Fall is here and the temps are starting to drop. I love sailing, hiking and hanging out at the beach in the summer. Sometimes when autumn arrives, I’m relieved that I don’t have to rush out and can just enjoy hanging around the house watching movies and making popcorn. Hence, our movie-inspired parties! Gather a few friends and have a girls’ afternoon at home. We’ve included some recipes, you may or may not make, some goofs you may or may not see, and some discussion questions you may or may not entertain. Enjoy!
The Other Boleyn Girl
Awards
Nominated for Teen Choice Award
Choice Movie Actress in a Drama: Scarlett Johansson
Interesting Facts and Goofs
1. Factual errors: In the film, Mary Boleyn's first child is a boy. In reality, her first child was a girl, Catherine. She did not have a son, Henry, until several years after Catherine's birth.
2. Anachronisms: When Anne is standing on the execution block making her speech, behind her can be clearly seen a painted metal drain (down) pipe with metal bands fixing it to the wall.
3. King Henry named a warship after Mary Boleyn that was originally thought to be a typo in the history books by the author.
4. Anne kept King Henry at bay for 6 years.
5. Dover Castle is the Tower of London in the film.
6. The scenes of Anne on the scaffold were based on eyewitness accounts. No one expected her to be executed and no coffin was available after her death. Her body was put in an arrow box and her head carried off by two of her ladies.
7. Henry Carey, Mary and Henry’s son and Elizabeth’s cousin, became Elizabeth’s chief political advisor and confidant for the 45 years of her rein.
8. Catharine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, was originally promised to King Henry’s older brother Arthur. When Arthur died, Henry agreed to marry her. She was 8 or 9 years his senior.
9. Lady Rochford, George’s wife, later admitted at her own execution that she lied about the incest between her husband and his sister, Anne.
Discussion Questions
1. What do you think about the idea of ambition as a sin or a virtue?
2. Do you think Anne was in love with the king and vice versa?
3. In what ways were Anne and Mary culpable and/or victims in their situations?
4. How did your feelings about Henry changes as the movie progressed?
5. How did you feel about the way women were treated/behaved in the film?
The Afternoon
Serve with Tea, cream, sugar and lemon.
Cucumber Sandwiches
1/2 large cucumber, peeled and sliced very thinly
Salt
3/8 cup soft butter
1 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
10 slices bread
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Pepper to taste
Lightly salt the cucumber slices and place them in a colander to drain for 1 to 2 hours. Then combine the butter and garlic and apply to 1 side of each slice of bread. In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper. Add the cucumber slices, coating them well. Arrange the cucumber on 5 of the bread slices, top with the other 5 slices, remove the crusts,
and quarter. Serve immediately. Makes 20 tea sandwiches or 15 fingers.
Currant Scones
2 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter cut in pieces
½ c dried currants (dried cranberries, blueberries,
raisins or apricots may be substituted)
1 large egg
½ c heavy cream
2 to 3 tsp cream or milk
1 tsp grated orange zest (optional)
Cinnamon and sugar (optional)
Clotted cream and jam for serving
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425F. Have a large ungreased baking sheet ready. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with 2 knives or a pastry blender, tossing the pieces with the flour mixture to coat and separate
them as you work, until the largest pieces are the size of peas and the rest resemble breadcrumbs. Do not allow the butter to melt or form a paste with the flour. Stir in the fruit. Whisk the egg, heavy cream and orange zest and add all at once. Mix just until the dry
ingredients are moistened. Gather the dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of the bowl 5 to 10 times, turning and pressing any loose pieces into the dough each time until they adhere and the bowl is fairly clean. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and pat the dough into an 8-inch round about ¾ inch thick. Cut into 12 wedges and place at least ½ inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the cream or milk and if desired, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool. Makes 12 small.
References
“Goofs for The Other Boleyn Girl”. USA: Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467200/goofs. December 7, 2008.
Rombauer, Irma and Marion Becker and Ethan Becker. The Joy of Cooking. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997, pp. 791.
“Savory Tea Sandwich Recipes.” USA: Great Party Recipes. http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/teasandwichrecipes.html. October 8, 2008.
