Ihre Majestät Mrs. Brown (1997)

Ihre Majestät Mrs. Brown: Directed by John Madden. With Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher. When Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert dies, she finds solace in her trusted servant, Mr. John Brown, but their relationship also brings scandal and turmoil.

“Queen Victoriau0026#39;s slow, painful, emergence from mourning after the loss of her husband Albert, is brought about by the only man amongst her staff who can see her as a woman as well as a queen. This simple tale is used to paint a picture of the Victorian court so perfectly that youu0026#39;re left with a conviction that this is exactly how it must have been.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCertainly the plot restrains itself to the facts: Queen Victoria and her gillie John Brown were friends with a great affection for each other. That their affection never went further is a certainty and the film provides ample proof of the English class and protocol systems that guaranteed it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe set design and the supporting cast are uniformly excellent. Billy Connolly gives his best acting performance to date, but Judi Dench is breathtaking. She deservedly won a BAFTA for her performance and should have got the Oscar. (Even the recipient ,Helen Hunt, said so during her acceptance speech.)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI can understand how some viewers feel the film is cold and austere, it is, on the surface. But below the surface is a constantly shifting pattern of emotion and passion. Victorian England was exactly the same.”