It should be said at the outset of this review that I nor most most men that I know are very big fans of period pieces, so its important to take in to account when reading this my general dislike of the genre. That out of the way, where do I begin with The Young Victoria. A victorian romance I was pleasantly surprised to find steered clear of the usually Hollywood melodrama done to the subject matter. The film stars Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) as the young queen who begins the film as a young princess. She is brought up with virtually no interaction to the world around her and is kept under close supervision everywhere she goes. The simple task of walking down the household stairs alone isn't something her controllers think should be left up to her. Who are her controllers you might be asking. The princess's mother is played by the perfectly cast Miranda Richardson who is caught between attending the needs of what is best for her daughter and the needs of what is best for the family she hopes to create around her. For Richardson is attending almost every moment by her cunning advisor played by Mark Strong (Robin Hood, Kick-Ass, Sherlock Holmes). Strong is an actor that has a string of memorable roles as of late and in The Young Victoria is given the opportunity thanks in large part to a toned down script by Julian Fellowes to not overdue the selfish ambitions he projects on screen.
Of course we know how the story works, the princess eventually becomes a queen and the quest for her to find a suitor begins. Blunts character is fully aware that she is being used as a political tool by virtually everyone she meets. Everyone save a few want to use her new power of the crown to their own advantage, from her own advisor played wonderfully by Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander) to the local politicians which surround her from all sides. Over the course of the film though she maintains a somewhat distant yet romantic relationship with a young german prince played by Rupert Friend. The joy of this part of the film was that the inner dynamics of crown politics is so well illustrated by Fellowes that were never really sure Victoria's heart will go. On the one hand she is incredible independent and strong willed and yet on the other she wants what every other woman wants, love.
Now this all may sound pretty standard for a period drama and of course it's filled with the usual wonderful costume and production design as well as subtle cinematography that were accustomed to as an audience but where the power of The Young Victoria really lies is in the cast and in the script. Fellowes who previous credits include Vanity Fair and Gosford Park has here crafted a script that leaves the usually overdone drama out of the picture and instead puts the focus on the chess game of local politics where the queens every decision is met with some type of ridicule. Its refreshing to see a victorian film that isn't about who is sleeping with who and instead gives off a feeling of drama on a small scale that if not dealt with could potentially snowball into something disastrous. As mentioned the cast is top rate from the young Blunt in the lead to small supporting turns from veterans like Jim Broadbent. All in all I actually enjoyed the film, though I think most people if not patient may find its slow pace a bore.
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