If You Love This Genre, Don't Miss, "The Young Victoria."

This is, of course, the story of the real life Victoria, who becomes Queen of Great Britain at age 18 in 1837. It deals with some of the events before and after she becomes queen, but focusing on her early reign and romance with Prince Albert. Queen Victoria ruled until 1901, the longest of any ruler in British history.

I’m a big fan of this genre, so I loved it going into the theater. There’s so much eye candy in this film, which has glorious cinematography and the aesthetics are just gorgeous. Every frame is a work of art. The costumes are intricate and sumptuous and just what you hope to see in the best period pieces. The fashions were stunning throughout the movie. The lush gardens were heavenly.

Some of the buildings took my breath away, inside and out. Queen Victoria was the first royal to live in Buckingham Palace. When they showed Victoria entering it for the first time, the camera panned to the ceiling and it was quite impressive. Words like opulent, ostentatious, imposing and luxuriant came to mind throughout the film.

This one was produced by Martin Scorsese, along with Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York. Her daughter, Princess Beatrice, makes her movie debut as a lady in waiting. Queen Victoria is the real life great-great-great-great-grandmother to Bea. It’s a non-speaking role, but at least she got to have some fun playing dress-up.

Princess Beatrice

The all-star British cast was outstanding. The dazzling Emily Blunt played Victoria, while handsome Rupert Friend played the love of her life, Albert. From all the pictures I’ve seen of past royals, I have a feeling, neither were this good looking in real life. According to Wikipedia, there were some historical inaccuracies, but I won’t ruin the movie and tell you what they are. They were added as dramatic elements to move the plot forward.

Miranda Richardson as Victoria's Mum

Jim Broadbent as King William

Many people rallied to get close to Victoria with some major power plays, including her mother, played by the always excellent, Miranda Richardson. King William was played by Jim Broadbent and wanted his young friend Lord Melbourne, played by Paul Bettany, to marry Victoria. He was terribly charming, but Prince Albert won her hand. He died at the age of 42 after fathering nine children. Victoria wore black for the rest of her life until she died at age 81.

Rupert Friend as Prince Albert

Rupert Friend without his wigs.

Click here to see a trailer of the marriage proposal and another of the film. Skip the one with the actors being interviewed.

It’s a beautiful romance, a wonderful story, excellent acting, with plenty of glorious style. Fans of the genre will love it, but others should skip it. Girls, don’t drag your men to see this one, unless they’re fans too. Thanks for reading my review! NR xoxo