The Young Victoria
The Young Victoria (2009)
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Cast: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, etc.
Rated: PG. This review talks about how the movie is, content-wise.
My overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars. One thing which would have made it even BETTER would be a cameo appearance of Felix Mendelssohn, one of Victoria's (and my) favourite composers. But that would be too good to be true. ;)
The story: As the young, soon-to-be Queen of England, Victoria faces a difficult life ahead of her. She is surrounded by critics and politicians with their own agenda, such as the calm and collected Lord Melbourne and her mother's friend, the violent Sir John Conroy. Meanwhile, Prince Albert, of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, has plenty of pressure of his own to deal with, and it's with hesitance that he goes to meet Victoria, whom his relations want him to marry. Yet, unexpectedly, they both find in each other an understanding, genuine friend; and, that despite whatever schemers they meet in life, they can always depend on each other.
My thoughts: This movie turned out to be way better than I'd expected, and in about every aspect! I was thinking it'd be a nice, pretty, chick-flick kind of film, but it goes a lot deeper than that. In fact, it's so good, I hardly know where to begin.
Costumes, of course, were lovely; Victoria had so many different gowns, and Prince Albert's outfits were very nice too (especially the blue waistcoat). It makes a big difference that they actually designed some new costumes for this film, instead of digging something out of a closet, and I think their efforts were totally worthwhile in this respect. It was a pity that some of the costumes, like the yellow birthday gown, didn't get enough screen time, but one can't really complain, especially as there are some nice photos online of the dresses. The sets were also really detailed and tasteful, and I love the cinematography! There was a beautiful, rich look about the whole film, without looking too overdone or superficial; it's hard to describe, but I guess I'd call the lighting/cinematography as "natural but artistic". Or something like that. :)
The cast was excellent. Though Bettany as Melbourne did look too young, he nevertheless played the part very well, portraying a Lord Melbourne who is cool and composed no matter what the situation. Blunt was quite convincing as a young Queen Victoria; she is young Victoria, in the sense that I don't think I could see anybody else acting the part. Her facial expressions are perfect for the role, and she conveys the "half-Queen, half-inexperienced young lady" character wonderfully. Friend as Prince Albert was charming from start to finish; he really stole the show in some scenes!
Script was very, very good. There were all sorts of great moments, and some humour, too--like the part at the dinner where Victoria takes a big bite, then Lord Melbourne asks her a question (or something). I think most of us can relate. ;) Balance is the key word for this film: the characters were well-balanced (Victoria not being too timid or too fiery, too inexperienced or too authoritative, but some of each), the mood of the film was well-balanced (you'll laugh, and cry), and the plot/story was well-balanced overall. One of the best things about the film (in my opinion) was the way they wrote the proposal scene--it doesn't come when you expect it to, and when it does happen, it's not over-dramatized or anything, but instead quite realistic.
People have said that Blunt and Friend's Victoria & Albert didn't have much chemistry, but I quite disagree. This is a very romantic film, and now one of my favourites. Like my mom said, you have to understand the personalities and the era. Not only were Victoria and Albert (as here portrayed) naturally both rather quiet people, but they also had to maintain reserve, due to the standards of the era and their being public figures. Besides, I think writing letters and having serious talks with each other, as in this film, very romantic. In fact, I could have done with fewer kissing scenes, lol. This movie also has one of the best ballroom dances I've seen yet. <3
The soundtrack was epic, and deserves a paragraph of its own. There was only one theme that really stood out as being a consistent theme: Schubert's Serenade (aka Swan Song), best rendition/context I've heard and I'm not really a fan of that song. But in this kind of story, a solid theme song isn't a must; the soundtrack instead consists of various themes, most of which are orchestral and set the mood. I got the soundtrack from iTunes, and it's great stuff--some of my favourite tracks are "The King's Birthday" (which quotes Paganini), "Lord Melbourne", and "Constitutional Crisis" (which reminds me of A Tale of Two Cities). "The First Waltz" is also really nice.
All in all, I was sad to see it end; it's the sort of movie that you wish went on longer. You come to really care about the characters: Victoria, learning how to fulfill her role in life, and Albert, eager to be her help and support. It's a great movie on several different levels, and I highly recommend it!
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