MOVIE REVIEW
The Young Victoria (2009)
Liam Daniel/Apparition
“The Young Victoria” breaks no new ground in the realm of period
pieces. It’s concerned — as have been many of its predecessors with royals as
subjects — with the burdens of monarchy such as the pressures to produce an
heir, confront complex palace intrigue and find a way to connect with the
outside world.
Yet it’s a work of high, refined craft from director Jean-Marc Vallée
and screenwriter Julian Fellowes. With an appropriate emphasis on the quieter drama beneath the magisterial splendor and Emily Blunt’s terrific, empathetic performance as Queen
Victoria, it achieves the challenging feat of making a narrative set in the
early 19th century seem wholly contemporary, without needless
stylistic quirks or anachronisms. Ms. Blunt’s performance succeeds because she makes the ultimate icon
relatable, playing the longest reigning British monarch with the vulnerability
and unease of anyone forced into a difficult position before he or she ready.