HER MAJESTY, MRS. BROWN
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
As in THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, the people in HER MAJESTY, MRS. BROWN live their lives in straightjackets. Even the richest and most powerful among them, Queen Victoria, has rules under which she must operate that were preordained for her from the moment of her birth.
So it is too and even more so with those on the queen's household staff. Each has a carefully labeled position with strictly understood rules and regulations. That most of them are unwritten makes them no less binding.
Into this carefully regimented life comes one Mr. Brown. Based on historical fact about a relationship -- no, not that kind despite rumors at the time -- between the queen and one of her servants, the film has all of the honesty and fine acting one comes to expect from a British costume drama. But MRS. BROWN is so much more. These people are not mere puppets in some lavish production, rather their emotions are heartfelt and vivid. The two leads, Judi Dench as Queen Victoria and Billy Connolly as John Brown are both candidates for Oscar nominations, as is the film's director, John Madden.
The story is set in the long years of Victoria's mourning for her beloved, dead Prince Albert. Judi Dench gives a brilliantly understated performance as the queen. Her sunken eyes remain downcast, and she is obsessively serious about everything in life. During this period, mealtimes with her large family include little conversation since one does not speak to the queen unless spoken to, and the queen is not in the mood to talk. One lunch finds the only dialog being an admonition of the queen's to one of the princesses. "You're not eating enough," the queen instructs her. "One must not let vanity overrule appetite."
Into this rigid structure comes a man unwilling to live under its rubrics. The queen has summoned Mr. Brown, "a most dedicated outdoor servant of Prince Albert at Balmoral," to serve her. Mr. Brown arrives and shocks everyone by being so concerned for the queen as a person that he gives her his unsolicited advice. The other members of the staff have unfailing loyalty to the monarchy and would probably let the queen kill herself rather than commit some faux pas like speaking up at a non-sanctioned moment.
Mr. Brown's radical ideas extend to much more than the queen. He seizes the head butler's chair in the servant's dining room. This causes so much commotion that it looks like the weaker servants may faint. Billy Connolly gives a strong performance as the freest man in the story, but one willing to risk anything to serve the woman who is his queen. Others are bound by the structure of their lives, but not Mr. Brown. He even tells off the Prince of Wales, played by David Westhead in the weakest performance in the film. The prince demands to see his mother at a time when Mr. Brown has already told him she should not be disturbed, so he barks at the prince, "Are you deaf as well as stupid?"
Taking Mr. Brown's advice, the queen changes her habits. She freezes the household, telling them, "Cold is good." In the movie's most surprising scene, she goes swimming in the lake. Not exactly skinny dipping, she is wheeled in a bathing carriage to the water's edge. When she emerges, she is covered from head to foot for her swim. She even wears a hat. Only her face, neck, and hands are left uncovered.
There are many such wonderful vignettes in the film. In another, Mr. Brown and the queen go alone to have dinner with a local working class Highland family. The woman of the household curtseys so often that her whole body seems to be in spasms.
As you might guess, their relationship as well as the queen's unwillingness to resume her royal duties caused quite a scandal throughout the land, but she refused to give him up. "Sometimes I think Brown is all I have left of Albert," she reasons.
Although the two leads carry the picture, Antony Sher is terrific as a wild eyed and devious Prime Minister Disraeli. He has a constant smile as a consummate politician who figures he can turn any momentary setback to his advantage.
It is easy to grow to love Richard Greatrex's filming of the lush Scottish Highlands, but rather suddenly, the picture begins to wind down. How the story resolves itself is a bit unusual and not near as tidily wrapped up as we have come to expect from our films. More like real life.
HER MAJESTY, MRS. BROWN runs a fast 1:43. It is rated PG for a little violence, mild profanity, and brief male nudity. The film would be acceptable for all ages, but kids would have to be at least nine to get anything out of the picture. I strongly recommend the film to you and give it *** 1/2.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: July 29, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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