The Young Victoria


The Young Victoria is a 2009 British period drama film directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and written by Julian Fellowes, based on the early life and reign of Queen Victoria, and her marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Produced by Graham King, Martin Scorsese, Sarah Ferguson, and Timothy Headington, the film stars Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Harriet Walter, Mark Strong, and Jim Broadbent among a large ensemble cast.
As screenwriter, Fellowes sought to make the film as historically accurate as possible. With this in mind, Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell and historical consultant Alastair Bruce were hired, and filming for The Young Victoria took place at various historical landmarks in England to further the film's authenticity. Despite this, some aspects of the film have been criticised for their historical inaccuracies.
Momentum Pictures released the film in the United Kingdom and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group opened The Young Victoria in limited theatrical release in the United States. Critical reception was generally positive.

Plot

, the heiress presumptive to the British throne during the reign of her paternal uncle, King William IV, is subject to a political tug of war for influence over her. On one side is her mother, Victoria, Duchess of Kent, and the comptroller of the Duchess's household, Sir John Conroy, who bring her up very strictly under the Kensington system. When it becomes clear that Victoria will become Queen, they try to force her to sign papers declaring a regency if she ascends the throne before coming of age, the provision remaining in effect until she is twenty-five years old.
On the other side is her maternal uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium, who uses family ties to secure an alliance between the United Kingdom and Belgium. He wants his nephew Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who is Victoria's cousin, to marry her. Albert is coached in Victoria's likes and dislikes. When the Duchess invites the Coburg brothers, Albert and Prince Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, to visit, Victoria and Albert develop a mutual fondness, despite her knowing that their uncle sent him to romance her. They begin writing to one another after he returns home.
At a birthday reception in Windsor Castle, King William states his wish to be closer to Victoria and insults her mother. When he increases Victoria's income, it is rejected by Conroy, who physically subdues her in front of her mother, heightening their animosity. The King then sends the Prime Minister Lord Melbourne to advise her. Victoria agrees to make Melbourne her private secretary, and he appoints her ladies-in-waiting who are from families politically allied to the Whigs.
King William dies shortly after Victoria's eighteenth birthday, thus avoiding a regency. Now Queen, Victoria immediately exerts her independence, physically distancing herself from her mother and banishing Conroy from her household and coronation. During her first meeting with the Privy Council, Victoria announces her intention to devote her life to serving her country and its people. She moves into the newly built Buckingham Palace and describes feeling free for the first time. Her aunt, the dowager Queen Adelaide, advises her against acquiescing too much in Lord Melbourne's directives. Albert visits again, and he and Victoria further bond while discussing their mutual interest in social issues. She resists a more intimate relationship, however, and he leaves.
Melbourne resigns as Prime Minister after losing the confidence of the House of Commons, forcing Victoria to invite the Leader of the Opposition Robert Peel to form a government in his place. With a minority in Commons, he requests to replace some of Victoria's ladies-in-waiting with supporters of the Tories. When Victoria refuses, Peel rejects her invitation to form a new government, leading her to invite Melbourne to continue as Prime Minister. The subsequent crisis damages Victoria's popularity, leading to demonstrations outside the palace. The turbulence draws Victoria closer to Albert through their letters and she invites him back to Britain. Protocol prevents him from proposing marriage, so she asks him.
Their short honeymoon is loving, but Albert soon grows frustrated at his powerlessness. Queen Adelaide advises Victoria to allow him to assume more duties. He then reorganises the royal household and dismisses Conroy for mishandling the Duchess of Kent's funds. As Victoria's primary adviser, Albert blocks Lord Melbourne and King Leopold from influencing his wife. However, he and Victoria fiercely quarrel after Albert goes over her head to Peel about replacing some of her ladies-in-waiting. But when an anarchist attempts to shoot Victoria during an open-carriage ride, Albert is wounded when he shields her. His bravery leads to their reconciliation, and Melbourne urges her to share her work for social welfare with Albert. Their first child's birth helps reconcile Victoria and her mother, who had earlier sent a letter of support during the crisis.
The final title cards sketch Victoria and Albert's successful future together until his death, aged forty-two. Victoria lives on until her death at eighty-one, ever loyal to his memory and having reigned for sixty-three years.

Cast

Development

It was Sarah, Duchess of York, who conceived the idea for a film based upon the early years of Queen Victoria. She had been interested in the queen since her marriage to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, a great-great-great-grandson of Victoria and Albert, and had written two books about her with the help of an historian. The Victoria-Albert relationship in particular drew her into the queen's history, as she believed there were parallels between their marriage and her own with Prince Andrew, as they both "fought for their love" in the midst of public scrutiny. A friend set up a meeting with producer Graham King, to whom she pitched the idea along with several others. At the time wrapping up his work on The Departed, King, a native of Britain, had been looking for a project set in his home country for years. The producer later remembered, "she pitched me a bunch of things, and among them was a three-page synopsis of Victoria's early life: the precise span covered in The Young Victoria. just fell into place." King brought frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese onboard initially as a co-executive producer, as the Academy Award-winning director knew "pretty much all there is to know about British history."
Gosford Park screenwriter Julian Fellowes contacted King to present ideas for a script, and according to the producer, Fellowes "seemed to have the whole movie planned out in his head so we told him to go ahead and write it. Three months later, this incredibly impressive screenplay showed up on our desks." Fellowes was immediately hired by him and Scorsese. Fellowes chose not to end the film with Albert's death because he was wary of copying "the horror of biopics," where there is simply an important event after important event. Believing it had been done before and that the audience was already familiar with that part of Victoria's history, he thought it would be better suited for a television series or for another film.
For the film's director, King wanted someone "who would steer us away from the traditional BBC-type costume drama," and "make a period film for an MTV audience." By chance, someone recommended King watch the 2005 film C.R.A.Z.Y. by French-Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée, and became immediately interested in hiring him. King offered the job to Vallée on their very first meeting. Though at first expressing a lack of interest, Vallée agreed to direct after reading the script. He commented, "When I read the script, I saw it's a family drama, a romance, a political plot at the same time." Vallée considered Victoria to be a rebel because "she has this attitude, which is you make noise, you want to yell and yell loudly to your parents and all the people, to authority... 'I'm going to do it my way.' That's what rock 'n' roll is all about. That's what I liked about her, this energy. was special and had this mystical quality."
Academy Award-winning costume designer Sandy Powell heard about the script and contacted King, who in turn hired her. Powell was given access to Victoria's wedding dress and coronation robes while researching. Powell's frequent collaborator, costume cutter Annie Hadley, was hired to produce the costumes. Based upon his work on The Lives of Others and his German nationality, Hagen Bogdanski was selected as the director of photography. Fellowes enlisted his friend Alastair Bruce's help with the coronation ceremony's historical authenticity, which led to Bruce's employment as the film's historical consultant, his first film credit.