User Reviews

Apart from having the longest reign in British history (63 years), Queen Victoria also holds two other distinctions. She was, apart from our current Queen, the oldest ever British monarch, living to the age of 81. And she was also the youngest ever British (as opposed to English or Scottish) monarch, coming to the throne as a girl of eighteen. And yet whenever television or the cinema make a programme or film about her, they seem far more interested in the older Victoria than they do in the young girl; the version of Victoria with which modern audiences will probably be most familiar is Judi Dench in "Mrs Brown". "The Young Victoria" tries to redress the balance by showing us the events surrounding her accession and the early years of her reign. It has the rare distinction of being produced by a former Royal, Sarah Duchess of York, whose daughter Princess Beatrice makes a brief appearance as an extra.

There are three main strands to the plot. The first concerns the intrigues of Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, a highly unpopular figure even with her own daughter, largely because of the influence of her adviser Sir John Conroy, who was widely rumoured to be her lover. (According to one unfounded rumour he, and not the late Duke of Kent, was Victoria's natural father). The second strand concerns the growing romance between Victoria and her German cousin Prince Albert, and the attempts of King Leopold of Belgium, who was uncle to both of them, to influence this romance. (Leopold's hope was to increase the prestige of the House of Saxe-Coburg, to which both he and Albert belonged). The third concerns one of the strangest episodes in British political history, the Bedchamber Crisis of 1839, when supporters of the Tory Party (which had traditionally supported a strong monarchy) rioted because the young Queen was perceived to favour the Whig Party and their leader Lord Melbourne, even though the Whigs had historically supported a quasi-republican system of government, with the monarch reduced to a figurehead.

Scriptwriter Julian Fellowes is known for his Conservative views, and at times I wondered if this may have coloured his treatment of political themes, as he seems to lean to the side of the Tories, the predecessors of the modern Conservative party. Their leader Robert Peel is shown as statesmanlike and dignified, whereas Melbourne, for all his dash and charm, is shown as devious and uninterested in social reform. There may be some truth is these characterisations, but Fellowes glosses over the fact that only a few years earlier the Tories had opposed the Reform Act, which ended the corrupt electoral system of rotten boroughs, and that they had benefited from William IV's unconstitutional dismissal of a Whig administration.

Lessons in dynastic and constitutional history do not always transfer well to the cinema screen, and this one contains its share of inaccuracies. Prince Albert, for example, was not injured in Edward Oxford's attempt on Victoria's life, and Melbourne (in his late fifties at the time of Victoria's accession) was not as youthful as he is portrayed here by Paul Bettany. King William IV certainly disliked the Duchess of Kent (who was his sister-in-law), but I doubt if he would have gone so far as to bawl abuse at her during a state banquet, as he is shown doing here. I also failed to understand the significance of the scene in which the Duchess and Conroy try to force Victoria to sign a "Regency Order"; the Duchess's constitutional position was made clear by the Regency Act 1830, which provided that she would become Regent if her daughter was still under eighteen at the time of her accession. No piece of paper signed by Victoria could have altered the provisions of the Act.

There are also occasional infelicities. In one early scene we see Victoria and Albert playing chess while comparing themselves to pawns being moved around a chessboard, a metaphor so hackneyed that the whole scene should have come complete with a "Danger! Major cliché ahead!" warning. Yet in spite of scenes like this, I came to enjoy the film. There were some good performances, especially from Miranda Richardson as the scheming Duchess and Mark Strong as the obnoxious Conroy. It is visually very attractive, being shot in sumptuous style we have come to associate with British historical drama. Jim Broadbent gives an amusing turn as King William, although he does occasionally succumb to the temptation of going over the top. (Although not as disastrously over the top as he was in "Moulin Rouge").

The main reason for the film's success, however, is the performances of Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend as the two young lovers Victoria and Albert. Blunt is probably more attractive than Victoria was in real life, but in her delightful portrayal the Queen is no longer the old lady of the popular imagination, the black-clad Widow of Windsor who was perpetually not amused, but a determined, strong-minded and loving young woman. Her love for Albert, and their happy family life together, was one of the main reasons why the monarchy succeeded in reestablishing itself in the affections of the British people. (With the exception of George III, Victoria's Hanoverian ancestors had been notoriously lacking in the matrimonial virtues). Blunt and Friend make "The Young Victoria" a touching romance and a gripping human drama as well as an exploration of a key period in British history. 8/10

Sometimes I'm glad that my grasp of English history is pathetically feeble. It makes movies like "The Young Victoria" much more suspenseful than they might otherwise be. I of course knew that Victoria reigned for a large part of the 19th century and that she died in 1901; I also knew that she was a renowned and powerful monarch. I didn't know much about her love life, and "The Young Victoria" filled that gap in my knowledge nicely.

Emily Blunt plays Victoria with a distinctly modern edge of feminism which may feel a bit anachronistic to picky historian purists but which also works. After all, women like Victoria WERE the feminists of their time, forced into making their mark in what was largely a man's world by a man's terms. I'm convinced that Blunt is one of the most promising of today's young actors. She has tremendous presence on screen; while she's on it, you don't want to look anywhere else. That presence is somewhat wasted in this movie, because her biggest competition comes not from any other actors but from the period sets and costumes. But she gives this rather light and inconsequential film some substance by virtue of simply being in it.

Rupert Friend plays Albert, the man Victoria eventually marries, while Paul Bettany plays her chief adviser and confidant, the man angling to get himself married to her for his own political gain. The cast of British regulars also includes Jim Broadbent, who gets crazier with every role he plays, Miranda Richardson, as Victoria's doormat of a mother, and, notable in a small role, Harriet Walter as Victoria's widowed aunt and the only person other than her eventual husband who gives her any advice that's worth a damn.

Grade: B+

Princess Victoria (Emily Blunt) is in line for the throne of England. The present King William (Jim Broadbent) is not well and may not live long. However, Vicky's scheming mother, The Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richandson) and her aide, John (Mark Strong) want to force Victoria to sign papers declaring them to be the "regents" until she is older, since she is only 20 years of age. The young lady refuses, despite John slapping her around. It is another sign that Victoria has a strong will and deep love for her country. Yet, when William does pass away, shortly after her 21st birthday, Victoria knows she has a heavy duty before her. First, she must surround herself with the "right" advisers to govern wisely. She chooses handsome Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany) who, although an older man, is mentioned as a suitor for Vicky. Which brings us to the young queen's second major decision. Sooner than not, the young queen should select her future mate, as it will bring stability to her life and to those of the kingdom, for an heir must appear in the coming years. Meanwhile, in Germany, some distant relatives of the British royal family are hatching some plans as well. Handsome Prince Albert (Rupert Friend), of the Saxon-Coburg dynasty, is prodded by his father to court the young English royal. Once he arrives at the palace, he is smitten and the feeling seems to be mutual. But, since he is a minor player on the map of royal match-making, can he succeed in winning her heart? This is a lovely film, made even better by a completely winning performance by Emily Blunt as Victoria. Yes, she is beautiful but it is her intelligent reading of the role that scores mightily. Friend, too, does well, as do the other actors, including Broadbent, Richardson, Bettany, Strong (what a repulsive role!), and the rest. Also, the movie is gorgeously shot, costumed, and set, making it a visual treat in every way. If anything is lacking, it is an extra dose of dazzle, as the film seems a bit too straightforward and prosaic, at times, with a somewhat unimaginative edit. However, this is only a minor, minor point of argument in an overall very successful and gorgeous film. In short, young and old, should make time for Young Victoria. It is a most worthy film among 2009 cinematic offerings.

I went into this expecting not to like it; I figured it would be terribly worthy and earnest, and rather plodding and dull.

It's actually far better than that, and I found myself really enjoying it. I don't know too much about Queen Victoria beyond what most know - married to Albert, who died young, and she mourned him ever after. Seeing the circumstances she grew up under was fascinating; in fact I found myself wishing I'd seen more of the story, and I imagine we may see a sequel at some point.

Visually the film is stunning. The sets and costumes are incredibly lavish without being too gaudy and over the top. The acting is top notch from everybody involved.

In a word, it was great!

Despite some reviews being distinctly Luke-warm, I found the story totally engrossing and even if some critics have described the love story as 'Mills and Boon', so what? It is good to see a warm, touching story of real love in these cynical times. Many in the audience were sniffing and surreptitiously dabbing their eyes. You really believe that the young Victoria and Albert are passionately fond of each other, even though, for political reasons, it was an arranged marriage. I did feel though that Sir John Conroy, who was desperate to control the young Queen, is perhaps played too like a pantomime villain. As it is rumoured that he was in fact, the real father of Victoria (as a result of an affair with her mother The Duchess of Kent) it would have been interesting to explore this theory. Emily Blunt is totally convincing as the young Princess, trapped in the stifling palace with courtiers and politicians out to manipulate her. She brilliantly portrays the strength of character and determination that eventually made Victoria a great Queen of England, which prospered as never before, under her long reign. I believe word of mouth recommendations will ensure great success for this most enjoyable and wonderful looking movie.

Greetings again from the darkness. Emily Blunt would have stolen The Devil Wears Prada if not for the queen of screen, Meryl Streep. Here she competes with no one and does a nice job of carrying the film based on the early years of Queen Victoria. If you are rusty on your British sovereign history, she ruled from 1837-1901.

For 20 of these years, she was married to her true love, Prince Albert (played well by Rupert Friend). While the two meet as youngsters, the bond between them comes from their letters ... an early precursor to eHarmony?? We know Victoria mostly from royal portraits, so it's nice to see her as a rebellious youngster trying to learn the tricks of the trade, even while being manipulated like a pawn by her mother (Miranda Richardson) and her lover (Mark Strong). We get to see her tenacity blossom as she matures and literally grows into the monarchy.

While Ms. Blunt's performance is strong, Julian Fellowes' writing is not at the level of his previous work in Gosford Park. We do get some of the same power plays, but it is missing the nuances of that much better film.

The Young Victoria (2009) directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, is a love story between a young woman and a young man. What makes it an interesting movie is that the young woman happens to be the Queen of England. The love story between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert has been told many times. This particular account of their romance succeeds because of several factors. It has great production values, it has reasonable historical accuracy, and it has Emily Blunt as Victoria.

The production values are what we expect from a BBC-style historical drama. It's impossible to deny the pleasure of watching actors wearing period costumes as they move through great English manor houses and castles.

Experts in Victoriana point out lapses in historical details, but, as far as I can tell, the main historical aspects of the film are accurate. More importantly, the plot goes beyond politics to emphasize the stultifying atmosphere in which Victoria was raised. Until she reaches her majority, her life is ruled by her overbearing mother. The fact that Victoria survived this upbringing with her psyche more or less unscathed is a testament to her psychological resilience. This makes the story more than simply a historical drama.

Emily Blunt is perfect as the young Victoria. Her attractive features are enhanced by her flawless, glowing complexion. She does, indeed, bear a likeness to portraits of Queen Victoria as a young woman, and she is as convincing in her role as Helen Mirren was as Queen Elizabeth II.

This movie is worth seeing as a love story and as a study of the psychological attributes of a young woman whose circumstances have made her a queen. It will lose something on a small screen, but it's worth seeking out on DVD if unavailable in a theater.

P.S. A special exhibition of art collected by, and portraying, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert will be shown at the Queen's Gallery in London through October 31, 2010.

Rupert Friend gives a performance, as Prince Albert, that lifts "The Young Victoria" to unexpected levels. He is superb. As we know, Queen Victoria fell into a dark, deep depression after Prince Albert's death and looking into Ruper Friend's eyes I understood. The film doesn't take us to his death but to an incident that may very well could have cost his life. An act of love. I believed it, or I should say, him. I believed what he felt was real. Nothing or anybody gets anywhere near the delicacy and profundity of Friend's characterization. Emily Blunt is good but I didn't believe for a minute she was Victoria. No real sense of period. It may no have been her fault but her prince deserved the crown.

This is a movie that deserves a better direction, specially a much better art direction. The history of the Queen Victoria is fascinating and deserves a better director and better casting. The role of King Leopold from Belgium was given to Thomas Kretschmann. Could this be given to a worst actor ?! Hard to believe how someone can be so least convincing. Some great actors nonetheless (Jim Broadbent, Mark Strong) save the movie and make it worth while but still, this important period of England and Europe history deserves a much better casting and directing. Stil a movie to see, maybe on DVD at home instead on a theather !

Enjoyed the movie very much. Certainly will leave the audience wanting to know more, and there is truly a lot more historically to find out!

Did the production team fall to the temptation of over dramatization, particularly of the shooting event? There is a ton of interesting accurate material hinted at? Prince Albert's contribution to UK and the monarchy warrants a movie on it's own but granted that was apparently not part of the intention here.

The costumes and sets are especially good but am I alone in thinking that this production (which judging by the length of titles at the end was certainly not a cheap one) wanted badly for a British Court historical etiquette expert beyond the Duchess of York? i.e. Did Princess Victoria really stuff an entire truffle/rissole(?) into her mouth while speaking to the Prime Minister in the company of His Majesty with her mouth full?

'Could never really felt that sympathetic to Victoriain this movie, or indeed in her shoes at all. Yet loved the casting of the principals, whose acting was convincing, so did the script really allow us to really get to know them well? I always felt like a totally detached, uninformed outside observer, much more so than with "Mrs. Brown" or even "The Queen". Yet to be honest I still could not take my eyes off the screen, except that is for some of the more avant-garde camera techniques which were distracting from time to time.

"You are confusing stubbornness with strength, my dear. And I warn you, the people will not like you for it."

I think I've seen more of these British historical/period dramas in the past year than I had seen in the entirety of the previous twenty-three years of my life. I guess I've become somewhat of a fan of the genre. The Young Victoria is similar in quality to the two prior to it that I've seen: The Duchess and The Other Boelyn Girl. I've actually given them all the same rating; but for different reasons. 

As in those movies, the crucial performance of the film rests on the shoulders of a young actress, and I thought that Emily did an admirable job. I'd put her turn as Queen Victoria slightly behind Keira Knightley's role  in The Duchess, and slightly ahead of Portman and Johansson as the Boelyn sisters. She expertly handles the role of a very young, inexperienced woman who steps into position of huge power and must deal with the countless suspect influences of those around her.

The settings and costumes are as opulent as one would expect from a movie like this, and perfectly serve to immerse the viewer into upper crust nineteenth century England. The story is also what one would expect, with all the drama and focus on romance that these sorts of movies are known for indulging it. I found the last 15 minutes or so to be slightly disappointing, as they devolved into overly melodramatic romance and a sort of cliché montage that was at odds with the quality of the scenes that preceded it. That earned The Young Victoria a slightly lower score, but it's still a minor complaint.

I recommend this to anyone who has a preference for these kinds of romanticized takes on the nobility of yesteryear. It's still not the truly great entry into the genre that I'd like to see (I've heard that Elizabeth is very good, perhaps I should try that), but fans of similar movies won't be disappointed.

The 63 year reign of Queen Victoria is perhaps one of the most documented and popularly known historical reigns in British history. On the one hand, her story lacks the theatrics of earlier royals thanks to a change in social climate and attitudes, and on the other her story is one that perpetuates because it is notably human. Taking on the earlier years of her life where the budding romance between herself and the German Prince Albert was taking forefront, director Jean-Marc Vallée who has only until recently remained in the unbeknownst shadows of the industry here takes Victoria's story and captures that human element so vital to her legacy. It's a story that feels extremely humble considering its exuberant background, and yet that's partly what gives it a distinct edge here that separates it from the usual fare.

Taking a very direct and focused approach that centres in on a brief five or so year period between her ascension and marriage to Albert, The Young Victoria does what so little period pieces of this nature offer. Instead of attempting a sprawling encapsulation of such a figure's entire life, Vallée instead opts to show one of the lesser known intricacies of Victoria's early years which are easily overlooked in favour of the more publicly known accolades. The result is a feature that may disgruntle historians thanks to its relatively flippant regards to facts and the like, yet never to let document get in the way of extracting a compelling story, writer Julian Fellowes sticks to his guns and delivers a slightly romanticised yet convincing portrayal. Vallée takes this and runs, making sure to fully capitalise on those elements with enough restraint to maintain integrity in regards to both the history involved and the viewer watching.

A major part in the joy of watching The Young Victoria play out however simply lies in the production values granted here that bring early 1800's Regal Britain to life with a vigorous realism so rarely achieved quite so strikingly by genre films. Everything from the costume designs, sets, hair styles, lighting and photography accentuates the grandiose background inherent to Victoria's story without ever over-encumbering it. Indeed, while watching Vallée's interpretation come to life here it is very hard not to be sucked in solely through the aesthetics that permeates the visual element; and then there's the film's score also which works tremendously to further the very elegant yet personal tones that dominate Fellowes' script. Entwining the works of Schubert and Strauss into Victoria and Albert's story not only works as a point of reference for the characters to play with, but also melds to the work with an elegance and refrain that echoes composer Ilan Eshkeri's original work just as well.

Yet for all the poignant compositions, lush backdrops and immaculate costumes that punctuate every scene, the single most important factor here—and indeed to most period dramas—are the performances of the cast and how they help bring the world they exist in to life. Thankfully The Young Victoria is blessed with an equally immaculate ensemble of thespians both young and old that do a fantastic job of doing just that. Between the sweet, budding romance of Victoria (Emily Blunt) and Albert (Rupert Friend) and the somewhat antagonistic struggles of her advisors and the like (spearheaded by a terrific Mark Strong and Paul Bettany), the conflicts and warmth so prevalent to Fellowe's screenplay are conveyed perfectly here by all involved which helps keep the movie from being a plastic "nice to look at but dim underneath" affair so common with these outings.

In the end, it's hard to fault a work such as The Young Victoria. It's got a perfectly touching and human sense of affection within its perfectly paced romance, plus some historical significance that plays as an intriguing source of interest for those in the audience keen on such details. Of course, it may not take the cinematic world by storm and there lacks a certain significance to its overall presence that stops it from ever becoming more than just a poignantly restrained romantic period drama; yet in a sense this is what makes it enjoyable. Vallée never seems to be striving for grandeur, nor does he seem content at making a run-of-the-mill escapist piece for aficionados. Somewhere within this gray middle-ground lies The Young Victoria, sure to cater to genre fans and those a little more disillusioned by the usual productions; beautiful, memorable but most of all, human.

• A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)

The cinematic interests in the British monarchy continues with The Young Victoria (1837 to 1901), after having seen in recent years, the efforts with Keira Knightley's The Duchess, Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth films, and Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman's take on the Boleyn sisters with The Other Boleyn Girl. More contemporary stories would include Helen Mirren's award winning portrayal of The Queen on the current reign of Queen Elizabeth II at the turn of Princess Diana's death.

Each of the films mentioned featured stunning actresses with acting gravitas (ok, so some may dispute Johansson) or were the flavour of their moment, and each film had a definitive moment in their historical character's legacy that it becomes a no brainer to have those events featured, and in fact Elizabeth had enough to span two films. However, The Young Victoria, as the title already suggests, is a lite-version of the young queen's life, and if you're looking for that definitive event, or the staple political intrigue that plague all royal households and their dealings with shady, self-serving politicians, unfortunately there's nothing of depth here.

That's not to say The Young Victoria is without. Directed by Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee (best known for CRAZY) and written by Julian Fellowes, this film chronicles in very plain terms, ,the life and times of Victoria (Emily Blunt, soon becoming the new It girl) when she was a child, the troubles she faced before Coronation such as the eagerness of her mom The Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson) and her adviser Sir John Conroy (Mark Strong) to appoint themselves as joint-Regent to her throne, as already planned for by reigning King William (Jim Broadbent). As if that wasn't enough, the political power play enters the picture with Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany) being a Prime Minister-in-waiting trying to gain the trust of the new Queen, and subtly plants his own trusted allies into positions within the palace. On one hand you'd understand the need for a young, and new Queen to have trusted people in key positions, but on the other, are they really acting in her interests, or in the interests of others?

Even this angle of intrigue creeps into her romantic story with Prince Albert (Rupert Friend), where their relationship forms the bulk of the second half of the film, and pretty much everything already included in the trailers. For both, they've been brought up under the influence of others, and told each step of the way exactly what to do. Even their union may seem like a firm registration of an alliance, if not for both lovers recognizing their common need to establish their own grounding, and to do so with the help of each other. Instead of being pawns, there's this constant search and probing of opportunities to break out of stifling, and at times absurd, rules and regulations. Trust also becomes a much valued commodity, and loyalty too can be traded for wanting to set the slate clean.

However, all these themes become but a breeze through the narrative, from childhood to romance, marriage and children. In fact, there's so much fast-forwarding here, especially the last few minutes filled with inter-titles, that it actually leaves the audience wanting for more, and room of course for another movie, which I suspect would probably not see the light of day, but perhaps a television series might pick up on the film's response, and come out with a mini-series or such. It's a pity that all the effort here in ensuring the gorgeous costumes, sets and art direction would be confined to a film that's quite lightweight in theme and brief mention of issues, that they don't really challenge the protagonists in order to allow for some overcoming of character-defining adversary.

With its star-studded cast, one would expect more, but one would be left wanting more instead. Recommended for those who are ever curious about Kings and Queens in the British Monarchy, only as a complement to other more engaging stories available in the other films already mentioned.

I just came back from seeing The Young Victoria. What a beautiful movie! Despite some flaws, I think it's probably the strongest costume drama we've had since 2006's Amazing Grace, although unlike Amazing Grace I don't think it's going to become one of my favorites. Let me set out by stating my problem with the movie: the pacing (also a common criticism of AG, but one that I considered unfounded in that instance). A large portion of it consists of a flashback, and a very awkwardly set up flashback at that; however, even putting that sequence aside, the narrative structure is just odd. The various scenes and plot threads just seem to be cobbled together without any dramatic purpose. But then again, I caught myself thinking that this approach—while questionable artistically—might better reflect real life than a more typical scriptwriting/editing job. The ending, too, doesn't feel particularly conclusive, but again this seems to be a conscious decision. Whether these things sink the movie or not is debatable, but they certainly distracted me.

However, The Young Victoria is also one of the best, most human love stories I've seen on the screen in many years. If what it shows us is factual, Victoria and Albert were a couple who really loved each other in every sense of the word, in spite of each others' mistakes, and in spite of the political maneuvering going on around them. Their refreshingly chaste courtship makes the intimacy they achieve in marriage that much more beautiful and satisfying: many of the scenes during their honeymoon period are highly sensual without being explicitly sexual, and the whole presentation just reeks of taste and class. But their relationship isn't idealized, either. They fight rather bitterly at one point, but make up later. (This scene does go rather over-the-top when Victoria accuses Albert for walking over her simply because she's a woman—a comment that seemed a little too modern in a movie that otherwise sticks close to the values of its period.)

Emily Blunt and Rupert Fiend do a beautiful job portraying this fascinating couple. Blunt manages to make Victoria a strong woman without falling into many of the standard Hollywood Strong Women clichés; again, she seems to be very much a woman of the period, but one with her own moral convictions. Friend's performance is similarly refreshing. Too often men in period movies are so charismatic and "in control" that they don't seem quite real; Friend's Albert, on the other hand, is timid, quiet, and has struggled with many of the same social inhibitions as Victoria. At the same time, he never comes across as a ninny. Kudos to them both!

The rest of the cast is quite strong, with Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Mark Strong, and Harriet Walter all giving laudable performances, but not star turns. This too is in keeping with the film: it is Victoria and Albert whom we are supposed to remember. The costumes and cinematography are simply gorgeous, and the soundtrack by Ilan Eshketi (whom people may know from Stardust) is going straight to the top of my wish-list.

Recommended to all costume drama lovers.

The Young Victoria luckily has a story, and even better than that, it has good actors. That's where a film like The Other Boleyn Girl fails. The acting just didn't match the characters. Emily Blunt, who has quickly risen up the ranks into Hollywood A-list status, gives one of her better performances, worthy of her Golden Globe nomination, as the famed English monarch Queen Victoria.

The film follows Victoria in the year leading up to her coronation and into the first few years of her reign, including her relationship of Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). Victoria was a very protected and sheltered princess who was under constant surveillance by her mother and close friend and adviser. Victoria was next in line to take the crown once the King had passed, on so naturally a lot of attention as to when she would ascend to the thrown and how was being discussed. One thing is clear; Victoria does not want to be treated like a child.

Her budding romance with Prince Albert starts before she is made Queen. The Prince is selected to try and win her affection as a political ally, but one thing leads to another and the two become smitten with each other. Albert is aware that the two of them are very young and must look out for one another, especially in the realm of politics. So called "friends" can become powerful influences on the crown, especially in the case of Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany), who imposes his political party's agenda upon the queen in a back door sort of way, surrounding her with his own people.

Victoria learns quickly, and so do we, that the game of politics is a dicey one. It's hard to see which side people are really on, and by the time you do it might be too late.

I was pleased with the pace and direction of this movie. It could have been too much about the fashion or too much about the politics, but it balanced the two out pretty well. Blunt and Friend are fine opposite each other, playfully going back and forth with their Victorian era flirtations. There is a definite bond their that shows up well on screen.

The rest of the cast does an excellent job. Bettany, Miranda Richardson as Victoria's mother the Duchess of Kent, Mark Strong as Sir John Conroy, the Duchess' adviser, and a nice cameo by Jim Broadbent as an ailing King William. Bettany in particular plays his role quite well, never really telling us whether he is helping the Queen out or trying to do good for himself alone.

The costumes are quite authentic and well made. They don't always distract the viewer's eye but at times they are a bit showy. I guess those were the times. The sets are incredibly detailed. I particularly liked the attention paid to the little knick-knacks and pieces of furniture in the bedrooms and studies. It felt like people were living there.

It wasn't a perfect film and it did have it's dull moments. I thought it ended nicely and didn't wander off to take us places where we didn't need to go.

THE YOUNG VICTORIA (2009), directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, is a simple love story and performs a great job at romanticizing such by wooing the heart of many a teen and twenty-something girl who still wish they were a princess with a showcase of glamorous balls, elaborate costumes and a good-looking prince with a sharp accent. For every other demographic watching the film, this reviewer included, the political intrigue of a dying king, an overbearing mother and a manipulative PM, however, isn't quite as rewarding.

Emily Blunt, who, as it has been noted, fought for this role, passing on the opportunity to co-star in the comicbook film IRON MAN 2, proved that she had every right to play the monarch and did so with a beautifully royal countenance. Along side of her, Rupert Friend is both dashing and enjoyable as her loving paramour bringing an elegance to an otherwise everyman role.

Where the film fails, if the telling of two people successfully in love is a failure, is that aside from the romantic yearning and positively – ahem – Victorian dating rituals practiced within, the viewer does not get to witness the social policies that her reign was responsible for or any true conflict thereof. She has almost already won before the film ends. In contrast, Shekhar Kapur's ELIZABETH (1998) weds the yearning of romance with hard, state-wide deliberations and a very dangerous conflict, thus creating a more compelling film.

The conflict in this film comes as a result of two different characters and types of love. The first is Paul Bettany in an outstanding performance as Lord Melbourne, Queen Victoria's PM. Melbourne courts Victoria and offers love but his is a love of power with wedding Victoria as a clever and manipulative means to grabbing all. The other is King William played by Jim Broadbent, truly the king of acting nobility, who loves his niece and realizes that his own paternal instincts were denied by allowing the Duchess of Kent, her mother, to control every aspect of the young soon-to-be-queen's life. Alas, Broadbent's scenes are shorter than a drink of champagne and Bettany's are as political as the U.S. President in any Jerry Bruckheimer presentation.

THE YOUNG VICTORIA is an enjoyable, romantic film to watch with clever dialogue and outstanding locations. However, the Young Victoria will always be a girl when compared the rich majesty that was Elizabeth.

There's something about historical epics that make us movie fans flock to the movie theaters in raw expectation, and stop my beating heart if that historical epic were to be an accurate, well-researched and moving romance. What greater delight is there than watching a nice, good romance while learning a good portion of history, all enveloped in an exquisitely-crafted film? Jean-Marc Vallée's charming "The Young Victoria" skillfully lives up to the aforementioned characteristics, and creates a feel-good movie experience that has your heart guzzling and your mind racing in excitement throughout its entirety.

Yes, we love monarchs and their epic, larger-than-life experiences. One such monarch we all fondly remember is Queen Victoria, born in 1819 and assuming the throne at a very early age. King William (Jim Broadbent) is soon to die, Victoria is soon to come of age, and all around Europe rise interweaving conspiracies and plots to have Victoria sign an order of regency extending her powers to someone else and/or having someone seduce her with wit and modern political ideas and therefore influence her reign towards favoring a particular country or political party. But Victoria isn't as silly as everyone thinks, and she has a mind of her own...which is constantly been careened back and forth between diverging influences such as the Duchess of Kent's (Miranda Richardson) trying to make her renounce power to the evil Baron Stockmar, or Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany) gaining her favour to help establish himself as Prime Minister...or Albert Conroy (Rupert Friend), King Leopold's nephew, who begins to fall in love with her while being part of a plot to earn the queen's protection of the Belgians.

Among all these conspiracies and mind-boggling plots is the shy, growing romance between Victoria and Albert. The film is about history, politics and the nature of regents, but above all these subjects the love these characters feel triumph above all else and end up in one of the best regencies England has ever seen and one of the best love stories ever told. Jean-Marc Vallée does a wonderful job in toning down the film to a light-hearted level, where the history is enjoyable and where the love story unfolding isn't stale and clichéd but original and refreshing. And Emily Blunt's performance as the young, strong-willed and charming Victoria is excellent and enthralling; she wins you over from the start and opens up Victoria's heart and mind to the audience, making it easy for us to love Victoria the Woman and to relate to her and her life problems, no matter how epically different they are from our own.

The screenplay is dazzling, such as we've come to expect from screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), and the film has that sublime, breath-taking, age-old beauty we can expect from lush, sweeping cinematography, mellow and inviting score and top-notch costume design. It's a film that doesn't depend on the acting, screen-writing or directing alone, but whose every part fit perfectly together into a pleasing, well-coordinated whole.

The film never lags, but sometimes it carries a particular emotion too far to the point where it loses it strength, or sometimes it cuts abruptly between scenes (and countries) in its attempt to fully involve us in every conspiracy or in every character's setting that we lose interest in most of the secondary characters and await impatiently to the flowering, letter-driven romance between Victoria and Albert. And what's with the rushed ending? You're enjoying the film, completely taken in by the story, and all of a sudden we get a black screen with an epilogue. It's not a grand flaw of the film, but it does inhibit it from becoming a masterpiece to rival such productions as "Shakespeare in Love" or "Elizabeth".

I highly recommend it! It's a crowd-pleaser that will make you smile.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4!

This film tells the events surrounding the ascension to the throne of Queen Victoria of Great Britain, one of the most striking and well-remembered queens that the country has had to date. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, has a script by Julian Fellowes, the direction of Sarah Ferguson (former Duchess of York) and features Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend in the lead roles.

Although the film doesn't have a completely neutral script, it sought to portray the truth of historical facts, even failing to judge them impartially and having some historical inaccuracies in the middle. When a historical film is made it shouldn't change the history portrayed, even for dramatic purposes. But this unfortunately costs to understand for most directors and writers. The sets and costumes are excellent and are fully consistent with the time, the picture isn't surprising but does what it has to do, the soundtrack uses reasonably well pieces of classical music in vogue at the time. Most actors fulfill their functions, especially the rotten duo Miranda Richardson and Mark Strong. Emily Blunt, however, has earned stardom by giving life to a dreamy and passionate Victoria, still ignored by us and obscured by the queen she would become later. The film managed to capture the relationship between Victoria and Albert in a very forceful way, such as the importance of that for the re-popularization of the monarchy during that time.

This film tries to be a historical drama with deep touches of romance, taking the lives and loves of Victoria to show us that a monarchy is not only gold, sex and scandals. It fulfilled that purpose appealing to the audience's heart with a Victoria who we managed to like, and that's far from the unpleasant old lady that comes to our minds most of the time.

this movie looked gorgeous and most of the acting, especially from blunt and bettany was very good but it was too heavily edited. i watched the DVD extras and most of the deleted scenes in my humble opinion should have been left in, especially the lady hastings affair. while watching the movie the affairs of state come across as confused at times due to the lack of depth in the story. now i understand this is mainly a love story about the queen and albert but w/people of such monumental historical import the backdrops and intrigues can only enhance even a love story if handled correctly. still, an enjoyable biopic just not definitive.