Nov 22, 2010
<i>"I am young, but I am willing to learn, and I mean to devote my life to the service of my country and my people. I look for your help in this. I know I shall not be disappointed. Thank you."</i><p>
This is the story of Queen Victoria as a youth, and how she became one of the most famous monarchs in history. <i>The Young Victoria</i>, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, stars a very beautiful Emily Blunt as Victoria, and with a screenplay by Julian Fellowes, the film is a sophisticated history piece.
<u>SUMMARY:</u><p>
Victoria (Emily Blunt) has been protected from birth from the outside world by her mother the Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson) and by her mother's advisor Sir John Conroy (Mark Strong). But it's the politics of Europe that envelop the future Queen as the German side of her family vie for influence over her, as they try to set up a marriage with Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). King William (Jim Broadbent), her uncle, dies and leaves the throne to Victoria. But her relationship with Prime Minister Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany) soon leads to internal political problems.
<u>REVIEW:</u><p>
The historical events of Victoria are wonderfully scripted by Julian Fellowes - the film feels absolutely convincing. The creation of Victoria is terrific, and she's a character with charm. At times, we do feel sympothy for her. She's respectable as well, with the responsible decisions she makes once she learns how to rule - there is character development with Victoria. I found the love story between her and Prince Albert to be most <b>romantic</b>, and even very touching. John Conroy is quite the villain, and the way the events play out in the film is well written - the script is paced perfectly. The dialogue is sophisticated and keeps the film convincing as ever. You can tell that there has been a lot of work put into the development of the screenplay - it's quite detailed. At times, the political side of things is very hard to follow, as there's a lot of back-stabbing and complicated plans. Despite this, the story of Queen Victoria is told with skill and even a bit of love.
Emily Blunt... is... <b>AMAZING</b>. She truly is. Never have I witnessed such a beautiful performance, especially from an actress of her age. She is one of the best young screen actresses, and her potrayal of Victoria is amazingly believable. Rupert Friend is also impressive as Albert, and he does share a certain amount of chemistry with Blunt. Miranda Richardson brought class to the role of the Duchess of Kent, and Mark Strong, again, plays the bad guy we love to hate, and as always, does it well. Jim Broadbent's brief appearance as the King was very enjoyable, and I quite liked Paul Bettany as Lord Melbourne.
Visually speaking, <i>The Young Victoria</i> is almost perfect. Everything seen on-screen is just magical, particularly the detailed and elegant costumes. Fashion Fans will adore all of the Queen's gowns. They all look grand. The sets all have a classy look, and have been designed beautifully. Along with the sets, the shooting locations are all superb, and look breathtaking. But none of these qualities could have shined as bright as they did with out the help of cinematographer Hagen Bogdanski, who photographs everything with skill. Edited by Jill Bilcock and Matt Garner, the film features a lavish score by Ilan Eshkeri, which contrasts very well with the look of the film. The film moves along at a cracking pace, and all the props look so detailed - a lot of work has gone into the creation of this story.
<i>The Young Victoria</i> is a work of art. I'm not familiar with the story of Queen Victoria, so I've no idea if everything shown here is true - but I don't care! This is a beautifully crafted drama, and one of the most touching love stories ever. Emily Blunt is the main highlight of the film, along with the elegant costumes and detailed sets. Highly Recommended.
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Verified