By Alan Little, Evening Gazette:FALLING victim to the same excesses as Elizabeth: The Golden Age, this is a beautifully dressed and staged costume drama that has pomp and pageantry in abundance but a paucity of deep emotion.The central plot is tantalising - the rivalry between two sisters for the love of King Henry VIII - but screenwriter Peter Morgan fails to delve beneath the glossy surface of Philippa Gregory’s novel.
Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are cast effectively as the ambitious, ruthless vamp and the naive woman of virtue. As the narrative gathers pace, though, they have nowhere to go with their performances as Eric Bana’s dithering king waits for Jane Seymour to shoot him a come hither glance, and provide the drama with its unhappy ending.
The film sets out its stall as a frothy bodice ripper, including a snarling supporting turn from Morrissey as Norfolk, their power- crazed uncle, but becomes bogged down with historical detail and has to rush the climax when Anne pays an horrific price for her jealousy.
Portman fights valiantly with her accent as Anne repeatedly knifes her in the back and Johansson revisits her beatific, much abused heroine from Girl With A Pearl Earring. While Anne ultimately loses her head, we keep ours throughout Justin Chadwick’s film.
news source : http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/
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