The Young Victoria

The Young Victoria (2009) starring Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent. During a few years in the early 1800s, there was some doubt as to whether Victoria (Blunt) would become Queen at all. Her uncle, King William, wanted her to succeed him, but her mother (Richardson), and her mother's lover, tried to force a regency on her. She refused to buckle under, and the rest is history. More than that, though, this movie tells the story of the romancing of Victoria by Prince Albert (Friend), who, as it turned out, really loved her. When they eventually marry, it is almost an anticlimax, but they, as a couple, form the heart of the film. It's a well told tale, beautifully mounted, which it was a pleasure to watch. (Subtitles in English are provided on the disc for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: B+  

Silas Marner

Silas Marner (1985) starring Ben Kingsley, Jenny Agutter. Silas Marner (Kingsley) is shunned by his church after he is wrongly convicted of stealing the church's funds. He retreats to a quiet, lonely life as a weaver in the countryside, where he lives and saves for 15 years. Things take another bad turn for him when his savings of 15 years are stolen. Marner's fortunes seem to change, though, when a toddler child turns up on his doorstep on New Year's Eve. We know who her real father is, but Marner does not. It's a simple story, well told, with a happy ending. There's not much to criticize in that. Closed captions are available on the disc. Grade: B+

The Young Victoria (DVD)

The Young Victoria (2009) starring Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Paul Bettany. Blunt plays 18-year-old British royal Victoria, who in 1837 ascends to the throne whilst court intrigue swirls around her. She proves to be a firm but inexperienced queen, and has a lot of learning on the job to do. Young Victoria soon (1840) marries Prince Albert of Germany (Friend), who has difficulty fitting in as the husband of the Queen. Interesting factoid: They had nine children, and Albert died 20 years later, at age 42, from typhoid. This is not a bad movie, by any means, but it covers such a short span of Victoria's life and covers it in such a shallow manner that the film seems a mere trifle. The subtitles are excellent. Grade: B

A Room with a View (DVD)

A Room with a View (1986) starring Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Denholm Elliot, Julian Sands, Daniel Day-Lewis. Miss Lucy Honeychurch (Bonham Carter) is on a visit to Florence, chaperoned by her proper maiden cousin Charlotte (Smith). The times are Edwardian English, and some are trying to put behind them the Victorian mores they have formerly lived with. Among these are George Emerson (Sands), another Englishman on holiday in Florence, with whom Lucy falls in love. Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, the movie is a study in changing times and contrasting world views. The romanticism of Italy, up against the proper uptight British, has been used in other films, but in none to greater effect. The movie's subtitles are quite adequate, although there is a bit of Italian spoken without translation. Grade: B

The Duchess (DVD)

The Duchess (2008) starring Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Charlotte Rampling. Georgiana (Knightley) marries the Duke of Devonshire (Fiennes) and thus becomes the Duchess of Devonshire. But the time is the late 18th century, and they are a poor match. She fails to provide him with a male heir, which is basically all he wants from her, and he treats her wretchedly. She rebels, but all of the power is in his hands. There's a lot of sturm und drang, but basically this is a chick flick set in historic times. Grade: B