The Young Victoria - Long Live the Queen

The Young Victoria

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée

Do you ever feel like a chess piece yourself, in a game being played against your will? … Constantly [I do]. I see them leaning in and moving me around the board. –Victoria

Oh never try to do good, Your Majesty; it always leads to terrible scrapes. 

–Lord Melbourne

A man who has no work becomes ridiculous. And a poor man with a rich wife must work twice as hard as anyone else. 

–Queen Adelaide

I will not have my role usurped. I wear the crown. And if there are mistakes, they will be my mistakes and no one else will make them. –Queen Victoria

The Netflix.com description doesn't offer much… well… description:

Eighteen-year-old British royal Victoria (Emily Blunt) ascends to the throne and is romanced by future husband Prince Albert (Rupert Friend) in this lush period film that chronicles the early years of the British monarch's larger-than-life reign. Produced by Martin Scorsese and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, the Oscar-nominated film also stars Miranda Richardson as the Duchess of Kent, Jim Broadbent as King William, and Paul Bettany as Lord Melbourne.

I often don't enjoy period pieces, and I certainly have no invested interest in England's past, or in that of its royals. However, I have to admit that many times I found myself pulling for the young queen, even smiling at her proposal to Prince Albert.

Young Victoria's life was always on display. And no one seemed to be on her side for her own sake. The people who pretended to be on her side were only looking to use her for their own gain. Even her mother – perpetually controlled by Sir John Conroy – stood by as her daughter was verbally abused and misused by him, a misstep for which Victoria would never forgive her.

I even went so far as to read the overview of Queen Victoria on Wikipedia.com, where I learned that she and Albert had nine children and that she went on to serve a long and celebrated sovereignty, though she deeply mourned her husband’s passing.

I also learned that the movie stayed fairly true to the facts. It included what Wiki referred to as the bedchamber crisis as well as the assassination attempt during the queen's first pregnancy. But while I appreciate the historical accuracy (though I'm sure things were changed and events embellished), I most appreciated the story they spun. I was captivated both visually, with the rich, luxurious costuming, and aurally, with the rise and fall of power and confidence in Victoria’s words. My only real complaint is that some of the characters look very similar, which made it a bit hard for me to distinguish between them. But really, that's on me, not the movie.

My takeaway: When done well and with the right actors, director, costume designer and subject matter, even I can enjoy a period piece; though there's always the possibility that this is only a one-off experience. And being royalty is hard work!