

[Lavender]

Read the book and haven't seen the movie yet.  For a different take on the story Read Mademoiselle Boelyn by Robin Maxwell.

This Deals about the early days of the Boelyn sisters.  Mary was not the innocent as portrayed in the Other Boelyn Girl...Remember she was Mistress to Francois I of FRance before Henry VIII saw her.

A different perspective from the Other Boelyn Girl.

*I see a trip to Borders in the near future*

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

I found that Maxwell's Mademoiselle Boelyn was very ficticious and she embelished so much. Mary was younger than Anne and in Maxwell's book sshe is about 5 years older. While it is a fun read, it must be read as a Renaissance romance novel. I found it more entertaining than The Other Boleyn Girl, but The Other Boleyn Girl a wee bit (Not much) accurate. Both are still fun read's and I would suggest anyone interested in the Renaissance to read them. I take them to be light reading. If you REALLY want to know about Anne Boleyn, read Allison Weirs The Six Wives of Henry the VII or even David Starky's book of the same name. Also watch the BBS play "The Six Wives of Henry the VII. While a bit wordy, the person playing each role is a perfect fit.

[Taffy Saltwater]

Check out Half Price Books - they usually have a selection of Gregory's books. I'm now reading I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles.

[DuCoeur]

There is no real historical proof that Mary is the younger or older sister.

And while both books a overly embellished,  I have found other sources that put Mary in Bed with Francois when they were both at the french court.

And Allison Weir is THE source for Tudor history...I will look for the Starkey book.

But keep in mind, that Weir's book is not a novelization, but a history.  Thus to compare Weir with Maxwell or Gregory is apples to oranges.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

My question is, should I read the book first and then rent the movie? 

It seems from a couple of your comments that might be a good idea in order to understand the movie, but I don't want to ruin watching the movie either. 

Since you probably already know that Henry had 6 wives, and Anne Boleyn was one of the ones that was beheaded, you will know the outcome of the movie without reading the book!  I read the book first last year and then watched the movie a few weeks ago. 

The movie is eye candy for me -- looking at the castle scenes, the garb, the court, etc.  I don't think either the book (a novel) or the movie really tells it like it is, but if you take it in that perspective, it was enjoyable.

[Lady_Glorianna]

Gregory is a historical fiction writer and this is a historical fiction novel so accuracy is limited. When you watch the special features on the DVD, Gregory and everyone else admit that the movie is an interpretation of her book.

[Athena]

I loved the book! Philippa Gregory is one of my favorite authors, and I will definitely rent the DVD. I know that there will be changes from the novel, but I'll still see it. If nothing else, those gorgeous costumes make it worth while!

[jinx]

Like I said with The Tudors...Hang the historical inaccuracies...it's -entertaining!-

I've read three of Gregory's books, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen's Fool (actually, my favourite of hers, as there is less focus on the royals, and more on a life affected by theirs), and The Virgin's Lover.  She writes really well, as I see it, and makes her characters...well...a little believable and really intriguing at the same time.

I haven't managed to see the movie yet.  I might watch it On Demand or something on of these days.

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

Granted there is no hisorical record that proves or disproves Anne as the elder or Mary as the elder. It is all based on time line events that occured and what few records exist. It is widely believed that Anne was the elder of the two Boleyn girls.

Granted Weir is a historical writer, she does also write some fiction. Maxwell and Gregory are indead fiction writers, but as a writer writing historical fiction, let us hope that they would hold to the facts and embellish that which is not known.

How would it look in a historical novel to say that Say Abe Linconln was NOT killed by John Wilkes Booth, but by Robert E Lee. This would not may hit historical fiction but Historical Fantasy instead. If you base things on rumor such as say the story of George Armstrong Custer and his Native American Wife and their half-breed son, then this is a wee bit differeant as it is based on historical rumor that has some bases of fact to it.

While Gregory and Maxwell were entertaining reads I personally was a little turned off by te historical in flaws. Does this mean I would not read their novels? No, But it just means I read them as I would any romance novel and that is based on a historical time frame and in this case historical characters.

Weir is one of the best writers of Tudor history. She tends to meander or jump around in her writings which makes her harder to read. But she has her facts down and this is what makes her a good writer. Starkey tends to get right to the point but also tends to put his view on things. But I also find that as I read his writings, he points out some interesting psycological details that make you have a better understanding of who these people where and why they did what they did. I have yet to read his version of the Six wives of Henry the VIII and I have read reviews that make me timid in wanting to, as he critiques Weir and another writer through out the book and compares his beliefs to theirs.

David Starkey was narrator to a PBS "The Six Wives of Henry the VII and it is based on his writings. I have not seen it, but would like to get a copy of the DVD.

[LadyMeg]

I enjoy Gregory's books a great deal (though I admit, Queen's Fool and Constant Princess were my favorites, Other Boleyn came close third) and personally don't mind the historical inaccuracies.  My philosophy is always that we didn't live back then, so how do we REALLY know what happened?  It lets me let go and just be entertained.  Besides, I did like her representation of the two girls, Anne in particular.  I didn't say I liked her (I get the feeling if I lived then, she and I would butt heads and probably both end up headless *sigh*).

The movie was enjoyable if I separate the two (realize that one is a book and another a movie and completely different entities).  There were elements in the book I would have liked to have seen in the movie and would have made some transitions smoother and some plotlines less confusing.  A friend of mine who had not read the book was rather confused about some things, but it didn't hinder her ability to comprehend or enjoy the movie.  I liked the performances and would have liked to have seen George Boleyn and Jane a bit more ('cause who wouldn't?  That would just be pure entertainment) and Eric Bana should have had better lines 'cause he's a decent actor.  He was just a pawn in this movie though (performance, script and screentime wise).  I liked it, will own it and enjoy it.

They tried to fit alot into the movie and I think that was the issue.  Would I see it again in the theatres and pay that price?  Sure.  But then again... I'm a big fan of the Tudors too.

[Miranda]

Honestly the issue that I had with the movie was they should have left most of the deleted scenes where they were.  The one's that explain William Carey's fate, expound on the Stafford/Mary relationship, etc.  Without them, people who did not read the book, were left wondering "Where did Mary's Husband Go?", "Why is she shacked up with her father's servant?"  The cut scenes added no more than 10 or 15 minutes, and would have made a huge difference.

A lot of movies these days seem to suffer from poor editing.

As far as adaptation goes, they took a very "Mary-centric" book, and turned it into a very "Anne-centric" movie.

[DuCoeur]

I just saw the movie the other day....

They also changed the Parents attitude from the book.  Making the Mother and Father more sympathetic. 

I had so many problems with the other Boelyn Girl (The Book and now the movie)  that i look at it as almost a seperate story...Kind of like they ruined the X-men FromBook to movies.  Ok maybe a bad example but those who are fans know what I mean.

[The Lady Mercedes]

I have all the books mentioned in these posts as well as others and I also have the OBG movie. I've read & reread the book several times and was so disappointed. I understand the movie can't have everything from the book in it, however the stuff they did was inacurate (in comparrison to the book) or mixed up timewise. As has been said it was visually stunning...

[ladylissame]

I was very disappointed in the movie. Still absolutely LOVE the book. I have read her entire Tudor series and The White Queen. There is something about the way she writes, it draws me into it. I have a very hard time putting down her books.

[anguissette]

Phillipa Gregory is a very talented writer, and I've enjoyed most of her other novels, but I have to say, the Other Boleyn Girl was very dissappointing to me in it's presentation of Anne Boleyn.

I just don't see what's so entertaining about a Madonna/Whore battle between sisters for pages and pages and pages, whether you call them Anne and Mary or anything else.  Neither one of them were fully developed characters ... Mary's name should have been Sue instead of Boleyn, and Anne, probably the brightest and most motivated of Henry's wives; is portrayed as a woman with no talent for, or interest in anything except husband stealing?  Stupid, dismissive and anti-woman imho, though I was relieved to see Gregory was more fair in later novels such as "The Boleyn Inheiritance" to some of the other stereotyped Tudor wives.   

Props to Gregory for the idea, but I didn't particularly care for the book, and movies from books are never as good as the original read, so I see no point in my seeing this one when the book was so awful from jump street. 

[tiberiusflynn]

By the end of the movie, I was screaming at the TV.......haven't read the book. I only saw the american version though....wonder if the BBC version was any better??

[Ambrosine]

I have to admit that I watched the movie again for the 3rd or 4Th time. As always lead me to wanting MORE! I am so disappointed in the amount of story that is left out from the book. I am in the middle of reading her newest book "The White Queen" which I'm glad to say I'm having a hard time putting down. I truly wish the could make another movie out of her books but just stick to the boo!