"Anne Boleyn" with a black actress was smashed by the audience. But the show is not as bad as it seems
Miscellaneous / / June 08, 2021
The project has a 1.1 rating on IMDb, but most of those dissatisfied with the scandals did not notice the story itself.
The British channel Channel 5 (in Russia - on Amediateka) aired a three-episode mini-series “Anna Boleyn”. The project, which was put forward by the Scottish BAFTA nominee Lynsey Miller ("Falling into Dead Water"), is dedicated to the last months of the life of the famous English queen with a tragic fate.
Anne Boleyn was at the center of scandals even before its release. The thing is that the authors invited the black actress Jodie Turner-Smith for the main role. Because of this, they were accused of distorting history.
After the release of the project, he received extremely low ratings from many viewers. At the time of writing, ratingAnne Boleyn / IMDb TV series on IMDb - 1.1. This is lower than the most criticized films of Uwe Boll, who is often called worst director of our time. Surprisingly, on "KinoPoisk" ratingsAnna Boleyn / KinoPoisk slightly higher - about 1.7.
But at the same time, many honestly write that they scold the project solely because of the choice of the actress. Indicative comment
littleredroses / Review of Anne Boleyn / IMDb on IMDb, where the user criticizes the show, but admits that he watched only a few minutes of the first episode. Others did not even turn it on at all. But in addition to the skin color of the protagonist, Anne Boleyn has a plot and visuals. Perhaps you should pay attention to them too?Dramatic fantasies about history
Each episode of the series begins with the phrase "Based on truth... and lies." By this, the authors partly disclaim responsibility for deviating from real facts. Although here one gets the feeling that the technique was copied from “The greatWith Elle Fanning. And a similar slip of the comedy went on more.
The plot is completely tied to the personality of Anne Boleyn herself. The camera almost always follows the heroine, the emphasis is placed not so much on the events as on her feelings and reactions. And as a personal drama, the show is doing pretty well. The queen literally falls one after another of troubles: she loses a child, cannot understand the relationship with her husband and is worried about political situation.
And, most importantly, in all the action there is an atmosphere of doom. Already during the credits, they say that the heroine has several months left to live. And in the finale of the first episode, she directly says: "Now nothing can save me."
We can say that Anne Boleyn in 2021 is not about history and the Queen of England, but about losses and the expectation of death.
And I must admit that there is a big problem with the development of the secondary characters in the series. If the comedy "Great" was turning almost all the characters into grotesque idiots, then in the drama the Queen's entourage seems to be the most ridiculous. Even Thomas Cromwell looks like a timid and always mumbling bastard. Although in reality the politician was quite decisive and harsh.
Theatricality of the action
Like many other British TV series in historical entourage, "Anne Boleyn" resembles a stage production, perhaps with broader visual possibilities.
This also explains in part Jodie Turner-Smith's overly theatrical performance. The camera often zooms in on her face, the heroine is silent for a long time. Moreover, dressers were clearly given a lot of space in the development of the queen's outfits: literally in every scene a new unusual dress flashes.
Alas, except for the main character, there is no one else to remember in the series. Even Mark Stanley and Barry Ward, as Henry VIII Tudor and Cromwell, respectively, seem to be extras. Although there is no doubt about the experience and talent of these artists. The rest of the characters freeze in place in many dramatic moments, as in theater.
Despite the simplicity of the staging, there are some successful visual finds. The first episode will show the grisly murder of a horse. The second episode begins with a scene in which the heroine wakes up with tears on her face. Then the camera changes its perspective, and the viewer is reminded without words of the reasons for her tragedy. But such moments are still an exception. Most of the series is shot with standard close-ups and medium-sized shots. And editing sometimes ends the scene too abruptly, throwing it to another place of action.
The ambiguous image of the main character
Of course, the topic of choosing an actress for the role of the queen cannot be ignored. Jodie Turner-Smith herself claimsJodie Turner ‑ Smith: ‘People were always going to feel a certain way about a Black actor playing Anne Boleyn’ / Independentthat the authors of the series wanted to tell a story tied to personalities, excluding race question. But it is unlikely that it will be possible to get rid of the idea that in such a move there is a considerable element of provocation. Even most of the promo frames for the project are just static images of Anne Boleyn, as if the plot and surroundings do not matter.
There is a feeling that otherwise very few people would pay attention to the series. Anne Boleyn has been shown on screens more than a dozen times, and many of the past looks have looked more interesting.
On the other hand, it is the huge number of screen incarnations that partly unties the hands of the authors. For more than a century of cinema history, Anna Boleyn has been played by completely different actresses: an American Scarlett Johansson, German Henny Porten, French-Canadian Genevieve Bujot and all sorts of British natives from Helena Bonham Carter to Natalie Dormer.
Even those who have not seen these actresses in the form of the Queen of England can search for videos on the Internet and make sure: they differ in height, figure, eye and hair color, accent and movements. That is, the appearance of Anne Boleyn in the cinema has always been treated very freely. And this is not to mention the costumes, hairstyles and makeup. So the change in skin color is just another of dozens of inconsistencies.
Of course, it is foolish to deny that such a move finally turns the project into fiction. And then the question arises: was it worth the authors to take real typesif they weren't going to follow the facts? But it is worth asking not only the creators of Anne Boleyn, but also the directors of many historical dramas, which the public received much more favorably. The new series is not too different from them.
One often hears the thought that it is unlikely that a white actor would be allowed to play a dark-skinned historical character. This sounds especially strange in our country. After all, everyone knows and loves the magnificent Vladimir Vysotsky in the film "The Tale of How Tsar Peter Got Married".
But still, it is almost safe to say that Jodie Turner-Smith in the image of the English queens - the main and only way to draw attention to the series. And it seems to have worked. Anne Boleyn is scolded by many, but the show makes all the headlines. But the already mentioned "Fall into Dead Water" by Linsey Miller was hardly noticed.
If we ignore the scandals, then the mini-series looks like an average straight-line drama, which certainly did not deserve such ardent hatred. It attracts the protagonist with a well-developed drama and a depressing atmosphere. But frustrating with flat minor characters and simple filming. "Anne Boleyn" is suitable for a one-time viewing, but it will surely quickly fade out of my head. Until another offended person recalls him.
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