The Young Victoria (B or 3/4 stars)
I gotta tell ya ... 'The Young Victoria' (directed by Jean-Marc Valle) is clinging on to my recommendation for 3 reasons, & 3 reasons only. 1) I have a natural affinity for this type of period/costume dramas. 2) The production values are out of this world. And 3) the chemistry btwn. the Emily Blunt's Victoria & Rupert Friend's Prince Albert is wonderful. So, why do I almost not recommend this? Simply put, the narrative has a low pulse. This movie starts out interestingly, I'll give it that. Victoria is 1 yr. shy of her 'majority', & her mother, the Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson), & lead of her household, Sir John Conroy (perpetual villain, Mark Strong), are plotting how to control the not-yet 18 yr. old monarch as she ascends to the throne - you see, her loving uncle, King William (an enjoyably bombastic Jim Broadbent) is near death.
They'd like her to sign papers making them 'regents' (acting as head of state), but she firmly refuses. They continue to scheme all throughout the movie, but neither character is - unfortunately - interesting enough to care, nor does the subplot really go anywhere. It just hangs there during the 95 min. duration. The other angle of the story, of course, is the gentle, budding romance btwn. Victoria & Prince Albert; who'd been sent from Germany by his uncle, King Leopold of Belgium (Thomas Kretschmann, severely underused) to woo her. These early courting/woo-ing scenes are very, very nice. Of course, they hit it off, & go on to have over 20 yrs. of marriage (before his death from typhoid), & 9 children. The other subplot here involves Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne's (Paul Bettany) strange hold over Victoria; wanting to shape her inexperienced opinions, & use her politically. I liked Bettany. But again, another snoozy subplot.
Victoria was an interesting woman & she led an interesting life. 'TYV' is historically accurate, covering the queen's years from 1836-1841 with little embellishment. But the dramatization here of her rise to power lacks, well, drama; and it really shouldn't have. I'm not asking for big melodramatics. But in my opinion, the filmmakers really should've given more verve & dramatic energy to this movie. Instead, they went for fanciful & fancy. A superior film about Victoria is 1997's Mrs. Brown. I suggest you check out that film for a more full-bodied, intriguing look at the woman.
'TYV' is not a poorly made film; not at all. I think it is just that the back & forth focus btwn. Victoria's romance & the political turmoil (including an assassination plot) just didn't rivet. And if it didn't do it for me, then it may not strike a chord for those who have a low tolerance for British royalty flicks, anyway. The backstabbing, politicking, & assass. plots should have had us frothing at the mouth, but they're not developed enough. There's a dry wittiness in that permeates the script, but it's so insignificant to what's going on and so familiar, that we just can't appreciate it as much as when a character is really lashing into someone or passionate about a particular plot point. This movie is calm to a fault.
Emily Blunt is not as fiery as she normally is. That said, I liked her a great deal when she was with Rupert Friend. They are both better together than in individual moments. As is always the case with period pieces, 'TYV' is a visual feast. The coronation scene(s) are well detailed, if not triumphant. There's a scene at a ball that is beautifully choreographed (loved Blunt & Friend, here). The costumes are immaculate; if too colorful. Thing is: while it's undeniably a beautiful movie to watch, you may be bored enough that an internet trip to Wikipedia may provide you with more knowledge & facts than this film can provide. So, overall, 'The Young Victoria' is a 'rather nice' film that only particular audiences should eat up. It is appealing, elegant, yet offers a thin portrait of a fascinating ruler. And while it begins & ends well ... I just craved more heft in the middle.
They'd like her to sign papers making them 'regents' (acting as head of state), but she firmly refuses. They continue to scheme all throughout the movie, but neither character is - unfortunately - interesting enough to care, nor does the subplot really go anywhere. It just hangs there during the 95 min. duration. The other angle of the story, of course, is the gentle, budding romance btwn. Victoria & Prince Albert; who'd been sent from Germany by his uncle, King Leopold of Belgium (Thomas Kretschmann, severely underused) to woo her. These early courting/woo-ing scenes are very, very nice. Of course, they hit it off, & go on to have over 20 yrs. of marriage (before his death from typhoid), & 9 children. The other subplot here involves Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne's (Paul Bettany) strange hold over Victoria; wanting to shape her inexperienced opinions, & use her politically. I liked Bettany. But again, another snoozy subplot.
Victoria was an interesting woman & she led an interesting life. 'TYV' is historically accurate, covering the queen's years from 1836-1841 with little embellishment. But the dramatization here of her rise to power lacks, well, drama; and it really shouldn't have. I'm not asking for big melodramatics. But in my opinion, the filmmakers really should've given more verve & dramatic energy to this movie. Instead, they went for fanciful & fancy. A superior film about Victoria is 1997's Mrs. Brown. I suggest you check out that film for a more full-bodied, intriguing look at the woman.
'TYV' is not a poorly made film; not at all. I think it is just that the back & forth focus btwn. Victoria's romance & the political turmoil (including an assassination plot) just didn't rivet. And if it didn't do it for me, then it may not strike a chord for those who have a low tolerance for British royalty flicks, anyway. The backstabbing, politicking, & assass. plots should have had us frothing at the mouth, but they're not developed enough. There's a dry wittiness in that permeates the script, but it's so insignificant to what's going on and so familiar, that we just can't appreciate it as much as when a character is really lashing into someone or passionate about a particular plot point. This movie is calm to a fault.
Emily Blunt is not as fiery as she normally is. That said, I liked her a great deal when she was with Rupert Friend. They are both better together than in individual moments. As is always the case with period pieces, 'TYV' is a visual feast. The coronation scene(s) are well detailed, if not triumphant. There's a scene at a ball that is beautifully choreographed (loved Blunt & Friend, here). The costumes are immaculate; if too colorful. Thing is: while it's undeniably a beautiful movie to watch, you may be bored enough that an internet trip to Wikipedia may provide you with more knowledge & facts than this film can provide. So, overall, 'The Young Victoria' is a 'rather nice' film that only particular audiences should eat up. It is appealing, elegant, yet offers a thin portrait of a fascinating ruler. And while it begins & ends well ... I just craved more heft in the middle.