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The Other Boleyn Girl - is it historically accurate? (Slight spoiler alert)

82 replies

wombly · 23/12/2010 00:54

I'm afraid I only saw the film Xmas Blush, but was struck by details I didn't know about Tudor history. AFAIK Catherine of Aragon's defence of her position was verbatim in the film. So how about the Boleyn incest stuff? How historically accurate was that?

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ElfPantsAtMidnightMass · 23/12/2010 01:44

I think it's widely accepted that Henry was shagging Mary Boleyn for ages before Anne. Anne wouldn't shag him, was holding out for marriage.

Just checked the dates and in just over 5 weeks Anne Boleyn was arrested, tried and executed and henry married Jane Seymour. They threw the book at Anne basically, including incest maybe in the hope that this would turn people against her, or perhaps he just wanted to destroy her family totally?

EvilTwinsAteRudolph · 23/12/2010 01:13

Of course it's not historically accurate. Philippa Gregory happily admits there is a certain amout of poetic license in all of her "historic" novels.

It ends, IIRC, with Mary Boleyn taking on the responsibility for litte Princess Elizabeth's upbringing which is absolutely not correct... Who can say how many women Henry VIII shagged - maybe Anne's sister.

I think it's about as accurate as the fabulously watchable but utter bollocks that is "The Tudors".

WintervalPansy · 23/12/2010 01:13

Sorry, that sounded a bit supercilious, and actually I'm not sure about the time spent on research. I was an extra in TOBG so spent some time hanging around the costumes and so on (mmmm, long furry sleeves), and it just all felt a bit more cobbled together than some others I've been around. I.e. Usborne book of the Tudors plus quite a lot of artistic licence.

WintervalPansy · 23/12/2010 01:09

I have not read the book either and don't know what Philippa Gregory's reputation is for historical research, but I definitely wouldn't take the visual elements to be accurate. Lots of the costumes were a bit bonkers and criticised by experts, and they definitely had less time and money for researching those aspects than some other period films do. It does look lovely though.

Original poster
wombly · 23/12/2010 01:05

Thanks, I found it shocking - I didn't know her bro had been executed. Presumably we can't know the truth; but the version given in the film was plausible IMO.

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RustyBear · 23/12/2010 00:59

Well, Anne Boleyn was charged with, and convicted of, incest with her brother George, and he was executed for it, so yes it's historically accurate in that sense. Whether or not they were actually guilty is another question, of course...

ElfPantsAtMidnightMass · 23/12/2010 00:58

I haven't seen the film but AFAIK she was accused of incest with her (half?) brother on the basis of absolutely naff all.

Good to bear in mind that Henry had his next wife lined up to marry just 11 or so days after Anne's execution. He wanted her out of the way.