Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Movie Review

If any of you know me personally, you will know that I am obsessed with period films.  In fact, they are probably my favorites of all time ever period.  The recent version of Pride and Prejudice has probably been viewed in my household at least 20 times.  Because of this interest (obsession might be a better word...) I was extremely excited to see The Young Victoria, and am thrilled to announce that it did not disappoint.


I cannot exactly pinpoint what I most loved about it, there was so much!  It is only rated PG, which eliminated much of the usual sexual drama that can accompany period dramas, yet it was still a passionate love story.  And it was made even more endearing because of the simple fact that Victoria and Albert truly did love and value each other that much.

(spoiler alert if you do not already know your English history very well)

They were both born in 1819, and Victoria ruled from 1837 to her death in 1901 at eighty one years old.  She was only eighteen when she ascended the throne, and the early years of her rule were somewhat tumultuous.  Her correspondence with Prince Albert provided a great deal of comfort to her during these years, and they were married in 1839, despite the fact that the marriage had been pushed from the beginning by her uncle Leopold (this bothered Victoria, who did not want to be influenced or controlled by anyone).  They had nine children and were deeply in love until his untimely death at the age of 42.  The queen mourned his death the rest of her life.

For the most part, the film is surprisingly accurate.  The biggest discrepancy I noticed was near the end of the movie during the assassination plot scene.  In reality, neither of them were injured.*  Nevertheless, I loved the film, and cannot wait to watch it again!  The music was beautiful, as were the costumes and characters.  Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend were an especially striking couple on camera, one of the best yet in my opinion.


*if you want to learn more about Victoria, try:

The Official Website of the British Monarchy:  http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueensoftheUnitedKingdom/TheHanoverians/Victoria.aspx

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