Concrete Playground

Royalty sells – just ask Queen Elizabeth II. While her ancestor, Queen Victoria’s later years have been adapted into film and portrayed by the likes of Judi Dench et al, little attention has been devoted to her earlier years.

Queen Victoria was a molly-coddled child governed by an overly protective mother, who subsequently went on to become our longest reigning sovereign.

Jean-Marc Vallée directs a romantic period piece tackling palace power struggles; the tumultuous early years of Victoria’s reign over the British Empire; and the love story that develops between Her Royal Highness (a shinning Emily Blunt) and the suave Prince Albert (Rupert Friend).

Predictably, the film suffers from some historic inaccuracies and at times glosses over important events, but the cinematography and costumes are stunning and lavish without being gaudy, making The Young Victoria is a warm and quaintly decorative drama.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKs3yIZolsM