The Young Victoria

Year: 2009

Genre: Drama/History/Romance

Region: UK

Production Company:

Language: English

Release Date: Friday, March 6, 2009

English Title: The Young Victoria

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée

Statistics: Subscribed by 177 people

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0962736/ (7.2)

Introduction:

Main Cast:

Emily Blunt as Young Victoria

Rupert Friend as Prince Albert

Miranda Richardson as Duchess of Kent

Jim Broadbent as King William

Mark Strong as Sir John Conroy

Paul Bettany as Lord Melbourne

Thomas Kretschmann as King Leopold of Belgium

Jesper Christensen as Gaspar Christensen

Julian Glover as Wellington

Harriet Walter

Michael Maloney as Peel

Robert Cambrinus as Turner

Genevieve O'Reilly as Flora

Morven Christie as Watson

Jeanette Hain as Baroness Lehzen

Rachael Stirling as Duchess of Sutherland

Jo Hartley as Landlady

Michiel Huisman as Prince Ernst

David Robb as MP

Princess Beatrice as Lady in Waiting

Danny Dalton as The Prince of Prussia

John Duval as Duke of Cumberland

Michaela Brooks as Younger Victoria

Alice Glover as Duchess of Montrose

Tony Jeeves as Police man

Sophie Roberts as Lady Portman

James Fiddy as Footman

Thomas Michael Voss as German Dance Master

Dave A. Hewitt as Duke of Norfolk

Synopsis:

The movie is adapted from Queen Victoria's youth, starting from a year before she ascended the throne in 1836 to her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. The film focuses on her love life.

Victoria's childhood was not happy; court life made her feel bored and uninterested. Until her cousin - young and energetic Prince Albert entered her life - everything changed. From then on, Victoria began to imagine herself as an ordinary girl pursuing her own love and happiness. However, family and country were always in conflict; choosing one meant giving up the other because, before Victoria, the queen held supreme power in Britain. Prince Albert also faced the pain of choice: choosing love meant accepting a marriage more political than romantic - because being king meant no freedom and no way to control one's own destiny. If he chose politics, then he wasn't the right person for the queen to marry. The two young people suffered in this agony. In 1837, 18-year-old Victoria was thrust onto the throne by fate, though she didn't want it, she still silently took on the heavy responsibility of leading a nation. Three years later, she married her cousin Prince Albert, and together they established a powerful empire.

Behind-the-scenes Production:

The film mainly describes the love story between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, ignoring the peak era of Britain under Queen Victoria. Clearly, epic films are not the type that today's directors pursue. Perhaps these small-scale movies telling the love stories of Queen Victoria's youth can be well-received and gain market box office success.

Historical Background:

In Britain, almost no one does not know Queen Victoria. It can be said that almost all British people admire her very much because she was not only the longest-serving British queen (63 years), but also during her reign, especially after 1851, known historically as the "Victorian Era." During this period, the British economy and culture flourished unprecedentedly. The social system experienced a transformation from the rise of capitalism to its prosperity and finally to monopoly capitalism. This was also the period when Britain's economy was strong and known as the "British Empire" where the sun never sets.

Victoria became the Queen of England at the age of 18 and ruled for 63 years until her death in 1901, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She married her cousin Prince Albert at the age of 21. In 1861, the prince died during Queen Victoria's middle age, at which time Queen Victoria was widely respected by the British people, and ministers began to actively seek her opinions. However, the death of her husband left the queen melancholy, and she spent a long time away from London in seclusion. Even when she appeared in public, she did not wear a crown but dressed as a widow and only wore black clothes. Due to Queen Victoria's long seclusion, the prime minister could not consult the queen on every matter, thus increasing the prime minister's power and promoting the perfection of Britain's constitutional monarchy.

Adaptation Challenges:

After deciding to shoot a film based on Queen Victoria's love life, the biggest challenge was finding a suitable script. Since it involves commentary on political figures, the script cannot be too idealized or overly critical and satirical. Especially for Queen Victoria, who was loyal to love, the screenwriter had to be extremely cautious.

Director Jean-Marc Vallée said, "We carefully reviewed a lot of historical works and documents, aiming to understand all the stories of Queen Victoria's youth. Additionally, Julian Fellowes and I visited all the royal members we could reach and asked them about their image of Queen Victoria in their hearts." As the screenwriter, Julian Fellowes deeply understood the importance of this script, saying, "It's difficult, I must be very careful. Otherwise, our movie would become a target of criticism. I consulted almost all the writers who wrote biographies of Queen Victoria, asking them any questions about Queen Victoria, even details."

And just as Mark Twain said, "Write about a person's youth until they get married." The film also only shows Queen Victoria's court life until her marriage. Julian Fellowes said, "Actually, I think portraying the love life of a political figure best reveals her true nature and charm. Victoria before ascending the throne was a real person, while after reaching the summit, she was just the head of state - or rather, a spokesperson. Compared to the brilliance she created later, Jean-Marc Vallée and I are interested in her love."

Outstanding Ensemble Performance:

"Court drama emphasizes the overall level and performance of the group, and it's impossible to support the entire movie with just one actor's performance," Jean-Marc Vallée admitted frankly, saying, "Fortunately, the actors I chose were all very excellent and qualified."

Regarding the performances of several main characters in the film, Jean-Marc Vallée praised endlessly: "Emily Blunt, who played a victim in 'The Devil Wears Prada,' portrayed a completely convincing queen in my movie. She even imitated the accent of the queen perfectly. Especially in her accent, there is a subtle change from a submissive little girl to a powerful sovereign, which is a detail I highly appreciate."

Besides the female lead, the director was also very satisfied with the performance of the male lead Rupert Friend, saying, "Rupert is an outstanding actor. His portrayal of Prince Albert exudes the dignity and grace of a nobleman. He fell in love with Victoria, but before romance, he had to consider that their marriage was largely a political transaction. Of course, Rupert presented these subtle layers very appropriately. His solemn face is profound."

Trivia:

- One of the producers, Sarah Ferguson's daughter Beatrice, played one of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting in the film. In fact, Beatrice is related to Queen Victoria, being her fifth-generation great-granddaughter.

- Martin Scorsese is one of the producers of this film. Moreover, the film's producers include royal members such as Graham and the Duchess of York.

- Graham was not the first time involved in the production of the film, nor was it the first time he collaborated with Martin Scorsese. He previously produced films like "Gangs of New York," "The Aviator," and "The Departed" for Martin Scorsese.

- The scenes inside Westminster Abbey (which is the burial place of British celebrities) in the film were actually shot at Lincoln Memorial.

- To restore the authentic scenes of the Victorian era, the crew traveled across various locations in the UK, including Buckingham Palace, West Sussex, Wilton House, Wiltshire, and Belville House in Ireland.