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Victoria & Abdul

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Victoria & Abdul
British release poster
Directed byStephen Frears
Screenplay byLee Hall
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDanny Cohen
Edited byMelanie Ann Oliver
Music byThomas Newman
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 3, 2017 (2017-09-03) (Venice)
  • September 15, 2017 (2017-09-15) (United Kingdom)
Running time
111 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$65.4 million[2]

Victoria & Abdul is a 2017 British biographical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Lee Hall. The film is based on the book of same name by Shrabani Basu, about the real-life relationship between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian Muslim servant Abdul Karim. An unofficial sequel to the 1997 film Mrs Brown, it stars Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith and Adeel Akhtar. The film had its world premiere at the 74th Venice Film Festival, and was theatrically released on 15 September 2017 in the United Kingdom and 22 September 2017 in the United States. It has grossed over $65 million worldwide.[2]

The film was nominated for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 90th Academy Awards, and Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (for Dench) at the 75th Golden Globe Awards.

Plot

Abdul Karim, a young prison clerk from Agra, India, is instructed to travel to England for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 to present her with a mohur, a gold coin which has been minted as a token of appreciation from British-ruled India.

The Queen, who is lonely and tired of her fawning courtiers, develops an interest in and later a friendship with Abdul. She spends time with him alone, and promotes him to become her Munshi as his guardian. She asks him to teach her Urdu and the Qur'an. When Victoria discovers that he is married, she invites his wife and mother-in-law to join him to England. They arrive wearing black Burqas, to the consternation of the household.

While Victoria treats Abdul as a son, his preferment is resented by her household and inner circle, including her son Bertie and the Prime Minister. The household plots to undermine their relationship, hoping that Abdul will be sent home. When Victoria embarrasses herself by recounting to the court the one-sided account of the Indian Mutiny that Abdul had told her, Victoria's faith and trust in him are shaken and she decides he must go home. But the following day she changes her mind and asks him to stay. She gives Abdul a bejewelled locket with her photograph.

Victoria's interest in India grows, and at her Isle of Wight home of Osborne House, she has the Durbar Room built for state functions, elaborately decorated with carvings by Bhai Ram Singh in an intricate style, and with a carpet from Agra. She hangs portraits of Indians in the House. She tells the household that she intends to give Abdul a knighthood.

The Prime Minister is adamant that the royal household must find a way to get rid of Abdul. They research his family background in India, and present Victoria with a dossier to show that his family is more ordinary and poor than Abdul has told her. When Victoria insists her doctor examine Abdul to find out why his wife has not fallen pregnant, he discovers that Abdul has gonorrhea, and rushes to tell the Queen, expecting her to dismiss him in disgust. However, Victoria remains loyal to Abdul and admonishes her courtiers for plotting against him.

Eventually the household decides that, if Victoria does not break with Abdul, they will all resign. They also threaten to certify Victoria as insane. When Victoria is told, she angrily summons the entire household to the Durbar Room and demands that anyone who wants to resign step forward. When none do so, she tells them she has decided not to make Abdul a knight, but to include him in her next honours list as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

When Victoria falls ill, she urges Abdul to return to India, while she can still provide him with protection. She warns him that when she dies, the court will turn on him, but Abdul insists that he will stay with Victoria until the end of her life. In 1901, Victoria dies, and her son Bertie, now Edward VII, rejects Abdul, burning all the gifts and papers he has received from the Queen, and sending him and his family back to India. Abdul's wife manages to save the locket for him. It is revealed that Abdul lived in India until his death eight years later in 1909. The film ends with Abdul kneeling at a large statue of the Queen close to the Taj Mahal, talking to it and kissing its feet in respect.

Cast

Production

On 17 June 2016, it was reported that Judi Dench would play Queen Victoria (reprising her role from the 1997 film Mrs Brown) in Victoria & Abdul, a film based on the book of the same name by Shrabani Basu. Stephen Frears was set to direct.[3] On 5 August 2016, it was announced that Ali Fazal would play Victoria's confidant Abdul Karim, while the film would be co-produced by Working Title Films and BBC Films, and co-financed by BBC and Focus Features.[4] Focus also handles U.S. distribution rights, while Universal Pictures International handles all other countries. The script was written by Lee Hall, and the producers are Beeban Kidron, Tracey Seaward, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner, while the other cast includes Eddie Izzard, Michael Gambon, Tim Pigott-Smith, and Adeel Akhtar.[4]

Principal photography on the film began on 15 September 2016, at Victoria's former royal residence Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom.[5][6]

Costumes from the production were on display at Osborne House, from 24 July until 30 September 2017.[7] To capitalise on the renewed interest in Victoria arising from both the film and the concurrent second season of ITV's Victoria television series, the Isle of Wight Tourist Board has created a 'Victoria's Island Trail' encouraging tourists to visit the key locations on the island that have connections to the Queen.[8]

Release

Victoria & Abdul was released for audiences in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2017, followed by a U.S. general release on 22 September.

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 66% based on 173 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site’s critical consensus reads, "Victoria & Abdul reunites Dame Judi Dench with the role of Queen Victoria — which is all this period drama needs to overcome its imbalanced narrative."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10]

In the Women's Voices for Change, Alexandra MacAaron, who rated the movie eight out of ten, wrote that "Judi Dench's Oscar-worthy second turn as Queen Victoria is a poignant portrait of fading power and human connection."[11] Christopher Orr's response from The Atlantic was positive, and he wrote "Victoria & Abdul is worth seeing for Dench's magisterial performance and for Frears's light but sure directorial touch. Just don't mistake it for actual history."[12]

Writing for The Independent, Amrou Al-Kadhi was highly critical: "Films like Victoria & Abdul seek to absolve our barbaric behaviour in colonised countries." He criticised the white-washing of the British Raj and the "offensive two-dimensionality" of Abdul's character, who is shown kissing the feet of Queen Victoria and expressing gratitude for being among the "glorious people" of the British Empire.[13]

In the Daily Express, critic Andy Lea rated the film two out of five, describing Abdul's character as "disappointingly servile" and criticising the plot as "decent material for a knockabout farce", but praising Dench as "predictably brilliant".[14] In his 4-out-of-4-rated review, Rex Reed in the New York Observer wrote: "Judi Dench gives a touching, majestic performance" and, complimenting the script and direction, he said that "every scene is gorgeous to look at, every shot magnificently detailed and richly framed. And the exemplary performances are as good as it gets in movies today."[15]

Accolades

Year Award/Festival Category Nominee Result
2017
26th Heartland Film Festival Truly Moving Picture Award
Stephen Frears
Won
21st Hollywood Film Awards Hollywood Film Composer Award
Thomas Newman
Won
2018
14th North Texas Film Critics Association Best Actress
Judi Dench
Nominated
7th AACTA International Awards Best Actress Nominated
75th Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated
24th Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
38th London Film Critics Circle Awards British/Irish Actress of the Year Nominated
22nd Satellite Awards Best Actress Pending
Best Adapted Screenplay
Lee Hall
Pending
Best Costume Design
Consolata Boyle
Pending
71st British Academy Film Awards Best Makeup and Hair
Daniel Phillips
Pending
90th Academy Awards Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
Pending
Best Costume Design
Consolata Boyle
Pending

References

  1. ^ "VICTORIA AND ABDUL (PG)". Universal Pictures Int (UK) . British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Victoria and Abdul (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  3. ^ Ritman, Alex (June 17, 2016). "Judi Dench to play Queen Victoria in Stephen Frears' 'Victoria and Abdul'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Jaafar, Ali (August 5, 2016). "Stephen Frears' 'Victoria and Abdul' Adds Ali Fazal And Eddie Izzard; Working Title-BBC Co-Pro, Focus Co-Fi And Distributing". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  5. ^ Cooley, Isobel (September 15, 2016). "'Victoria and Abdul' filming starts today at Osborne House". On The Wight. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  6. ^ Moreno, Jon (September 15, 2016). "Dame Judi Dench filming at Osborne House for new Queen Victoria movie". Isle of Wight County Press. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  7. ^ "Iconic Judi Dench film costumes to go on display at Queen Victoria's former home". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Victoria initiative to increase Isle of Wight tourism". Isle of Wight County Press. Isle of Wight Country Press. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Victoria & Abdul (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  10. ^ "Victoria & Abdul reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  11. ^ ""Long Live the Queen!" Judi Dench Rules in Victoria and Abdul".
  12. ^ Orr, Christopher. "The Lightweight Appeal of 'Victoria & Abdul'".
  13. ^ Al-Kadhi, Amrou. "Victoria and Abdul is another dangerous example of British filmmakers whitewashing colonialism". The Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  14. ^ Lea, Andy. "Victoria and Abdul review: An interesting true story that feels like a cop-out". Daily Express. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  15. ^ Reed, Rex. "Victoria and Abdul review: Judi Dench Gives a Touching, Majestic Performance in 'Victoria and Abdul'". New York Observer. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
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