The Fine Young Victoria

This past weekend, Nat and I took our girls and her mother in law to see this movie. I wanted to see it as I heard that Emily Blunt was wonderful in this role and I wanted to see her in something a little meatier than Sunshine Cleaning. Nat and I chatted about it and decided that we would bring our 9 year olds to the movie to show them how "princesses/queens" looked like in "real life" which is really nothing like Barbie at all. I also wanted them to have some understanding of the incredible tasks that Victoria and her husband Albert were able to do for England.
Sometimes I find period pieces a bit daunting. Sometimes they are filled with over drama. Sometimes you get lost in a story so filled with history that you can't remember why you went to see the film in the first place. I found The Young Victoria, to be a reasonable and realistic tale of the first few years when Victoria came into power in Britain. It shows her being pulled and manipulated like a pawn by everyone, family, politician and foe alike. Since she was so young, her mother, the Duchess wanted her to sign a regency act, which would allow the Duchess to govern England for her until she was old enough. I have to say that with Miranda Richardson as Victoria's mother...well, how do I put it...this woman scared me. She was powerful and arrogant. She was tough as nails and yet you could sense the vulnerability of the character.
Victoria was played tenderly by Emily Blunt. She captured the essence of this young queen beautifully. She was lovely, sweet and naive. Charming but thoughtful and very bright. She wanted to think for herself and answer to no one but her country. I really enjoyed watching her on screen. Her husband, Prince Albert from Germany, was played by Rupert Friend...was enchanting. Watching the two of them on screen, when they were beginning their love affair was thrilling and they had fantastic chemistry. I loved watching them. It was hard to pull my eyes away.
Additional supporting cast includes Paul Bettany as Lord Melbourne - the current politician at the time who also vies for Victoria's support and Jim Broadbent, who played King William, Victoria's uncle. These additions were fantastic. The actors were charming and like able...even when you knew they shouldn't be.
The Young Victoria, shows how a young mind or rather two young minds in England were able to do great, great things. Welfare, education and housing for the poor are issues that Victoria and Albert fought for. That is all fine and dandy and yay for England... but really. This film is just as much a love story. It's about Victoria, of course, but it also shows such a loving tender side of both of them. It shows what happened when these two people fell in love and what they were able to achieve to better a nation.