Movie Review: The Young Victoria - About The British Queen's Youth, Throne and Prince Charming.

This bewitching film opens the door to the viewers on the repressed youth of Victoria; her unexpected succession to the throne at 18 and her endearing romance with Prince Albert, which is marked as the highlight of this royal panorama of the remarkable young woman who was destined to be Britain's longest reigning monarch to date.

This film also examines the political machinations, match-making, complicated family affairs, intolerant governance, marriage and the British Sovereignty, all of which culminate into a captivating film with a fulfilling ending. This film will certainly hold the viewers spellbound with its crystal-clear cinematography, marvellous palaces, spectacular costumes and splendid performances delivered by its entire cast, especially the lead pair.

For anyone who is fascinated with historical films interspersed with romance, drama and political intrigue, this film is definitely worth a watch!

A few years ago, while vacationing in London, I took a tour of Kensington Palace, Queen Victoria's childhood home and after the exhilarating tour, I suddenly spotted this single movie-dvd in the palace's gifts and mementos shop. Impressed by its reviews and plot, I immediately grabbed the movie-dvd and paid a bunch of sterling pounds for it. A few weeks later, at my home I and my family viewed this film with high expectations.

What drew me to this film is this young feisty princess who revolted against her dominating mother, the Duchess of Kent and her power-hungry private secretary, Lord Conroy and defied their various tactics to gain power behind the throne. I observed that though Victoria is the heiress presumptive, she is more like a captive in a "closed system" run by her mother and Lord Conroy. What made the plot interesting is a sea of scheming people of considerable positions whose main intention is to use teenage Victoria as their toy in the game of authority and influence. I sensed that Victoria, when as a child, never dreamt of becoming queen, yet fate already had plans in store for her.

Upon her uncle King William IV 's death, Victoria is declared a queen! In spite of the weight of an imperial title upon her, she remained humble and told her subjects that she is willing to learn - this amazing quality stunned me. The coronation scene is magnificently filmed and made me wonder how it feels to be queen at just 18! Though Victoria gained freedom by severing her ties with those who exercised control over her since childhood, she is still naive and this led Victoria to be at constant loggerheads with Lord Melborne, her devious prime minister. I also discovered the rebellious side of young Queen Victoria who herself is caught in the turbulent labyrinth of conflict regarding her position and subjects and how she learnt to deal with all these obstacles with Prince Albert acting as her confidant.

Quite in the beginning of the film entered the knight in shining armour, Prince Albert, German cousin of Victoria, who is on a mission to entice Victoria at the behest of his uncle for renewed desire to acquire power. Their initial meeting is like a typical boy-meet-girl situation. As anticipated, Cupid struck and there is tingling passion and tender affection between them. Eventually their sweet liaison blossoms into a love marriage. Prince Albert is the quintessential Prince Charming and possessed all the qualities that every girl dreams of, in their ideal man! Handsome, intelligent, mature, wise, caring and chivalrous - what more can you expect in a rare perfect man? They lit up the screen with their electrifying chemistry. In this film, I noticed that their marriage is like any other marriage- they are often in a tug of war even over trivial matters, until a fatal incident changes their lives forever.

Here and there I did not reveal many plot-lines. Some things are better left unknown. Many questions sure have popped up in your mind - How was Victoria in her teenage years? What is the secret behind the success of her marriage to Prince Albert? What clicked with her longest reign in British History? Well, it is up to you to go and watch this film and find out yourself.

At the end, I and my family concluded that though this film did not match up to the standards of other films based on royalty such as The Queen and Elizabeth, nevertheless this film was very pleasurable and entertaining. The Canadian director, Jean-Marc Vallee ( C.R.A.Z.Y. ) did an unbelievably praiseworthy job of directing this whole English ensemble cast in a periodic film. Emily Blunt (The Devil wears Prada) infused her title role with spunk and impeccability. Rupert Friend (Pride and Prejudice) breathed life into the character of Prince Albert. Paul Bettany (The Da Vinci Code) enacted his Lord Melborne part with dignity. The supporting cast including Miranda Richardson as Victoria's mother, Mark Strong as Lord Conroy, Jim Broadbent as King William IV and Harriet Walter as Queen Adelaide all did justice to their roles.

Despite its historical flaws, this film is one of a kind that you can live it up!

Copyrights © 2012 By Ishwaryaa Dhandapani

For more information about the film, its cast, director, critical reception, accolades and awards, visit The Internet Movies Database and Wikipedia.