Product: Victoria & Albert: A Royal Love Affair [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 5.0
Excellent in Every Way
I was completely enthralled with this period piece. It focuses mostly on the meeting, brief romance and marriage of the Queen and Prince Albert; but also gives a behind-the-scenes view of Victoria's ascension to the throne (she was just shy of her 18th birthday!), her personal struggles with her very demanding and power-seeking mother, and her and Albert's struggles and triumphs to live as man and wife while raising a family and fulfilling their royal duties. Apart from the romantic theme, there is quite a bit of British history woven throughout the movie which I found fascinating. I also sympathized with Albert's frustration of being in the Queen's shadow as Prince Consort (and not allowed to assist her in her royal duties although he was more than capable, as he proves later in their marriage). This is a lavish, well-acted and brilliantly executed 2-part dramatization. I wasn't surprised to learn that the producers of this movie also worked on a previous BBC favorite of mine; the 1995 mini series Pride and Prejudice. Victoria Hamilton, the actress who plays Queen Victoria, also portrayed "Mrs. Forster" in P&P; and "Henrietta Musgrove" in the 1995 production of Jane Austen's Persuasion.If you like romantic period pieces with a good amount of British History tossed into the mix, then you will absolutely LOVE this movie.Enjoy,Cris LaRue for Amazon.com