Handsomely produced historical drama

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 2009)

This movie about young queen Victoria, written by Julian Fellowes and directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, looks handsome in big screen, despite realistically flat lighting - shown especially in outdoor scenes and reminding the 18th century painter Francois Boucher's apt comment of nature being "badly lit". The film follows love story between prince Albert and Victoria, and criticizes rightfully Victoria's friend, totally rotten Lord Melbourne. This man did not only think that poor should be forgotten, he also was a murderer: after mistreated poor rioted in Wales in 1831 in so-called Merthyr rising he told a witness to lie so a non-guilty man could be hanged for wounding a soldier. There is pretty dresses, lavish dinners and quite good pacing for such a talkative story - I looked my watch only once. Nothing too impressive visually or drama-wise, but OK film.