Written by Julian Fellowes
Starring Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent and Paul Bettany
U.K./U.S., 2009
This period drama examines the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign, from her unlikely rise to power as a young woman who refuses to give power over to her mother and stepfather. Along the way, various interests attempt to woo her onto their sides, including the Prime Minister and the nephew of the king of Belgium, who is instructed specifically on how to seduce her and ends up winning her heart, anyway.
Sometimes period pieces like this can be a little stuffy and boring, but not this one. After a little bit of confusion in the beginning, the movie settles down, and we get to watch with joy as Victoria twists and turns through a maze of intrigue in an effort to get her way, and to be a good ruler for her people. There’s nothing too awful at stake here, the movie’s main source of drama and suspense is seeing just exactly how Victoria will come out on top, and never whether or not she’ll succeed. The love story is sweet because it’s about two people who are drawn together naturally, despite outside forces attempting to intervene, but who are unable to fully trust each other at crucial moments. The payoff comes when they do learn to trust, and that is a valuable lesson for any couple.
No comments:
Post a Comment