Victoria & Abdul
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. It stars Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith (in his final film role), 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. It has grossed over $65 million worldwide.[3]
| Victoria & Abdul | |
|---|---|
 British release poster | |
| Directed by | Stephen Frears |
| Produced by | |
| Screenplay by | Lee Hall |
| Based on | Victoria & Abdul by Shrabani Basu |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Thomas Newman |
| Cinematography | Danny Cohen |
| Edited by | Melanie Ann Oliver |
Production company |
|
| Distributed by | Focus Features |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes[1] |
| Country |
|
| Language | English |
| Budget | $21 million[2] |
| Box office | $68.3 million[3] |
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 British India, is instructed to travel to England for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 to present her with a mohur, a gold coin that 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 then a friendship with Abdul. She spends time with him alone and gives him a bejewelled locket with her photograph. She promotes him to become her Munshi. She asks him to teach her Urdu and the Quran. When Victoria discovers he is married, she asks him to return to India and bring his wife to join him in England. He arrives with his wife and his mother-in-law, both wearing black burqas, to the consternation of the household but the fascination of Victoria.
As Victoria's interest in India grows, she has the Durbar Room built at her Isle of Wight home of Osborne House for state functions. It is elaborately decorated with carvings by Bhai Ram Singh in an intricate style, with a carpet from Agra, formal portraits of renowned Indians, and a replica of the Peacock Throne.
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 Rebellion of 1857 that Abdul had told her, Victoria's faith and trust in him are shaken and she decides he must go home. But soon after, she changes her mind and asks him to stay.
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 become 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. She tells the household that she intends to give Abdul a knighthood.
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 protect him. 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 Queen Victoria close to the Taj Mahal, talking to it and kissing its feet in respect.
Cast
- Judi Dench as Queen Victoria
- Ali Fazal as Abdul Karim
- Tim Pigott-Smith as Henry Ponsonby
- Eddie Izzard as Bertie, Prince of Wales
- Adeel Akhtar as Mohammad Bakhsh
- Michael Gambon as Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
- Paul Higgins as Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet
- Olivia Williams as Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill
- Fenella Woolgar as Harriet Phipps
- Julian Wadham as Alick Yorke
- Robin Soans as Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham
- Simon Callow as Giacomo Puccini
- Simon Paisley Day as Mr Tyler
- Amani Zardoe as Princess Helena of the United Kingdom
- Sophie Trott as Sophia of Prussia
- Penny Ryder as Sophia of Nassau
- Joe Caffrey as Sous Chef
- Tim McMullan as Tailor
- Jonathan Harden as Wilhelm II, German Emperor
- John Rowe as Head Waiter
Production
On 17 June 2016, it was reported that Judi Dench would play Queen Victoria in Victoria & Abdul, a film based on the book of the same name by Shrabani Basu. Stephen Frears was set to direct.[4] Dench had also portrayed Victoria in the 1997 film Mrs Brown.[4] 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.[5] 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.[5]
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.[6][7]
Costumes from the production were on display at Osborne House, from 24 July until 30 September 2017.[8] To capitalise on the renewed interest in Victoria arising from both the film and the concurrent second series 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.[9]
The production also filmed at The Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent on HMS Gannet and the quayside adjacent to the ship.[10]
Release
Victoria & Abdul was released for audiences in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2017.
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 66% based on 175 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."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[12]
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."[13] 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."[14]
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.[15]
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."[16] 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."[17]
Accolades
References
- "VICTORIA AND ABDUL (PG)". Universal Pictures Int (UK) . British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- "2017 Feature Film Study" (PDF). FilmL.A. Feature Film Study: 25. August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- "Victoria and Abdul (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- Ritman, Alex (17 June 2016). "Judi Dench to play Queen Victoria in Stephen Frears' 'Victoria and Abdul'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- Jaafar, Ali (5 August 2016). "Stephen Frears' 'Victoria and Abdul' Adds Ali Fazal And Eddie Izzard; Working Title-BBC Co-Pro, Focus Co-Fi And Distributing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- Cooley, Isobel (15 September 2016). "'Victoria and Abdul' filming starts today at Osborne House". On The Wight. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- Moreno, Jon (15 September 2016). "Dame Judi Dench filming at Osborne House for new Queen Victoria movie". Isle of Wight County Press. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- "Iconic Judi Dench film costumes to go on display at Queen Victoria's former home". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- "Victoria initiative to increase Isle of Wight tourism". Isle of Wight County Press. Isle of Wight Country Press. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- Kent Film Office A number of scenes were also filmed at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire. "Kent Film Office Victoria and Abdul Article".
- "Victoria & Abdul (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- "Victoria & Abdul reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ""Long Live the Queen!" Judi Dench Rules in Victoria and Abdul".
- Orr, Christopher (29 September 2017). "The Lightweight Appeal of 'Victoria & Abdul'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- Al-Kadhi, Amrou. "Victoria and Abdul is another dangerous example of British filmmakers whitewashing colonialism". The Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- Lea, Andy. "Victoria and Abdul review: An interesting true story that feels like a cop-out". Daily Express. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- Reed, Rex. "Victoria and Abdul review: Judi Dench Gives a Touching, Majestic Performance in 'Victoria and Abdul'". New York Observer. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
