Product: Victoria & Albert: A Royal Love Affair [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 5.0
Excellent Performances
I was riveted - what else can I say? Jonathan Firth's portrayal of Albert was simply stunning. (Talent certainly runs in the Firth family - Jonathan is the brother of Colin Firth.) But the gem of the whole production was Victoria Hamilton's multi-layered Queen Victoria. Her progression from a somewhat naive girl to the indefatigable monarch was seamless. I was particularly struck by her facial expressions which were so revealing. The chemistry between Victoria and Albert was believable and enjoyable. By the end of the film I cared about the characters and their relationship - and that's the mark of a great film.I had but one problem...there were times when I scratched my head wondered about the political issues of the time. The script makes some assumptions about the audiences' historical knowledge - so I found my self a little confused once or twice.That aside, I can't say enough good things about the film. The supporting cast of characters was impressive: Diana Rigg, John Wood (as the Duke of Wellington, no less!) and Peter Ustinov to name a few. One of my favorite supporting performances was David Suchet's Baron Stochmar. It was nice to see Suchet sans moustache and out of his Poirot persona - he's immensely talented.All in all a great film. A&E delivers another classic.