The Young Victoria

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And that's why historic/biographic movies are so important to all of us, moreover when they are so well done, like this one! Before I saw "The Young Victoria", I knew a few things about Queen Victoria, but in the end I got much more knowledge about it. Emily Blunt is simply GREAT as Victoria (Who would guess that!) and She probably will get a nomination at this years Oscar's. Personally, I'm cheering for her... For technical issues, I am pleased to say that is a very successful production, with wonderful Art Direction/Set Decoration and, of course, like It was expected to be, a terrific periodic Costume Design! The one drawback is that I want to see more and know more about this interesting queen, but foremost, incredible woman and mother! BRAVO: 9 out of 10!

Yet another historical costume drama this time focusing on the early years of queen-at- eighteen Victoria and in particular her burgeoning relationship to her adored Prince Albert. Cue the soft focus and romantic music as Hollywood trains its trademark feather-light examination on the UK monarchy, having the too pretty and much too old Emily Blunt play the title role and Paul Bettany much too young as the elderly Prime Minister Lord Melbourne as her mentor and escape route out of the clutches of her weak-willed mother and the grasping, ambitious Sir John Conroy as the latter's controller and alleged lover. Somewhere beneath the well-presented pageantry and pomp, there probably is a good dramatic story trying to emerge but every scene it seems has to contain a resonant phrase or utterance to make you admire the writing, rather than allowing the characters to reveal their true selves with more everyday speech. I didn't like the shallow, showy acting of Blunt and Rupert Friend could play his part in modern dress, so little does he connect with the time and place of the action. Jim Broadbent gives his typical good turn as the blustering King Willam IV but Miranda Richardson shows that she played costumed nobility much better for laughs (as in "Black Adder") than here when she plays it straight, although that tricky German accent might have thrown her off. No, for me this too sanitised, too fawning, too calculating production looks all too much as if it was aimed at either the Academy and / or the US box-office, which I'm not unhappy to see it failed in both respects.

The Young Victoria follows the early years of Britain's longest serving monarch Queen Victoria (Emily Blunt) through to her marriage to Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). All the usual ingredients of a costume drama are present and of course that is a good thing. Where would a costume drama be without the flamboyant dresses, beautiful countryside or the complicated dances? The ingredients were all present but that does not mean to say that they were there in the right quantity, mixed together correctly or were cooked at the right temperature. What this ridiculous metaphor is attempting to say is that although it had the makings of a great drama it did fall short. As with all stories following the British monarchy we are treated to life at court, conspiracy and conniving but this all fell quite short of the mark. The viciousness or desperation that makes such good viewing just wasn't there. It felt as though it was all just mentioned in passing. The ever dependable Paul Bettany as Lord Melbourne and Mark Strong (who is everywhere these days) as Sir John Conroy were very watchable at trying to play the political game but to be honest very little happened. The best scenes in the whole movie were those that focused on Victoria and Albert. Their game of chess was filled with tension and absorbing to watch. Although the movie was clearly about Victoria's younger years I think that it should have focused more on her life with Albert They had nine children together and lived happily together up until Albert's death. The fact that she lived for almost forty years without her sole mate is heartbreaking and this would have given some good strong emotional scenes but this opportunity was missed. The music was actually very imposing and the coronation music actually sounded like the start of the Champions League coverage which was also very distracting It was a very enjoyable movie but it just lacked that defining moment where Victoria transformed from this sheltered teenager into a strong willed women who reined supreme. It gets a 7/10.

The British are by right famous for their costume dramas. But this is a failure with characters as stiff as the men's collars and a picture language which very much reminds of the paintings from the period. The years around queen Victoria's coronation. You can of course make such a movie must about private life, with the prime ministers Wellington, Peel and most of all, Melbourne, turning up. And it can be filmed theater too, but here it is just theater and not a very splendid one. Her majesty deserved better. To quote her: -"We are not amused". Or like she said about Gladstone: -"He talks to me like a public meeting".

I went into this film with an open mind, hoping to enjoy it as I have enjoyed other films about Royals, such as The Queen, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and Becket, among many others. However, this film is a tedious bore, and the price I paid with my boredom was abused by feeding me key moments of made-up fiction to try to punch it up. I do not take kindly to that. If you're going to make stuff up, it ought to at least be good, not try to cover for the fact that the story itself is completely boring. I could never figure out what this film wanted to be. Was it a story of a young Royal learning her position? Was it a love story? Was it a story about self-confidence? Was it about palace intrigue? Was it about republicanism and assassination attempts? Was it about someone interested in the poor, the arts, and science? Well, you got me. It seemed all of that, and therefore none. I felt absolutely nothing for the main character, nor for her supposed love interest. In fact, I was most disappointed at a certain time when it seemed the dreaded film might be over, only to discover that in fact it was going to drag on yet more. I started hating the couple, because they were delaying my exit from the cinema. As I left, I heard many complimentary things said about things like costume and makeup, but nobody said anything about the story or characters. Unfortunately, for me, I don't go to the cinema to see shiny dresses. I can see that at the better shops in the mall. I want an interesting story, and if it's about someone real, it better be damned interesting, or at least true in its important moments. Great. Now I'm in a foul mood. Thanks.

Sometimes I'm glad that my grasp of English history is pathetically feeble. It makes movies like "The Young Victoria" much more suspenseful than they might otherwise be. I of course knew that Victoria reigned for a large part of the 19th century and that she died in 1901; I also knew that she was a renowned and powerful monarch. I didn't know much about her love life, and "The Young Victoria" filled that gap in my knowledge nicely. Emily Blunt plays Victoria with a distinctly modern edge of feminism which may feel a bit anachronistic to picky historian purists but which also works. After all, women like Victoria WERE the feminists of their time, forced into making their mark in what was largely a man's world by a man's terms. I'm convinced that Blunt is one of the most promising of today's young actors. She has tremendous presence on screen; while she's on it, you don't want to look anywhere else. That presence is somewhat wasted in this movie, because her biggest competition comes not from any other actors but from the period sets and costumes. But she gives this rather light and inconsequential film some substance by virtue of simply being in it. Rupert Friend plays Albert, the man Victoria eventually marries, while Paul Bettany plays her chief adviser and confidant, the man angling to get himself married to her for his own political gain. The cast of British regulars also includes Jim Broadbent, who gets crazier with every role he plays, Miranda Richardson, as Victoria's doormat of a mother, and, notable in a small role, Harriet Walter as Victoria's widowed aunt and the only person other than her eventual husband who gives her any advice that's worth a damn. Grade: B+

I came across "The Young Victoria" quite by accident, so I was not expecting a lot before watching the film. I had a faint idea that storyline was about kings and queens, and cast included the beloved Emily Blunt. The story. There is nothing completely different from other monarch's history movies in "The Young Victoria". There is nothing less. The experience is like passing along the history line. The Characters. I did enjoy Emily Blunt's role, just as her acting, although I noticed that the change in her looks was too harsh. Bettany acted quite well. However, not all of his motives were clear. The scenery. Every time I watch a British movie, I see lots and lots of marvelous palaces and wonderful gardens. I saw it in this movie to. Nice, delicately presented and sweet. The goal. I hope this film will help us understand more about what queens life looks like, what pressures can people face and how they react. Finally, I hope everyone who comes across "Young Victoria" will not get disappointed, as there is no need to be.