Discussion: Mary Boleyn - did she love Henry?

"Duh! I mean Scarlett Johansson - don't know why I said Charlotte! And so I guess it was Katherine Howard (his fifth wife) who was so disgusted by his physical state. Just a couple of corrections. I guess I wrote my post in a little bit of a rage. I tried not to take it so seriously because it is after all just a movie and anyway it's supposed to be questioned. I was just so shocked at how inaccurate it was. I mean it was a violent enough time and a violent enough act that he beheaded Anne Boleyn. Why did they also have to portray him as basically raping her?"

"I disagree. I think it's just plain untrue. And rape is not lust. There are a million other relationships in between love and rape. Just because he lusted after her, doesn't mean he had to automatically have any kind of violent designs on her. And rape doesn't have anything to do with lust (I reiterate). It's an insult to say so. Don't take it personal, but that is a ridiculous statement. Rape is anger. It has nothing to do with sex, although that happens to be the vehicle.

As for Mary, well from all that I've read so far, I don't think that she was that significant to Henry. It could be like saying well, I get along with you, therefore I love you. That's not that same thing. I find it extremely hard to believe that Mary would be anything even close to Henry's true love. I could say because some random ex lover never hurt me that means I must love him and that would be totally inaccurate. I believe Mary was actually quite insignificant to him (but I might be wrong). She was just a woman to sleep with, like his countless others. What reason would he have to want her so badly if she was like any other common beauty of the day and she slept around a lot. That he loved Mary is just the director's fantasy."

"Anybody have any other suggested books? I don't think I'll be reading P Gregory's book. "

"I don't think Mary Boleyn was an idiot, you definately have to have some intelligence to die from natural causes in the Tudor court."

"I didn't know much about Mary Boleyn, until I watched "The Other Boleyn Girl" last night. I felt so sorry for her as she was portrayed as someone who was in love with her husband, but her family forced her to go after Henry after falling for Anne initially failed. She then falls in love with Henry and Anne is jealous and seething when she sees Henry fall for her sister instead. Despite Anne's cruelty to her when she lures Henry away from her after Mary falls pregnant, Mary still supports Anne and "lies" for her about Anne's ex lover.

Does anyone know if any of this is true? Did Mary really love Henry? Did Henry love her? Was Anne jealous that Henry fell for her sister? "

"The Other Boleyn Girl was an attrocious movie. It was a travesty! I hated it with a passion. The script was bad, the acting was mediocre (hard when the history was all false and such a terrible director probably). Natalie Portman's was at probably her almost worse (and there was no chemistry at all between her and Eric Bana) and Charlotte Johanssen was just there for her looks. They had the history all wrong. I read up on the relationship between Anne and the King and in the beginning they were happy and did have real chemistry, but you couldn't tell by this movie. Everything was so rushed, the King was portrayed as a complete numbskull from the beginning, and Anne was portrayed as a selfish immature idiot. While Mary was all innocent of everything. None of that is true and obviously, despite King Henry's bad temper and deterioration later in life (he was probably over 300 pounds when he married his 4th wife I think Anne Cleves or his fifth wife), he was actually was a very intelligent man. And Anne Boleyn was a very intelligent woman and helped change a lot of important things in history. Mind you the history lesson in this movie was reduced to a one liner on the bottom of the screen at the end of the movie. I had no sympathy for or understanding of any of the characters. And Mary just seemed like a pathetic martyr/victim. It was never about the fight between sisters as the movie would have you believe. I'm just so disgusted with that movie. Anne seemed like an idiot. And I do not believe the King raped her (but gentle to Mary of course - that seemed more like the director was in love with Charlotte Johanssen and just full of utter lies). If I had to burn a movie, it would be this one I'm so upset about it. Not to mention that Mary did not visit her siblings at the Tower of London and Anne Boleyn did not cry at her final speech. I can't even begin to express my disgust!"