The Young Victoria

A crying shame that Victoria seems so out of breath in the second half. Otherwise Vallée might surpass the standard he set with his previous movie. The thing that is absolute genius throughout is Hagen Bogdan’s camerawork. I don’t know where they found him, but I haven’t seen such sweet camerawork for years and years. (07/11/2009)

A Julian Fellowes script just before the start of Downton Abbey, directed by the otherwise genre-perfect Jean-Marc Vallée, the enchanting Ilan Eshkeri soundtrack, and the rarely failing duo of Emily Blunt-Rupert Friend as the main couple – and yet this slightly idealized story of the young queen is a disappointment. I only believe half of the romance, historical realities are almost completely disregarded, and the concept of love letters fails completely, as does the unreadable (and consequently unnecessary) Lord Melbourne. It is sad that I cannot believe so many grand words and emotions. I'm giving it a third star for purely selfish reasons only for the music. (08/03/2018)

I have very mixed feelings after watching this film. I was so excited to see it that I was probably expecting something I didn't get and the result is a little disappointment. The running time is passable, the costumes are gorgeous and spectacular, and the entire film is accompanied by a great soundtrack. Unfortunately for me, I saw a dubbed version and I can't properly evaluate the script. The cast was good, Miranda Richardson was my favourite together with the convincing Emily Blunt. The overall rating is between 3* and 4*, but period dramas with beautiful costumes and hairstyles are my cup of tea, so I’ll round up. (02/19/2010)