nutolm The worst year of Queen Elisabeth II as head of the state was probably not worse than the attention the British royal court got when Queen Victoria got engaged with her groom John Brown 150 years earlier. Unfortunately, it was a completely different time, a another world, and this relationship almost broke down the British monarchy.This movie is very well played. Judi Dench is magnificent as Queen Victoria, an awesome personality with a heartbreaking soul - and this performance earned her an Oscar nomination. Billy Connolly isn't less impressive; a Scottish groom in kilt, brimming with confidence - a free speaking man. Queen Victoria and him are two totally different people, but they fit together very well. The movie is characterized by great acting all over, as well as a good British sense for bygone times; the delicious nature surroundings and a good eye for details. This made the movie a great experience, but I see something about it that took it down a notch: the plot is too quiet in periods, and the script didn't allow room for any reflections. But in any case I did like it.

lasttimeisaw I don't want to be slanted towards any film labeled awards-crowned, which would be a surefire guarantee that it is better than average, even though it stars one of my all-time favorite actresses Dame Judi Dench and it is one of her premier glare. HMMB is a British period film from John Madden (whose Shakespeare IN LOVE 1998 would upset the Oscar ceremony in 1999 and honor Ms. Dench's a golden naked man for best supporting actress), wrestling with a solemn relationship/friendship between Queen Victoria and her staunch servant John Brown, a royal entanglement which almost hamper the monarchy in UK history.It is perplexing to tell the narrative's dependability because Brown's diary has never been found, thus the film uses a mediocre approach to meticulously organize its contentious subject matter in a tenable and restrained patterns, the interaction between Queen Victoria and Mr. Brown is not as ample as one had anticipated, a bona-fide friendship never really sensed throughout the entire round, also the screen time of Dame Dench is curbed into sundry fragmentary montages, the sparkle of a two-hander abates slowly and the final showdown has been sketched into a intensive but abrupt manifestation. Ms. Dench rocks in her queenly selfhood, an inscrutably stately potency exuding from every scene she is in and Billy Connolly is not shied away from his zany and inflammable character, a tad hard to swallow but at least spiritually admirable. All in all, the film has extracted a disreputable scandal from the British history and transformed it to an over-cautious biography which shows that it is as bland as the director's emblematic signature of his works.

bob the moo In mourning after the loss of her husband Prince Albert, Queen Victoria calls for his former aide, John Brown to be on hand for her walks and such. On arrival, Brown upsets his colleagues and peers by speaking his mind to her – indeed upsetting her as well. He persists though and eventually she goes on a ride with him. His frankness with her seems to win her over and sees her confide in him, increasing her isolation and his standing within the house. At the same time, the political absence of the Queen is felt within the Commons and pressure starts to build not only on her to return to public duty but also in relation to her unusual relationship with Brown.Nobody should let their lack of knowledge of the characters and the period put them off coming to this fine period drama; I myself knew nothing of them but I do try and spot a quality film when I see one – and so it was here. Based on fact to a degree, this film could just as easily as been made up and still be just as effective as a story and a drama. The strength is in the development of the characters, the relationship between Victoria and Brown and the political pressures that push on them from outside. The film does all these things impressively and in doing so produces an engaging story that is as driven by the political ongoings as it is by the development of the simple friendship at its core. Madden embraces the pace of Brock's writing and avoids sensationalism or overdoing things where subtlety makes things better.The cast are a massive part of the film working though. Dench won an Oscar for this performance (albeit a year late – anyone who thinks she won it for Shakespeare in Love is crazy!) and it was thoroughly deserved. She does the typical "Queen Victoria" sternness well but she does a much better job of softening her character gradually with good touches here and there. Connelly is just as impressive – personally I've never been that taken with him as a stand-up comedian but here he has a real presence and a real understanding of his character – chasing position, finding friendship and love and everything that that brings. They work together really well and they drive the material forward effortlessly. Support is classy and impressive from people such as Palmer, Sher, Butler and others – there are no weak links in this cast.Overall then this is a fine and engaging film that works on many levels. The material is really well written with characters, relationships and standards well laid out and presented. The cast respond with two tremendous performances from the leads and classy support throughout. An all round classy film that is effortlessly engaging and elegant and well worth its reputation.

Lee Eisenberg When "Mrs. Brown" came out, it seems like Judi Dench wasn't a household name in the United States - although she had appeared in a number of famous movies by then. Ever since the movie came out, she has received five Oscar nominations (one of which was a win). Here she plays Queen Victoria, having a fling with Scotsman John Brown (Billy Connolly). Naturally, this creates some suspicion among the people in her inner circle.One thing that I felt while watching the movie is that it must be weird being in Queen Victoria's place, what with the way that people always have to follow her around everywhere that she goes. But either way, it's an interesting look at a certain part of history.As for the whole thing about Benjamin Disraeli, I actually have a connection there. My 2nd-great grandparents immigrated to Canada when Disraeli convinced Queen Victoria to allow the Jews to immigrate there to escape the pogroms in Eastern Europe.