Victoria & Abdul

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Victoria & Abdul
File:VictoriaAndAbdulPoster.jpg
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
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Distributed by Focus Features
Release dates
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  • 3 September 2017 (2017-09-03) (Venice)
  • 22 September 2017 (2017-09-22) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 111 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
Language English
Hindi
Urdu
Budget $21 million[2]
Box office $68.3 million[3]

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]

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 Britain 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. Abdul traveled from India to England in 1887. Abdul is from a Muslim, Urdu-speaking family in 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 in an intricate style, with a carpet from Agra, formal portraits of renowned Indians, a replica of the Peacock Throne and carvings by Bhai Ram Singh.

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

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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 65% based on 197 reviews, with an average rating of 6.14/10. 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

Year Award/Festival Category Nominee(s) 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
 7th AACTA International Awards Best Actress
Judi Dench
 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
17th AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Best Actress Nominated
22nd Satellite Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay
Lee Hall
 Nominated
Best Costume Design
Consolata Boyle
 Nominated
15th Irish Film & Television Awards Best Costume Design Won
71st British Academy Film Awards Best Makeup and Hair
Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
 Nominated
90th Academy Awards Best Makeup and Hairstyling Nominated
Best Costume Design
Consolata Boyle
 Nominated

References

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External links

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