Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The Young Victoria Review

"You are confusing stubbornness with strength, my dear. And I warn you, the people will not like you for it."
~Queen Adelaide, The Young Victoria

I've been trying for days to compose a systematic and intelligent review of The Young Victoria, but all that's been coming to mind is, "SQUEEE, I LOVED THIS MOVIE SO VERY VERY MUCH," and that's not very informative for those of you who haven't actually seen it yet.

Although if you haven't seen it yet, get thee to the library.  Because you may as well know from the start that I highly, highly recommend this film.  

I've always been a bit of a nitpicker when it comes to historical films.  "Did that really happen, or did they just make it up?" I enjoyed Miss Potter and Amazing Grace immensely (hmm, I need to review Amazing Grace at some point... still haven't done that...) but while I was watching both of them, I kept wondering how much of the story was true to life and how much of it was fictionalized.

Not so with The Young Victoria (TYV).  I knew ahead of time that it wasn't going to be absolutely accurate, and perhaps that helped a bit.  But I think the real reason I didn't care about accuracy was that it was just such a smashing good story.  So what if a few events were changed?  Who cares if Emily Blunt doesn't look very much like the real Victoria?  It was a beautiful film, it gave me two hours of pure delight (minus the scene we fast-forwarded-- I'll get to that) and frankly, that was all I wanted.


Emily Blunt was practically perfect in every way as Victoria.  At the beginning of the movie, I was a little afraid that she was going to be some bratty Modern Woman who wanted everything her own way and would not let her free and passionate spirit be quenched by her overbearing guardians, la-di-da, la-di-da.  And as it turned out, she was that way at first--and yet I felt sorry for her instead of being annoyed with her.  The poor girl had an awful lot to put up with, both from her mother and from Sir John Conroy (whose relationship to the royal family is still a bit of a mystery to me... can anyone clear that up?).  But though it was evident she wasn't happy with her life, she wasn't obnoxious or snotty about it.  Maybe it was just Emily Blunt's superb performance, but I found myself liking Victoria immensely, almost  from the very beginning.

Eeeeep! Now that I've done my duty and addressed Victoria first (and I really did like her, don't get me wrong) I can move on to my favoritest character in the entire story.  Yay Albert!

Albert.  Was.  Awesome.  I had been slightly apprehensive about his character too-- I didn't want to see him portrayed as some weak and boring guy who said "Yes, dear," to everything his wife told him and let her be the boss of him. I was worried that there might be an issue of him wanting to be king alongside of her, and she would say no and he would back down and just be the prince and Know His Place.  But never fear, nothing of the sort happened.  In fact, the movie ended with Victoria's learning that she could do nothing without her husband's support and guidance, and she needed him more than anyone else in her life.  Whoops, I just spoiled that for you--but you knew it would end happily, right?

I've never seen Emily Blunt in any other movies, but I had seen Rupert Friend in FakeP&P Pride and Prejudice '05 as the slimeball Mr. Wickham.  Happily, that didn't ruin my appreciation of Albert one whit.  After about five seconds, I completely forgot that he'd ever played the dreadful Wickham, and even his weird ponytail from Fake--er, P&P05 was erased from my memory and replaced by his excellent hair in TYV.  (I've never been a fan of mustaches, but... ahem... I may have changed my mind just a wee bit.  Well, in Albert's case, at least.  Cough, cough.)

I'm not quite sure why I find this picture so cute.  But I do.
They're so cute!  Am I overusing "cute"?  Oh, I am? Soary.
Victoria and Albert's relationship was one of the sweetest I've seen in a movie.  I like a fast-paced, dramatic love story as much as the next North and South fan, but my favorite romances are always the "love comes softly" type.  Victoria and Albert's made me think of this quote from Anne of Avonlea: "Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps. . . perhaps. . .love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath."  (I adore that quote.)

Their initial awkwardness around each other was almost funny, and their correspondence was ADORABLE.  Was anyone else ready to strangle Albert's uncles for reading poor Albert's mail before he could get to it?  The scene where he comes tearing down the stairs to get the mail before his relatives do was probably my favorite.  

"As a matter of interest, will a time come when I read them first?"
"Oh, you'll enjoy this one.  She has a real flair for description."


Has anyone else read Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott?  It's one of her best books, IMHO, and one of my favorite scenes involves Steve teaching his brother Mac how to waltz.  Steve does the lady's part (with a tablecloth tied around his waist) and Mac steps all over his feet and it's hilarious.  Well, there was a scene in TYV in which Albert had to learn how to dance, and in the midst of our giggles Anne-girl and I looked at each other and said, "It's MAC!"


I promise I won't spend this entire review just talking about my favorite scenes, but I have to say that the archery scene was so cute--er, sweet.  I need to stop using "cute." Although that was definitely one of the parts where Albert's German accent slipped up.  It was never very convincing to begin with, but there were some times when it lapsed altogether, and I was much amused. But then, I'm easily amused.

And the proposal... oh, wow, the proposal.  (Sometimes I think I should just stick to reviewing movies I didn't like, because then I'm not tempted to gush.)  I bawled unashamedly.  At first I was worried that she was going to have to propose to him and that Just Didn't Seem Right, but  he handled it so well.  It was sweet beyond belief.  "And stay with you? ... And stay with me.  And marry you? ... And marry me."  

Victoria's outfits were so very lovely.  I've never been much of a fan of the 1830's styles, preferring later-nineteenth-century clothing, but after seeing this movie, I wanted to wear all her costumes.  The wedding dress...

I mean, just look at her veil.   Happy sigh.  So simple and yet so elegant.  I could have done without the white satin bows on Albert's shoulders (seriously?) but he looked very nice too.

Whoops, I got sidetracked and forgot to discuss the secondary characters.  I enjoyed hated Sir John Conroy.  He was ickiness personified (and for the record, I will never, ever be able to finish watching Emma 1997, because the very idea of him being Mr. Knightley is enough to make me sick).  Victoria's mother was... ugh.  I knew I should have felt sorry for her, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so.  I did, however, feel sorry for the poor King... and I really liked Queen Adelaide.  At long last, that Fanny Dashwood actress gets a nice role.  (I've seen her in Sense and Sensibility and Little Dorrit, and in both of those movies I wanted to soak her head.)  

Lord Melbourne was... meh.  I can't say I hated him, but I didn't like him either.  I was left with a kind of "wait, is he a good guy or a bad guy?" feeling.  And he bore a striking resemblance to Doc Baker on Little House... or was that just me?

Back to the story.  Some of the post-wedding scenes were sweet, and some were... well, we fast-forwarded about ten minutes of the film.  There are some moments that involve Victoria and Albert being newlyweds, and though nothing technically inappropriate happened (they are married, after all) it was um... quite smoochy.  So yeah, I'd recommend that you fast-forward.  :D

Okay, spoiler alert time.  We're going to talk about the best part of the movie, and if you don't want the ending ruined, just hightail it out of here right now, okay?  Okay.

I'm a sucker for stories that feature taking-a-bullet-for-someone-else (Les Miserables anyone?), and Albert's saving of Victoria's life was no exception.  The fact that they had just quarreled before the assassination scene ("For pity's sake, smile, woman.") only served to add to the awesomeness.  And I'm not usually a fan of slow-motion in movies, but in this case, that effect was very... effective.

His hat, yes.  Her hat, NO.

I'd already seen the "you're so stupid, why did you do it?" clip on a friend's blog a while ago, so I knew that Albert survived the initial shooting, but I also knew that he died pretty young.  And I was terribly afraid that he was going to have a relapse or an infection or something and die before the movie was over.  (Sometimes those filmmakers play around with history, you know.)  As all of you who have seen the movie (which, in fact, should be "all of you reading this," because if you haven't seen it, why are you spoiling it for yourselves?) know, he lives on for quite a while after that, and I was greatly relieved.  The post-assassination scene was, I might add, incredibly touching.  "You're the only wife I've got or ever will have. You are my whole existence, and I will love you until my very last breath." 

And then, yes, the movie ended with a heartless little text thingy on the screen announcing that Albert died of typhus at the age of 42.  Victoria laid out his clothes every morning after his death until the day she died.  (You have my permission to sniffle.)  I know that was historically accurate and all, and it was good that they informed viewers of how the story ended... but I would have been happy to have finished the TYV experience without it  


When I was little, I always rewrote book or movie endings in my head if I didn't like the way they turned out... and so when I think of TYV, this is how it ends.  With this picture, with no typhus and no grief and no clothes-without-Albert-in-them.  In my mind, at least, the story ends when the princess married the prince and they all lived happily ever after in a real-life fairy tale.

With lots and lots of gorgeous clothes, of course.

32 comments:

Hayden said...

I need to watch this movie AGAIN. You're review was that wonderful that I now have a urge to watch it. Okay, actually I had this urge yesterday, but we don't own the movie, so...I need to get to the library ASAP.

I agreed with EVERYTHING you said. Yes, I was afraid the movie would rather feministic, but I was SO thankfully wrong.

And Albert. Who could not LOVE that guy??? I mean REALLY??
Wickham who? :)

Oh my goodness!!! I forgot about the dancing!! But I seem to remeber looking at Emily and saying "It's Mac", too :) Haha! That is the best part of Rose in Bloom HANDS DOWN. I was laughing for, like, three minutes after I read that part.

And then I went back and read it again....

and yes, you can use the word "cute" as much as you wish because every picture of Victoria and Albert is totally adorable. I am no inspired to creat a computer wallpaper. I will create some and post them next week, haha :)

hahaha. That's a perfect description :"smoochy parts". We watched it with my mom, and so We all keep looking at each other during those parts saying "should we fast-forward?" "Do we need to fast forward?" while averting our eyes. Except EVERY time we had finally decided to and someone got up to do so, the scene ended. So technically we didn't fast-forward anything. We just...didn't look :)

OH THE PART WHERE HE TAKES THE BULLET IS AWESOME. ALBERT IS SO WONDERFUL!!! WHO ELSE HAS A WEAKNESS FOR WOUNDED HEROES????

Ahem. That was a lot of caps. I promise I'm not yelling.

The "for pity's sake, smile woman. People will think we've quarreled" was hilarious. :)

I'm so sad he eventually died. Okay, that sounded weird, 'cause after all, everyone eventually dies, but...yeah. You know what I mean.

Sniffle.

Melody said...

You won't ever finish watching the A&E Emma? Oh yes, you will, if you intend to call yourself a real Jane Austen fan. :P
Hmm, that's not the right way to go about it with you. Let's try this again.
Mark Strong is not the only actor in the movie. And though he can't play a hero very well, he's not as bad as he was in TYV. And also, 'tis the first version *I* ever saw, and I like Kate Beckinsale's Emma and it was my favorite before I saw Emma 2009 (TYMD) and, heh, before I read the book. :P And if you do not watch it before then, you and I should watch it together tootuz I have it and you may object but once you told me that you would like watching anything with me. :D

Heehee. I tend to like to pull little sentences out of your post and make whole comments about them, don't I? Anyways. I'm glad you liked TYV. I think you liked it better than I did, though. Actually, I'm sure of it. I never was crazy over it, though I've seen it twice and enjoyed it. The costumes and music are just about the best things, I think. ;-)

I think I just always like complete fiction better... for instance, I can never understand why people like Amazing Grace so well as they do, either. Now, Miss Potter is for some reason an entirely different matter in my head. Maybe authors and people from history are just quite different. ;)

I should stop babbling, I need to go do stuff...

Melody said...

Oh, and... Albert kind of annoyed me. *hides*
Well, not the character exactly... but the actor. With his mustache. And hair.

:P

(Doesn't take much to annoy me. Heh, heh, heh.)

Hayden said...

Wow. There are so many typos and "haha"s in my comment that I'm wincing. :)

Lauren | Chic Éthique said...

One of my absolute favorite films! It is just beautifully made. The actors are superb, and the whole production design is incredible. You've read Rose in Bloom? I love love love that book, but never meet anyone who has read it. When *HORIBLE SPOILER* Charlie died I practically cried my eyes out. I always had a soft spot for him...so did all of my sisters...we all loved Charlie. Yes, anyway, great book! :-)

Miss Elizabeth Bennet said...

I really liked this movie! I didn't know much about Queen Victoria before watching it, but afterwards I felt like I knew a little bit more about her (though keeping in mind that there may have been some artistic license taken with the plot).

I think Sir John Conroy was a friend of Victoria's mother (though some people say they were more than friends) that managed their household since Victoria's father died (I'm about 90% sure on this). You can always Google his name and see what comes up (though Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source, it still can point you in the right direction of research).

I'm glad you enjoyed The Young Victoria.

Chloe M. Kookogey said...

Oh, I love this movie so much. One of my favorites of all time. :) We saw YV for the first time last fall, and it was absolutely wonderful. Unfortunately, we started it too late, and couldn't finish it until the next night. Daddy and Momma were so invested in the story that they decided to watch the rest on Momma's laptop after we went to bed, and tortured us endlessly the next morning saying how good it was. :P In fact, it was *so* good that since some members of the family were out of the house when we watched the second half on Friday (the next night), we watched it all the way through, start to finish, on Saturday, with everybody. Yep, that's how amazing it is. :D

I think Emily Blunt did a wonderful job as Victoria. I was worried in the beginning that the film was going to turn very feministic very fast, but I was delightfully surprised. I especially loved how she realized that she needed Albert's help, and she couldn't do it all on her own —and in a modern film, imagine that! I didn't think it was possible. :P

Hahaha, I love how you called P&P '05 the Fake P&P. It's a pretty good film, but far too short, and not at all what Jane Austen intended for her book, I think. My sister and I have a joke that the movie goes so quickly, Lydia and Wickham are already eloping before the opening credits have finished. :P Thankfully, I've only seen that version once when a sweet friend let us borrow it, so I didn't have anything to mar my opinion of the amazingness that is Prince Albert. *sigh* He and Mr. Thornton are my favorite movie heroes. :) And Albert and Victoria's relationship was so cute (no, of course you didn't overuse the word!). I loved their letters . . . and when he sent her the Swan Song . . . and of course the dearest proposal in the history of proposals. "And stay with you? . . . And stay with me. And marry you? . . . And marry me!" Awwww . . . *heart melts*

Yeah, some of those *cough* post-wedding scenes *cough* were a bit uncomfortable. I was glad, at least, that they happened *after* the wedding, which severely lessened my discomfort. We are always going to skip them, but by the time we're done discussing whether or not we should, the scene is over. "Quite smoochy," indeed. *smiles*

The Scene. The Scene to End All Scenes. When he leaps in front of the bullet for her . . . and then the scene afterward . . . "You're so stupid, why did you do it? . . . I had one very good reason: I am replaceable, and you are not . . . You're not replaceable to me!" ♥ And then Albert's, "You're the only wife I've got or ever will have. You are my whole existence. And I will love you until my last breath." And then when you think that she *was* his only wife; he *did* love her until his *sniffles* very last breath . . . That text at the ending was just too cruel. :P

Methinks I'd better end this lengthy epistle before it turns into a novel. Thank you for a wonderful review, dear girl! And now I'm off to ask Momma if we can watch this movie sometime soon. :D

— Elizabeth Rose

Chloe M. Kookogey said...

Wow . . . I just realized how long that comment was. :P Can you tell I like this movie? ;)

Unknown said...

Oh, my, this seems so good! I can't wait to rush to the library and find it! Thank you for the oh-so-excellent and detailed-just-perfectly review!

Lily said...

I have gone and put TYV on hold at my library - just seeing the pictures made me want to watch it! Thanks for the review Amy - I love to hear about movies like this!

Lily of the Valley

P.S. In case you were wondering about the accuracy of Miss Potter, the movie is surprisingly accurate, as far as movies go. I wrote an eight page report about Beatrix Potter - she is such a fascinating woman! : )

Alexandra said...

YAYAYAYAY!!!! So glad you liked it! It's my fourth favorite, (hehe, me and my lists) so I *always* love when people love my favorites.

EXACTLY. I was soooo afraid she was going to be a rip-roaring feminist, but it was sooo lovely! Albert was a doll.

And Melody - I adore Amazing Grace. So there. :-P One of the most amazing real-life dudes evah. Siiiiiigh. :D

Anyway. The dancing...the proposal...the gorgeous love between them (I confess...(whispers) I watched those smoochy parts (ducks))...the gorgeous music, the costumes...THE BULLET SCENE!!!! Albert's such an awesome dude. LOVE HIM. And I was so totally not going to like him because of his Wickham. And then he was amazing. Anyway.

SO SO SO SO glad you liked it, schweetums!!! This review made my day. :-D

Alexandra said...

Oh, and my take on Victoria - I felt like she got a bit "I'm the queen, I rule, you do whatev" not because she was a feminist...but that she was so afraid of losing control and being used by other people again. Honestly, this film was surprisingly good in that it showed what a good marriage was - she was able to (as much as possible in her position) to listen to her husband's council and "submit" to his ideas. Really liked it. :)

OH, and Melbourne was the contender for the role of Javert...personally I really wanted to see him do it (while he' meh here, he's a great actor...I saw him in Inkheart as a anti-hero type and could totally see him as Javert). But oh, well. :)

Vellvin said...

"You're the only wife I've got or ever will have. You are my whole existence, and I will love you until my very last breath.

I totally LOVE this movie!!!! :D
And Albert and Victoria are such a nice couple.
The bullet scene was so cool and scary all at the same time 'is Albert going to die?' sort of thing.
The Engagement scene was another of my favourites and it made me feel good when Albert snubs Melbourne when he remarks on him 'making his move' I really didn't like Melbourne or Sir John but I did feel sorry for Victoria's Mother.
Queen Adelaide was good too.
The costumes were superb! I really need to re-watch The Young Victoria again :)

Jessica said...

I love that "Anne" quote! And yes, I read A Rose in Bloom. But so many years ago that I don't remember much about it except that I loved it. Ha

I must say that I didn't love this movie. Sorry. :-/ I actually owned it and sold it. (I think I will hide like Melody at this time). Also, like Melody expressed, the actor who played Albert annoyed me, too.

I did enjoy the movie once, but I would only rate it about a 6-7 myself. ;-)
But I am very glad you enjoyed it so much!

Arielle Melody Bailey said...

Joining on to say what everyone else has said, I ADORE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best part about my TYV experience is that when I saw it for the first time, I was spending the night with a close friend and it was 10:30 or 11:00 at night when we started the movie! The Young Victoria late at night? Superb!!!!

AMAZING GRACE!!!!!!!! My family's favorite movie ever! I dare not start talking about it because I won't stop! But, I'm planning several posts on it sometime in the future when I shall be free to gush about it to my heart's content. :)

Yay! More Rose in Bloom fans!! The Mac and Steve waltzing scene!! Definitely one of the best parts!

The costumes in TYV!!! Gorgeousness personified!!! The gold post coronation ball dress is one of my top favorite movie costumes!

One tidbit I found cool about this movie is that Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter Princess Beatrice plays a non-speaking Lady in Waiting. (I admit I like the Royal Family!) I have yet to see TYV a second time bu when I do, I'll be trying to find Princess Beatrice!

Re-reading this comment I certainly used a lot of exclamation points!

tammy said...

I actually just watched this movie for the very first time about a week ago. The funny thing is, I have owned a copy of it for over a year. I found it in a previously-viewed bin at a video store for just a few dollars and thought it looked good. Soon after, I asked my sister-in-law if she had seen it and she said she didn't really like it, so I sort of forgot about it for a long time. Then, just a few weeks ago I was reading your blog and you recommended the movie. I decided to go ahead and give it a shot--and I am so glad I did! I greatly enjoyed watching it, and I think it is the type of movie I will enjoy more each time I watch it. I did very much like the proposal--I backtracked and watched that part twice :)

P.S. I think it's safe to say that my sister-in-law and I have very different tastes in movies!

P.S. Again...I don't know you, but I adore you for calling the 2005 P&P the "Fake P&P"! I have a friend who loves it and we can't even talk about P&P at all without arguing about which version is best. I grant the newer one to be more visually beautiful, but there is so much missing! How can anyone be satisfied by it!? Anyway.

One last note: I love your blog :)

Miss Dashwood said...

Sheesh, I need to get better at responding to comments. :P

Hayden--
I borrowed it from the library too. :D And YES, Wickham who??
Oh, I'm so glad you like Rose in Bloom. Before I started blogging I knew almost no one who had read it. And it's such a good book!
Ooh, I would love to see a Victoria and Albert wallpaper if you make one!
Yep, I have a weakness for wounded heroes too (and don't apologize for your all caps; it's a comment, not a blog post! :D). Ally introduced me a few months ago to the term AWD, which means Awesome Wounded Distress. Sir Percy's really good at it. :)
Hahahaha, yeah, everyone eventually dies, but I knew what you meant.

Melody--
Oh, very well, I'll watch it if your'e with me. It can go on the Ridiculously Long List. But I warn you, I may shut my eyes when Mr. Not-Knightley comes on. Heeheeheehee.
My deauh, you simply must watch Amazing Grace again, for clearly you did not appreciate it fully when you first saw it. The very fact that it really did happen is what makes it so amazing! And Miss Potter is just sweetness. Love that movie. But you knew that. :D
Well, I'll excuse your nonsense about Albert's mustache annoying you, tootuz I know that mustaches annoy you in general... but good gracious, didn't you even sigh over the scene where he takes the bullet for her??? Heartless girl!

Lauren,
Ooh, another RIB fan!! Okay, so I absolutely sobbed my eyes out over the chapter where Charlie dies. I totally did not see that coming, and it was quite a shock. I think I was twelve then, and it was one of the first times I literally bawled over a book. And I still do, every time I re-read it. Eight Cousins and RIB are on my list of re-reads for The Classics Club, so I hope to review both of them once I get around to re-reading them for the millionth time. :D

Miss Elizabeth,
I felt the same way! It was so nice to see something of the young woman she might have been (because of course there were artistic liberties taken) rather than just those stiff old portraits in which she looks like "somebody's old cook with a lace curtain on her head" (to quote Magic for Marigold).

Miss Dashwood said...

Elizabeth Rose--
Heehee, that's such a fun story!
I know! It was really quite incredible that the film didn't take an annoying modern twist. I was very pleased.
Ha! Lydia and Wickham eloping before the end of the credits-- I LOVE that!
Oh, yes, the Swan Song... so beautiful. I forgot to mention in my review how lovely the soundtrack was!
"You are not replaceable to ME!" Awww, I was crying so hard at that point...
Thank you for your lovely long comment!

Rachelle--
I do hope you enjoy it!

Lily--
Oh, I think you'll love it! And how nice to hear that Miss Potter is accurate--to be honest, I've never read much about her life and wasn't really sure I wanted to, because I liked the movie so much that I didn't want it spoiled for me. :D

Ally--
YES! I think you're definitely right, that Victoria didn't want people using her all over again like they had when she was little. And I just loved the way the movie showed her and Albert. Sigh. And the bullet scene... okay, I've rambled enough about that one. Heehee.
Melbourne as JAVERT??? Sheesh. SO glad they chose Russell Crowe instead. I can't imagine him as Javert at all.

Vellvin--
Oh, yes, I LOVED the scene where Albert snubs Melbourne! Go Albert! And the costumes... sigh...

Jessica--
Oh, you should re-read Rose in Bloom. It's such a good book!
Eh, well, I'll overlook the fact that the actor annoyed you if you'll admit that Albert himself was a pretty wonderful guy. Heehee. :D

Miss Dashwood said...

Miss Melody Muffin--
Movies are always better when viewed late at night, IMHO. :D
Ooh, I'll look forward to your posts on Amazing Grace! I'm thinking of reviewing it myself but I have so many other films to review, it'll have to wait... and then I'll have an excuse to watch it again so it'll be fresh in my mind. :)
That's so cool about Princess Beatrice! I love it when famous people make cameos like that-- like when the real Maria von Trapp appeared in The Sound of Music.
Don't apologize for the exclamation points, dearie! :D

Tammy--
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! And I'm thrilled to hear you watched it after my recommendation. I adored the proposal. It's gone on my List of Very Favorite Proposals Ever.
And how nice to find another person who agrees about the Fake P&P! It's a visually stunning film, but it's just not Jane Austen. The End.
Awww, thanks for your sweet words! So glad you enjoyed this movie!

Melody said...

Okay, I'll put it on the Ridiculously Long List. (I was trying to figure out the other day just how many evenings it would take to watch all the things on it... heh, heh, heh. Wow.)
I hate to tell you this, but I HAVE seen AG (heeheehee) again since I first saw it. I've seen it as many as three times in all. :P In fact, last time I re-watched it was sort of because everyone thought it was so great and wonderful, so I thought maybe I like missed something. Haha. My favorite thing about it is the fact that Romola Garai is in it--and I'm afraid that doesn't say much for me-who-prides-herself-on-caring-more-about-the-characters-than-the-actors. (Okay, not pride myself... I just wanted to sound like Rachel Lynde. It's a joke. A JOKE.)
Sniff, you don't think I'm a heartless guttersnipe, do you?? :P Anyway, you know very well that I was quite touched by that. But the actor didn't add to the touching-ness. :P And it wasn't just his mustache that annoyed me. So there.

Holly said...

I love this movie too!!! It's absoultey everything you described!! The best review EVER!!!! Victoria is my favourite monarch and I love anything (especially movies!) to do with her...this has made me want to watch the movie all over again 9skipping the awkward parts though...!)
~Holly

AnnaKate said...

This movie. Gah. I have it sitting on my shelf in another room, and let's just say I'm about to pop it out again for another monthly viewing...


My family and I were SO pleasantly surprised by this movie. It's perfectly perfect in every way! Albert is a hero that no man can top-- dashing, endearing, strong, charming, kind, and yes, CUTE-- and Victoria is a strong heroine I fall in love with every time.

The acting and cinematography are spot-on and the costumes? Ohhh yes.

Let's just say that this is in my top five movies list. =) I loves it with all me heart and soul, mate.

Lily said...

I watched TYV last night with my family, and I thought it was excellent! While I liked Victoria quite well - except for her queenly temper tantrum towards the end - Albert was definitely my favorite. First, he's German, but I could be biased, because I'm German, too! Second, he can play the piano (and I love that song by Schubert). Third, he can waltz - with a little practice, that is - and I LOVE to waltz. and finally, he was kind-hearted and not at all overbearing. Oh, and I liked his hair. Haha. Sorry Melody! ; )
All in all it was an interesting and enjoyable movie, and the costumes were fantastic!

Mykaela said...

I have really been wanting to watch this movie ever since it came out, but just have not got to it yet. I laughed my head off when you mentioned the Mac part from "Rose In Bloom"...I thought that was so funny!

Lauren said...

Ohh, I LOVE this movie!!! I absolutely agree with Holly's comment (well, she is a good friend after all).

Anyway, I must throw rotten vegetables at Melody (ok, just joking), imagine not linking Amazing Grace! I watched it a few days ago, and I think it is the most inspiring film ever.

And please, don't abuse Rupert Friend's portrayal of Mr Wickham, in the BEST P&P (I'm going to get hate mail for that), he did a really good job at that too, he was just playing an awful character.

Sorry for my rather *er* opinionated comment, I should learn to restrict my remarks to the weather ( :

~Lauren

Anonymous said...

"The effect was very... effective."
I think I've heard that before. =) *wink*

Lovely review, m'dear! Love this movie, love Albert, love Albert's hats, love Albert's clothes, love Albert's hair, love everything about this movie. Oh, and Victoria, too. =)

Lise said...

Hi, I just found your blog the other day :)

I enjoyed this review. I like your comments on Victoria and Albert's characters. It must have been such a complex relationship, especially for Albert being married to a Queen...a struggle to stay strong while respecting her position. All of the relationships in The Young Victoria are so complex and interesting. This film was so beautifully made in all respects - character, costumes, settings, music. So beautifully acted. And now I feel like watching it...

I'm afraid I must confess to more than just a sniffle when Victoria lays out Albert's clothes! And yes. The proposal scene was...perfect.

Mal said...

You should've seen me suppressing fangirly squeals while reading this :) I just watched TYV since I had heard about it from you and Miss Laurie. And it was sooo adorable :) Oh.my.goodness. Albert was so amazing, oh I just loved him :) His shyness in the beginning was so cute, and he was so sweet... That's not the most descriptive word ever, but it kinda fits - he was so loving and kind to her. And the post-assassination scene - I die :) I found the beginning of it hard to follow and I never really got all the characters straight (thank goodness for subtitles :) but i loved it nonetheless.
Haha sorry for such a fangirly comment!
-mal :)

AnnetteKH said...

I think you need to watch the Victoria& Albert mini series as well, it will give you a more complete look at the couple. I've read several biographies on them and they did have a love for one another that can't be compared. The movie isn't quite accurate but it's pretty good.

Miss Elliot said...

I read this review a few weeks ago, but I just yesterday watched the trailer. And some scenes. Oh my, SO sweet. I almost cried at the 'you're so stupid, why did you do it?' scene. I can't wait to see the movie!!!!
Nice review, by the way :-)

Rebekah said...

Now I definitely need to watch this movie again. Great review! I too LOVE the proposal. So perfect. <3 <3 Glad I found your blog!

Rachel Owen said...

Thank you for your thoughts about this movie. Honestly, it’s only after reading your review that I got to know about it. I can’t wait to watch it now. Usually I’m not a fan of these kind of movies, but you commented so positively on it that I can’t wait to give it a try.