The Young Victoria
(2009)The story of Queen Victoria's rise to power, produced by Martin Scorsese. Follows Victoria's (Emily Blunt) turbulent early years from the object of a royal power-struggle, to her romantic courtship and marriage to Prince Albert (Rupert Friend).
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Academy Award winner for Costume Design, 2010. BAFTA winner for Best Costume Design and Make Up, 2010.
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Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée ('C.R.A.Z.Y.')
Starring Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent
Written by Julian Fellowes
Produced by Martin Scorsese
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 1 providers
Flicks Review
BY Andrew Hedley Flicks Writer
Fans of Pride and Prejudice would be well advised to check out this sumptuous period drama, which has all the fine fashion, simmering romance and mannered etiquette you will need for an entire year.... More
Emily Blunt shines as a young Queen Victoria, barely recognisable from her other roles in Sunshine Cleaning or The Devil Wears Prada, sucking everything towards her in a gravitational pull of charismatic power.
Vic’s attraction to cousin Albert (ex-Keira Knightley beau Rupert Friend) sizzles with mutual attraction. Pity the lovin’ is refined mainly to correspondence via letters. We don’t want to see them reading – we want to see them breeding.
Political relevance is given short shrift in favour of melodrama and, puzzlingly, the film ends with a series of title screens explaining all the more notable things that Victoria did after the narrative finished.
All the performances are brilliant – especially a short but sharp appearance from Jim Broadbent as King William and a bristly turn from Miranda Richardson – and The Young Victoria’s superior production values go a long way to make it an enjoyable costume flick, but you can’t help but feel there was a more interesting story somewhere that wasn’t told.Hide
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The Young Victoria
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76%
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Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
An elegant, entertaining, informative picture with a gallery of vivid supporting turns, this provisionally crowns the winning Blunt as a Brit-pic star - but it skimps a bit on the bodice-ripping, blood and thunder. Full Review
The great revelation of The Young Victoria is that it makes the enigmatic Prince Albert (Rupert Friend) come sharply into focus. Friend has made a specialty of likeable cads and while Albert was no cad, he had been trained from an early age to appeal to the future queen of England. Full Review
Rose-tinted it may be, but this portrait of Britain’s longest-serving monarch never drags. Blunt and Friend secure your sympathy as the mutually adoring V&A, while Vallée sleekly braids the personal with the parliamentary. Full Review
Patrice Vermette's production impresses through Hagen Bogdanski's lens and an oomphy score comprising Schubert, Handel and Strauss colours our emotional palettes. The film looks gorgeous with plush settings and stunning gowns, while Blunt photographs like a dream. I couldn't help thinking if they ever make a bio-pic about Princess Margaret, Emily Blunt would be perfect in the lead role. She even looks like her. Full Review
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