Monday night I hit the theaters with my sister to see a movie about two sisters whose sibling rivalry leads to the inevitable execution of one of them. (What else would we see?) I have to give hefty kudos to The Other Boleyn Girl and most especially to Natalie Portman who was able to show the diabolical plotting of Anne Boleyn while keeping one hand on her vulnerability and desperation. I also have to give it up for Eric Bana for making such a pretty King Henry VIII, but, let's face it, Henry was a child stuck in the body of a bloated, balding man. Not such an attractive picture as Bana presents, but if you're going to have a vice, Eric, I say you stick with being too pretty. I promise I'll forgive you.
Now, if I may, I'm going to jump from this visual extravaganza to the woman who is really the genius behind the movie: Philippa Gregory. Her book is more than just a lovely cover. It's full of intrigue, fast-moving plot, delicious descriptions, and amazing depth of character. The metamorphosis of Mary Boleyn is so consummately described by Gregory that we forget she was a resident of 500 years ago and suddenly she is today's girl next door.
Once upon a time (3 years ago) in a land far, far away (Texas) I was the editor of the best damn literary eZine known to human kind called The Dusty Shelf. One of the best articles we published was an interview with Philippa Gregory. The correspondent in this interview is none other than my saucy friend Raphaela. If you want to learn more about the seed from which grew the movie The Other Boleyn Girl, read the one-on-one chat here.
Much thanks to Annabel Lee, the publisher of The Dusty Shelf and my former boss for her gracious permission to use and reuse her eZine. I owe you, oh I don't know, let's say a load of laundry.
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