The Young Victoria (Jean-Marc Vallée, 2009): UK/USA

Reviewed by William Conlin. Viewed on DVD.

Before she was a legend, she was just a girl. Though we’ve seen this “Cinderella story” a thousand times, Jean-Marc Vallée’s The Young Victoria tells the true story of Queen Victoria’s turbulent youth, ascension to the throne, and the love that stood by her while she became one of Britain’s most famous monarchs.

The Young Victoria stars Emily Blunt in a tour-de-force performance as the Queen of England and Rupert Friend as the love of her life, Prince Albert. The film begins with Victoria as a young girl but quickly advances to the period right before she became Queen. As King William IV nears death, Victoria is pursued from all sides by those wanting a piece of her once she is Queen. Among those is a man named Albert, who wants her affection more than her power. As she takes the throne she is met with the difficulties of a vast nation, a disgruntled palace and the threat of assassination.

As far as historical dramas, this film is a knockout. It is quickly made apparent why The Young Victoria was nominated for 3 Academy Awards this past year (Art Direction, Makeup and Costume Design). Along with the amazing technical aspects of this production, one of my favorite parts was its beautiful score by Ilan Eshkeri. The epic orchestrations give the film a feeling of royalty that it truly deserves.

The Screenplay by Julian Fellowes deviates from history at some points but properly balances the love story of Victoria and Albert with the political issues tacking Victoria. Featuring an ensemble cast including Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent and Paul Bettany The Young Victoria features an amazing cast, portraying some of the most famous figures of 19th Century England.

Produced by Martin Scorsese and The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, this film is a well crafted, well executed biography of the woman who led Great Britain for 63 years and how she became the icon we know her as today and stands as one of my favorite biographical films of 2009.