Emily Blunt is the Girl Who Would Be Queen in ‘The Young Victoria’

Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 18, 2009 - 8:03am

CHICAGO – One of the functions of royalty seems to be an expected adoration from the peasants. Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend and Paul Bettany offer their interpretation on a monarch’s origins with “The Young Victoria.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Emily Blunt is Queen Victoria, who ruled the British Isles from 1837 to 1901. This narrative is about her younger days, when a swarthy rake named Albert (Rupert Friend) wooed the young Vicky and would eventually become her husband. In the meantime, the political machinations threaten to undermine her fledging reign, and the factors of family and background advisers weigh into that equation.

This is the young Victoria as both a poor little rich girl and harbinger of circumstances. She is lonely in the vast caverns of the opulent palaces, and must face the propriety of her eventual rise to the throne. As a teenager, she is shown rejecting the policies of a political enemy, establishing that this pretty and educated princess will not kowtow to the power mongers that surround her.

The would-be Prince Albert, at the same time, is trying to find his way as lover. It is he who detects the fiery side of Victoria and directs his affections toward that nature. They build a bond based on their mutual sense of social justice and – let’s face it – Emily looks quite fetching in her royal finery.

”The Young Victoria” has a limited release December 18th. Check local listings for theaters. Featuring Emily Blunt, Jim Broadbent, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, and Miranda Richardson. Rated “PG”