3.5 stars. Rated PG-13, and too harshly, for dramatic elements and mild profanity
By Derrick Bang
History is laden with fascinating
incidents and anecdotes, and — here’s the amazing thing — more pop up all the
time.
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| Having been granted the privilege of serving "the jelly" — at the request of Queen Victoria (Judi Dency) — Abdul (Ali Fazal, center) does his best to maneuver the wobbly dessert, while Sir Henry Ponsonby (Tim Pigott-Smith) watches nervously. |
You’d think, given the tireless
methodology of modern research, that we’d have uncovered pretty much everything
by now. Chances are, not even close.
Case in point: The unlikely, all
but unknown — and (deliberately) mostly concealed — camaraderie that bonded
Britain’s Queen Victoria and a former Muslim Indian clerk named Abdul Karim. The
saga came to light in 2010, with the publication of research journalist
Shrabani Basu’s Victoria & Abdul: The
True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant; the details were assembled
from the hitherto undiscovered journals of both Abdul and Victoria, the latter
written in Hindustani Urdu (!).
The narrative immediately
demanded even wider exposure, and this thoughtful big-screen translation comes
courtesy of director Stephen Frears: an apt choice, given the similar sensitivity
he brought to the depiction of Elizabeth II, in 2006’s The Queen. Scripter Lee Hall has adapted Basu’s book with grace and
the sly wit at which the British excel, particularly when they’re poking gentle
fun at themselves.
The thoroughly captivating result
is anchored by the venerable Judi Dench, taking a second crack at the role she
first played in 1997’s Mrs. Brown
(which, rather intriguingly, details a similarly “imprudent” incident in Queen
Victoria’s life). But while Dench dominates this new film — how could she not?
— Ali Fazal also deserves credit for the elegance with which he has brought an
equally compelling character to life.
This is late during Queen
Victoria’s reign, when she has become — in her own words — fat, lame,
cantankerous and impotent (along with several other marvelous pejoratives that
I couldn’t jot down quickly enough). The regal routine, and life itself, have
become tedious things to be endured, rarely enjoyed. She suffers fools not at
all, let alone gladly; each day begins with chiding admonitions about diet and
“movement” from the royal physician, Dr. Reid (Paul Higgins).
Dench always has excelled at
withering glances, and they get plenty of exercise here. Victoria is well aware
of the obsequious jockeying that takes place behind closed doors, as her many
children — led by heir apparent Bertie (Eddie Izzard) — and court hangers-on
curry favor and snipe at each other. No conversation comes close to actual
candor; she can’t trust anybody to be sincere, and she’s well aware that
everybody is waiting for her to die.
