Today’s movie is a drama with a scene set on April 25. I hope you will
enjoy this film and watch it tonight.
MRS. BROWN
In 1864 after Queen Victoria has
been in deep mourning for three years after the death of her husband Prince
Albert, Henry Ponsonby, the Queen’s private secretary arranges for John Brown a
servant from Balmoral Castle to be brought to Osborne House, where the Queen
resides in the he can induce her to start riding again as a first step to
pushing the Queen out of her seclusion. When Brown arrives he seemingly offends
the Queen by saying she must miss Albert very much. After he stands outside
holding her horse’s bridle for several days she agrees to ride. Brown moves to
the head of the table in the servant’s quarters and takes over running things
‘below stairs’. On April 25, 1864 [22:42 to 26:14] the Queen and Bertie argue
on Princess Alice’s birthday about the royal family being more accessible.
Republicanism is on the rise as the court relocates to Balmoral in Scotland,
where Brown earns the eternal enmity of the Prince of Wales by not paying him
the deference he feels is due him. Gossip begins to swirl about Victoria and
John Brown relationship, if any. Brown rousts some reporters who were spying on
the royals and the royal family returns to Windsor. Thugs attack Brown and
Victoria refuses a request by her family to fire him. The Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli visits Brown at Balmoral and convinces him the Quern must
return to society, but when Brown suggests this to Victoria she gets angry.
However, the Prince of Wales gets typhoid fever and when he recovers, Victoria
attends a thanksgiving service. Brown saves her from an assassination attempt.
When Brown dies, Ponsonby destroys Brown’s diary, saying it must never be read.
An interesting film. It never
gives its opinion on whether Brown and Victoria actually had an intimate
relationship. Has very good costumes and sets.
Victoria: An Intimate Biography
by Stanley Weintraub (Truman Talley Books, New York, 1987) at page 175 gives
Alice’s birthday
Producer - Sarah Curtis
Director - John Madden
Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Actress(Judi
Dench) and Best Makeup Oscars at the 70th Academy Awards
Screenplay - Jeremy Brock
Runtime – 1 hour 43 minutes
Released – July 17, 1997
Starring –
Judi Dench as Queen Victoria
Billy Connolly as John Brown
Geoffrey Palmer as Henry Ponsonby
Antony Sher as Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli
Gerard Butler as Archie Brown
David Westhead as Bertie, Prince of Wales
Sara Stewart as Princess Alexandra
Oliver Ford Davies as Dean of Windsor
Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.
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