Wendy's Films of 2010 #30: The Young Victoria (2009)

Watching films like this brings me back to my most vulnerable state. I have always had a weak spot for period pieces, especially those relatively cheerful romances that combine the most irresistible, devastatingly affectionate couples with gorgeous costumes and intriguing stories. Nearly very shot was like stepping into the most beautiful, luxurious imaginings of my childhood. As a girl I would drape our old yellow afghan around myself, its tassels dancing as I would twirl and pretend to be some exotic duchess or queen. The costumes in this film managed to express my most fantastic daydreams, with a plethora of expensive jewels, lace, stunning colours and fabrics. They were simply breathtaking, and I'll be stunned if Sandy Powell doesn't win another Oscar for her efforts, though Coco could potentially steal away the prize.

I loved Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria; her tone of voice and manner of being seem to lend themselves to a young woman attempting to lead a country while still unsure of herself. She skillfully balances the insecurity of a young woman and assertiveness of a girl brought up to be the queen of a patriarchal society. Rupert Friend performs his role as Victoria's unaffected suitor and husband Prince Albert with subtlety and quiet passion. Their love was not just fabricated for cinema, but a historical truth; according to Mike the Boss, several of the letters they wrote in the film came directly from the correspondence the two shared.

The film's focus lies heavily on romance, but does notice other issues and significant historical advances of the time. It is a member of a genre which seems to have been dubbed queen or crownsploitation (I prefer the later, it has a nice ring to it), and I enjoy the way it sheds new light on a Queen often thought of as a hefty, middle-aged force to be reckoned with.

Mike The Boss - Films of 2010 - Film the Eleventh: The Young Victoria

(Why was I thinking of naughty chess jokes during this scene?)

The Young Victoria (2009) (Dir: Jean-Marc Vallee)

Another queen movie for me! This one follows the chaotic first years of Victoria's rule and her romance with Prince Albert. If you are looking for gorgeous set pieces, fabulous costumes and high drama and political intrigue, this movie is for you.

Emily Blunt gets the nod as Queen Victoria and does an excellent job of portraying a willful 18 year girl who ascends to the most powerful seat in Britain. Rupert Friend plays Prince Albert and does a great job showing the respectful intelligence of the man. Paul Bettany is Lord Melbourne, Albert's competition for Victoria's hand in marriage. Miranda Richardson looks a little out of place as the Duchess of Kent (Victoria's mother) as does Jim Broadbent as dying King William but they can be overlooked.

The movie starts with typical teen drama. Victoria mom and her mom's boyfriend want Victoria to do as she is told but Victoria knows that they are not the boss of her and says, "No way Mom!" Okay, that isn't how it really goes. In reality, the Duchess of Kent and Sir John Conroy (played by Mark Strong) want Victoria to sign papers that declare them to be her Regents until she turns 25 (she is not quite 18 yet). The king is dying and they consider Victoria too young to take the throne. Victoria, strong willed teen that she is, declines their generous offer and sets about getting ready to rule the kingdom.

The coronation sequence is pretty damned sweet with lots of pomp and circumstance, everyone in their finery and the sets dolled up to the max. Blunt plays it well showing a touch of nervousness but keeping her facade of regalness for the public. This two-sidedness of her nature is continued throughout the film including during the romance with Albert, her dealings with Lord Melbourne and the parliament and with the general goings-on within the palace. She always seem to have a bit of that young teen petulance mitigated by her years of training to be the Queen of England.

The romance with Albert takes a long time to come to a head but the wait is worth the while. Poor Albert is constantly frustrated because he can't come out and say how he feels directly because his lady love is the Queen of England. Meanwhile, Victoria is having trouble making up her mind because, well, she IS the Queen of England and pretty much everything she does has double and triple meaning regardless of whether she wants to do so. The nice touch is that a lot of the long distance romancing is taken directly from the actual Queen Victoria's collection of letters. So we get to hear what the real queen thought when the real romance was happening.

Anyway, there are no real surprises here other than Albert getting shot (he did not in reality). Eventually, Victoria realizes Albert is a good match, they have an absolutely fabulous wedding and they live happily ever after having 9 kids until Albert dies and Victoria goes into mourning for the rest of her life. For a different look at Victoria's latter years, check out the marvelous Mrs. Brown, starring Judi Dench as an older Victoria and Billy Connolly as John Brown, her supposed lover. It makes a good companion piece to Young Victoria and is a damn fine film too.

As an aside, the film was written by Julian Fellowes, who also wrote Gosford Park and the film was directed by Quebecois film-maker JeanMarc Vallee, who directed C.R.A.Z.Y. . Both of those films are worth checking out as well.

tm Does the QT 20 Part 3: Dazed and Confused

Dazed & Confused (dir. Richard Linklater – 1993)

Remember the joke about Seinfeld as the show about nothing? Well, this is the movie version.

This movie is takes place on the last day of a Texas high-school in 1976. School gets out, the older/graduating kids party, drink, smoke, get stoned, make-out, ponder what to do next while the kids going into high school worry about getting paddled as an initiation, some get to party with the older kids and so they get to drink, smoke, get stoned, make-out and ponder what to do next. Day breaks and most kids go home while a few drive to Houston to buy tickets for an upcoming Aerosmith concert.

I can see the appeal to this movie growing with repeated views; as QT said, they’re like old friends. And that there’s not much going on in the way of plot isn’t an automatic stumbling block, but with this movie, things drag. Further, this movie might be faulted for launching the careers of Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck but thankfully this movie preceded Linklater’s infatuation with Ethan Hawke…

The dvd has a few deleted scenes and a commercial for Vans shoes – not worth it.

tm sez: 5/10

Mike the Boss - Films of 2010 - Film the Seventh: Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) (dir: Shekar Kapur)

I was surprised when the Indian film director, Shekhar Kapur, got the go ahead to make a sequel to the very good 1998 film Elizabeth. The sequel got savaged fairly brutally by the critics so I did not bother to watch it when it first came out. However, having just watched Cate Blanchett act her ass off in Notes on a Scandal, I decided I'd take the plunge on Elizabeth: The Golden Age and see for myself.

The first film dealt with the beginning of Elizabeth's reign and so we had a lot of political intrigue and romance as she rose to power. While the second movie does have elements of the first, it focuses more on creating Elizabeth into a historical action hero. In fact, young Isabella, princess of Spain, actually has a doll of Elizabeth which I'm sure is meant to be demeaning towards England's queen but ends up seeming more like an modern day action figure as the movie progresses. The political intrigue revolves around Spain and Mary, Queen of Scots. The romance revolves around Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raliegh (played by Clive Owen). Those two plot lines spin into the action climax of the British Navy versus the Spanish Armada.

As with any good costume drama, Blanchett gets to wear increasingly outlandish and beautiful outfits with an ever changing hair style all due her massive collection of wigs. The sets are absolutely gorgeous, the CGI for the actions scenes are well done and the acting performances are pretty good. With all of that, I'm a little confused as to why the critics went cold on this film. I suspect that they were expecting a bit more of the understatement and quietness that the first movie had but Khapur is from India and he brings a fun Bollywood sensibility to this second film.

I will admit I am a sucker for the big Queens of England. I have immense admiration for Elizabeth I and Victoria (and Elizabeth II as well). Sure they were able to rule by their birthright but think about it, they were women, ruling men, in a time when women really didn't have many options. You think it is tough now being a women in a position of power? Try being in charge of one of the most powerful countries in the world 450 years ago! Elizabeth was a badass, no doubt about it. If she wasn't, she wouldn't have lasted. While I doubt she looked as good as Blanchett did in her suit of armor (and Blanchett does indeed look damn fine), I'm sure she'd kick the ass of any modern day man without even breaking a sweat. Elizabeth: The Golden Age is good movie that is easy on the eyes, a little superficial in the plot but well acted and worth a watch. I can only hope we get a third act 10 years from now.