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Memorable, crazy movie

How sad is this?

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

My wife and I watched this at home on DVD. A very fine movie and complementary to the more recent "Victoria and Abdul." In fact I looked up this one only after seeing the other recently. Judi Dench plays Queen Victoria in each of them which is a nice continuity.Queen Victoria (Dench) was deeply in love with her husband, Prince Albert. She went into a great funk after his death, mostly avoiding her Royal duties and living in relative isolation with her service staff. Then along came the Scotsman to care for her horse, Billy Connolly as John Brown, a take charge kind of guy who gave scant respect to the conventions of conduct around the Queen. In fact near the end he was talking to her almost as if he were her husband, and she began to be referred to as "Mrs Brown" by some. Connolly is superb in his role. My own reading about this period indicates that it may well be mostly factual, although Brown's diary was never found after his death.

The promotional material that was released for this film including the descriptions that appear on the box to me bear no resemblance to the film itself. Queen Victoria is suffering from terrible grief after the loss of her husband and the film is about her loyal friendship with Mr Brown. Why they describe it any other way I cannot fathom, perhaps only because they think it will sell more copies (but disappoint more people at the same time). Both Dame Judy Dench and Billy Connelly CBE both play outstanding parts in this film. Both characters are complex and have deep emotion which both stars pull off exquisitely. Anthony Sher is also excellent and with such amazing makeup can actually be confused for Benjamin Disraeli. This film is about real people and these real people have real emotions and that's what this film is about. I only mark it down because of the incorrect labelling of the film by the marketing people.

one of rare films who gives a new form of romanticism , more profound, more subtle and almost material. because it is story of a special friendship and a remarkable occasion for Judy Dench to create a memorable character with precise delicacy. a film about two worlds clash and about the emotion as subtle link between people. two cultures and a great chance to reflect the other in yourself. not the script, not the landscapes but the impressive acting is the key for the metamorphose of film, step by step, in an experience for viewer. not easy subject, it becomes in this film more than credible but subtle example about measure, sacrifice and the need of the other as shield against yourself.

The middle part of Queen Victoria's reign is one of the most interesting and unusual among monarchs of the modern age. "Mrs. Brown" (aka, "Her Majesty Mrs. Brown") covers that period. The queen and Prince Albert had been happily married for nearly 21 years when he died of suspected typhoid fever. As the movie opens, Victoria has been long in mourning over his death in 1861. Many months pass, and her family, the royal household, and the parliament want her to return to her public duties and get on with life. Finally, Victoria sends for a personal servant whom Albert had highly regarded at their Balmoral Castle in Scotland. For the next 20 years, John Brown takes charge of the queen's life and the royal household. The queen slowly comes to life again. The Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, convinces Brown of the need for the queen to resume a public life for the sake of the kingdom. Brown helps the queen see the need and wisdom of doing so. Brown is much despised among the royal family, household and officials. Yet, he continued to enjoy a unique position and closeness to the queen until his death from pneumonia in1883.Much about the relationship of Queen Victoria and John Brown remains secret or mysterious. It is still controversial among historians today. But, most agree that Brown's role was helpful to the crown and England. Barely half a century later, another unusual royal relationship would rock Russia. The "mad monk," Rasputin, wielded uncanny and bizarre influence at times over the Romanovs, Nicholas and Alexandra. Rasputin was killed on Dec. 30, 1916, less than two months before the start of the Bolshevik Revolution. He has been viewed by some historians as having helped bring and end to the Russian monarchy.Judi Dench does justice to the character of Victoria, and Billy Connolly is excellent in the role of John Brown. Other roles are all handled very well by a superb cast. The history of the time comes alive in the scenery and settings for the film. But for some curious aspects of this film, I wouldn't have written these comments since there were already many reviews. The first oddity to me was with the lead actress, Judi Dench. Queen Victoria was a short, stout woman, and rather plain looking. If anything, Dench gives her more character in her face. But, she seems way too old at the start of the film – when she should be about 42. And then, she doesn't appear to age at all over the next 20 years. She even seems to be a little younger. This was enough of a distraction to me that I couldn't get into the film – in the time and place, for the maximum enjoyment. Victoria and Albert had nine children. Two died in their 30s and the other seven lived long lives – to an average of 76. At the start of the film, four of them would be teens and three of them younger. We don't see the two youngest at all – Beatrice and Leopold, and the others all appear as older children and young adults. Albert (Bertie) who would become King Edward VII, and Princess Alexandra of Denmark were married in 1863, when he was 21. Any of the film details about Brown and Victoria that may be true were probably taken from the Highland Journal, and its sequel, which Queen Victoria wrote and had published. Otherwise, there don't appear to be any other written or historical accounts. I suspect the notion of a diary kept by Brown was fictitious, since it was destroyed according to the movie. How would anyone know about it otherwise?