The Young Victoria (Sorry, no witty title for this review!)

Sunday, September 27, 2009 , Posted by Should I See It at 11:09 PM

Film: The Young Victora (GK Films)
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Starring: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany , Miranda Richardson.
Plot: Chronicles the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign and her courtship and early marriage with Prince Albert.





To be honest, I am not a fan of biopics. I find them overlong, self indulgent and usually lacking a clear focus. I am, however, a fan of period dramas. And in that respect The Young Victoria acquits itself nicely. By focusing on the early years of Victoria’s reign we have a nicely honed film that is part period drama, part political drama and part love story. Of course there are those tropes that plague period dramas; lots of people starring at each other across rooms, and lots of letter writing. And make sure you brush up on your British history, because there are a couple of political events that are unclear.

But for the most part, The Young Victoria is a very nice film.

The material is well handled by director Jean-Marc Vallée. There are some stunning visuals, particularly the opening sequence of Victoria’s coronation. The scene at the coronation ball where Albert and Victoria waltz is a scene of incredible tenderness and intimacy set against the grandeur and sumptuousness of the ball itself. And the costumes (my favourite part of period films) are wonderfully lavish.

The films greatest strength is its treatment of the romance between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The film thankfully restrains from being a ‘bodice ripper’ ala The Tudors and The Other Boleyn Girl and instead presents its audience with a quiet old-fashioned love story that is never in danger of veering towards melodrama.

Of course history (and to a lesser extent cinematic convention) tells us that Victoria and Albert will marry, but nevertheless the ride is as entertaining as ever. Rupert Friend as Prince Albert is, dare I say it, adorable. His boyish exuberance, particularly on receiving letters from Victoria, is incredibly endearing.

Emily Blunt is in fine form as Queen Victoria. She navigates the struggle of a young woman in a man’s role with simultaneous innocence and confidence. Neither Blunt nor the film is afraid of exploring Victoria’s faults, which thankfully stops the film from becoming a love letter to Queen Victoria. From what I read prior to the film’s release, I gather that The Young Victoria was supposed to elevate Emily Blunt to Academy Award nominee status. There is no doubt that Blunt is talented, but I don’t think that this film will do it. The performance does not have the impact Helen Mirren’s did as another royal in The Queen.


There is a certain amount of ‘Hollywoodisation” to the story- Albert’s being shot is a prime example, but that is likely to upset only the British history buffs. The scene in question is well executed and adds the required amount of drama to third act, but most importantly one can imagine that this could be historically accurate as fits seamlessly into the story of the film.


This is a good film. A solid film. But I wonder why it is a film at all. This is the sort of thing the BBC loves. It is a wonder that is not a made for TV movie of a miniseries, and I mean that as no discredit to the film makers. I am merely suggesting that the material would be better suited to small screen adaptation.


My only major problem with the film is the way it ignores the condition of England at the time. Of course, both Victoria and Albert demonstrate concern for the plight of the lower classes, much to the objection of some of the political figures present, but this seems merely superficial and to create the appearance of action towards helping the middle classes. I just cannot reconcile my knowledge of Victorian England with its presentation in the film. It seems such a small thing to be worried about, especially as it is not a major factor in the films story, but I have clearly been reading too much Dickens for my own good.


Should I see it?


For a fan of period dramas, Definitely.



The Young Victoria Official Site here.

Currently have 1 comments:

  1. Babar Khan says:
    November 15, 2017 at 8:18 PM  

    I like biopictures of love and real friendship. Nice to hear your site.

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