The Young Victoria

Well part of the territory of being a movie buff is that it is important to not just see "guy movies" but to have an eclectic viewing of movies. Going into watching The Young Victoria I was not expecting much and figured it would be a movie that was not up my alley but also would bore me to the point that I would want to stand up and cheer just because the torture would finally be over. Once again Hollywood has been able to make me realize that I can't always judge a movie by its movie case, but that it is important to not allow preconceived notions about a movie to influence what I thought about the movie.

Young Victoria tells the story of the early years of Britain's longest reigning sovereign and the different challenges she faced. The plot of the story follows basically three main strands. The first storyline considers the hit and miss relationship between Victoria and her mother the Duchess of Kent, who is an unpopular figure due to the influence of her advisor Sir John Conroy. Conroy was rumored to be thelover of the duchess. The second strand consisted of the enduring romance between Victoria and her German cousin Prince Albert, and the attempts of King Leopold of Belgium, who was an uncle to both of them, to influence the romance. The third dealt with the politics of Britain that happened early on in Victoria's reign. The main influence of the politics dealt with The tory party of the time feeling that the Young Queen leaned too far to the Whig party of the time.

With a period piece it is always tough to know how to do the set and the costuming in such a way that it is not too far over the top. The costume designer is able to make the sets and costumes very lavish and elegant without being gaudy.

The movie though is carried with the brilliant performances of Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend. While I am going to go out on a limb and say that Blunt is more attractive than the real Victoria was, but she gives great elegance and poise that is required of a queen. The chemistry between the two can be felt even through the letters that they send each other. Blunt and Friend make this movie a touching romance and a gripping human drama.

I am giving this movie three buckets of popcorn out of five. Strong acting throughout the cast really showed through. It always seems fairly typical of the British period pieces to have such a great cast that provide strong performances. I can see now why this movie wwas nominated for so many awards.

-The Movie Man-