Young Victoria [PG]

Refreshingly intelligent and beautifully acted, The Young Victoria is a majestic achievement for a mini-budget film.

A many-faceted movie, it steals quietly over you and leaves a lasting impression. A lesser film would have gone for a single stroke – a straightforward love story, a costume drama or a po-faced political melodrama. Scripted by the Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) what we get is a cleverly constructed narrative that treats its audience with real respect.

Young Victoria – our future Queen – is caught between her almost-regent mother and her three uncles, each vying for control of the British throne. The King – a splendidly outrageous Jim Broadbent – is ailing but wants to hang on long enough for Victoria to reach her age of majority.

In Germany and Belgium, royal plans are brewing to marry her off to their favoured princes. But no one’s reckoned on Victoria’s feisty feminity. And when Albert is despatched as a potential match for the young princess, everyone’s expectations are upended – especially the youngsters’ themselves.

The Young Victoria is a joy – largely thanks to Emily Blunt’s fantastic portrait. In a career-making role, Blunt (Devil Wears Prada, Jane Austen Book Club) blows away our impressions of Victoria as staid and unamused. Giggly, strong-willed and clever, her Victoria is scintillating – holding centre stage in cast of real quality.

Paul Bettany’s Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, is particularly memorable. Fellowes’ wily script and Bettany’s nuanced performance keeps us guessing as to whether he’s a friend or foe. And top marks also go to Julian Glover’s prosthetic nose – every inch the image of the Duke of Wellington.

But if Emily Blunt is captivating as Victoria, the largely unknown Rupert Friend is a worthy match as Albert. In a world where men wish to manage the Queen, Albert’s aim is to protect her. And some of the film’s best scenes are the youngsters’ growing interaction as the royal households of Europe find all too late that their pawns are really a king and a queen.

Directed by Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee, The Young Victoria is a feast for the senses. Blenheim doubles as Buckingham Palace, and Ditchley Park and Belvoir Castle do their bit for the tourism industry. A sensitive score from Ilan Eshkeri (Stardust) rounds off the seamless production.

Emily Blunt’s versatility shines through The Young Victoria. And Rupert Friend – last seen sporting another German accent as the terrifying Nazi officer in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - is definitely one to watch.

And so too is The Young Victoria. Appealing naturally to the costume-drama crowd, it deserves a much wider audience. A film of wit and intelligence, it’s a winning portrait of the politics of power and the power of love.

Glenn Watson (DI Reviewer), 10/03/09

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