Mrs Brown (1997)
When Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert dies, she finds solace in her trusted servant, Mr. John Brown. But their relationship also brings scandal and turmoil to the monarchy.
- John Madden
- Deborah Saban
- Kim Armitage
- Jeremy Brock
Rating: 6.7/10 by 176 users
Alternative Title:
Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown - US
Mrs. Brown - US
Country:
Ireland
United Kingdom
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 45 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: assassination, england, scotland, widow, queen, prince, victorian england, royalty, 19th century, british monarchy
There have been goodness knows how many theories about the relationship between Queen Victoria and her highland ghillie John Brown, brought from Her Majesty's estate at Balmoral to try to prize her from her routine of melancholy following the death of Prince Albert. In this version, John Madden cleverly decides to emphasise the characterisations of the Queen and of her Highland servant, rather than to try and create something that historians can argue over... Of course it's all speculative, but both Judi Dench and Billy Connolly excel here at building an honest, and ultimately loving friendship that is plausible - especially for the widow surrounded otherwise by an almost acolytic suite of staff. Geoffrey Palmer is also on good form as her Private Secretary (Sir Henry Ponsonby) trying to walk the line between protocol and productivity; and to deal with the resentment across the family and other staff caused by Brown's relationship with his Sovereign as the film progresses. Antony Sher also stands out as the politically savvy Disraeli, David Westhead as the seriously un-amused Prince of Wales and there is an early outing for Gerard Butler as John's brother "Archie". As you'd expect, the technical and creative aspects of the production lend their best efforts to make this a very craftful piece of cinema.
