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Recasting history as a particularly lavish soap opera,
Victoria and Albert sets the story of the relationship between the queen and her consort against a background of family strife and political wrangling. Sticklers for accuracy might be disappointed, but the strong cast and lavish production values make for an entertaining film.
Victoria is barely 18 when her uncle King William IV dies. She is introduced by the family adviser to a young German prince called Albert, and in spite of their initial indifference to one another and a great deal of political opposition, they fall in love. Marriage brings its own problems, however, and as Victoria, grows from an inexperienced young woman into a shrewd and powerful monarch Albert struggles to find a role for himself in both the family and the nation.
The relationship between Victoria and Albert was a remarkable one and this film, while occasionally erring on the side of sentiment, brings that relationship to life. The young leads are charming, but it is the supporting cast of British acting stalwarts--including Nigel Hawthorne, David Suchet, and Diana Rigg--who make Victoria and Albert truly worth watching. --Simon Leake
Video Description
"Albert really is quite charming, and so extremely handsome my heart is quite going!" --Queen Victoria The world remembers Queen Victoria as a staid and stately dowager in black. But when the teenaged "Drina" ascended to the throne, she was a vibrant young woman of powerful emotions, which found their greatest outlet in her consuming love for her German-born husband, Prince Albert. VICTORIA AND ALBERT tells the true story of their remarkable union, a bond of passion, politics and power that that helped restore dignity and respect to a monarchy long held in contempt. Victoria Hamilton (Mansfield Park, King Lear) and Jonathan Firth (Middlemarch, An Ideal Husband) play the royal couple to perfection, and the exceptional supporting cast includes Diana Rigg, Jonathan Pryce, Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Peter Ustinov. A&E and the BBC proudly present the compelling tale of the original Victorian romance-a love affair that changed the world.