Okay, so the Young Victoria isn't perhaps the type of film I would usually watch. It's not that I shy away from period dramas, it's just that I find myself drawn to them infrequently. This one however has a few things going for it that intrigued me. Despite learning about her in year 5 at school, and despite the fact that she was our longest reigning monarch I know relatively little about Queen Victoria besides a few basic facts. Secondly the script was written by Julian Fellowes who was the scribe of Gosford Park and more recently Downton Abbey. I thought Gosford Park was fantastic, and whilst I have not seen Downton Abbey I understand that it is very well received by all. So I thought I would give The Young Victoria a go.
Now I'm not sure exactly how accurate this film is from a historical point of view. Indeed I understand that one scene toward the end of the film is entirely fabricated for a clear narrative. However, as you come to expect these types of things from all non-documentary film making you can forgive them much easier. The script though is indeed well written, and provides us with a fresh view on Victoria. I believe the most interesting aspect of this film is that it concentrates on Victoria at a time when she is not well remembered. After all, everyone can summon the image of the old Victoria dressed all in black and not a smile to be seen, but few could picture the young queen who first took to the throne. So from this perspective the film has a reason to be.
The Victoria we are presented with goes through quite a character transformation. Some things remain constant, she is always strong willed and independent, fighting for what she believes to be right, whether it supports her public image or not. She is shown to be a caring Queen who looks out for her subjects and tries to offer them the best standard of living available. However the transformation she goes through is one of maturity. It would be absurd to assume that, despite being groomed for the role her entire life, that anyone would be ready to govern a nation, at any stage of their life, let alone when you're still a teenager. So to begin with Victoria, despite trying to remain very much her own monarch, relies heavily on the advice of others; slightly lost within the politics of it all. However, as time goes on she begins to reject all advice and aid, even when it is given to her by her husband with the best of intentions. I believe that at the end of the film, when she reaches full maturity (perhaps the film ends here because she could no longer be described as young?) She decides to let Albert deal with some of her responsibilities alone, and help her with others. She has learned to accept advice, but not to follow it blindly.
Again, I don't know how true the film is, but it feels like a real story, so even if it's not factual, it never feels made up. This is helped too by a great cast that includes Mark Strong, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, as well as the title character being played by Emily Blunt. All of them are fantastic in their roles, Paul Bettany too shines as the Prime Minister. The only weak link is Albert, played by Rupert Friend. It's not that he's no good in the role, it's that the role isn't any good. The character of Albert is fairly uninteresting, as his only motivation appears to be love. There's a plot with his uncle who appears to be trying to get a foothold into the British monarchy, but this isn't fully explored and Albert remains a fairly blank slate.
Overall I think the film is solid enough, but I feel as though too much time was spent rehashing the same old sentiments early on, with little time devoted to her eventual transformation into a successful monarch. I don't know whether the script needed restructuring or whether it needed elongating, but the ending just seemed to wrap up all too quickly for my liking. This isn't an amazing film, I would probably never watch it again. However I do feel as though I learned something new watching it, and with believable characters and a strong cast and strong dialogue it was an enjoyable experience whilst I was watching it.
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