The Young Victoria

Title: The Young Victoria
Directed By: Jean-Marc Vallee
Principle Actors: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany
Brief Description: A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert. (via imdb.com)
My Rating: 5 out of 5


Most biopics about royalty suck. Yup. They suck. Look at Marie Antoinette from Coppola. Beautiful, yes, but also horrible. The Duchess, was good, but not great. Anyone remember 1995's Catherine the Great? Anyone? No? 


This one didn't suck. This one was the opposite of suck. Ok, maybe not the opposite, cause that would be 'blow', and it didn't blow. 


It was great!


Most biopics suck because they try to cram an entire lifetime into a 2 hour movie. Life rarely has a plot. Episodes in our lives have plots; but rarely does an entire lifetime. A movie absolutely must have a plot, a problem, something that needs to be resolved. Otherwise you're looking at a giant yawn fest *coughMarieAntoinettecough*. The Young Victoria is able to avoid this pitfall. It focuses exclusively on her coming of age and the first few years of her reign. The plot, which is simply her learning to be a queen and a woman, is not very dramatic, but the writers limited themselves to moments within those few years that leant themselves to the drama of cinema. For instance, Victoria meeting Albert for the first time, getting crowned, having a fight with the prime minister and the fallout over that, assassination attempts etc. All of those things were connected and lent themselves to the progression of the plot, the growth of Victoria. There was a very clear storyline, and it was a good story.


The acting was also superb. Emily Blunt did a magnificent job with the growth of her character. She started the movie when the character was about 17. Those scenes were superbly acted. Blunt gave her character a perfect mix of maturity and childishness. There were times when she simply couldn't help herself and you could see the young girl, but there was also the strength and power of a woman. 


I love it when directors can give you two separate yet similar scenes to show a characters growth. The best example of this occurred at the opera. In the movie Victoria loved going to the opera. The first time we see her there she is a teen. She gazes rapturously at the stage and is completely oblivious to the nuanced machinations of those around her (she is mouthing every word sung on stage while her conniving mother and boyfriend are signaling to others). The second time we see her at the opera she is a queen. This time she is observing the opera but she is now very aware of what is going on in the balconies around her (someone shouts an insult, and instead of reacting she very smoothly takes care of it). Kudos to Ms. Blunt for such a stellar performance.

Add to the wonderful storyline and amazing acting some beautifully authentic costumes and you've got yourself a major winner on all counts.  I'm a bit of a costume nut and the fact that one of my favorite museums is the Victoria and Albert... well, I was going to be very upset if they didn't get the costumes right. But they did! Take a peek:

Le sigh. Superb aren't they?

Anywho. This really is a very good movie. Slightly educational, stellar performances all around, drama, romance, intrigue, and even a bit of action; fun for the whole family!

Highly recommended.