Seen on 16 March 1997 for $8 at the Wurzburg Squire in Great Neck, NY
I have seen many buddy movies in my time--*Lethal Weapon,* *Midnight Run,* *Thelma and Louise*. But the slowest of them all was *Mrs. Brown*, which brings a curious look at a supposedly "more reverential" time for the British monarchy, in light of today's royal high jinks.
Incredibly, Queen Victoria (portrayed by Judi Dench) took into close confidence her Scottish servant, John Brown (Billy Connolly), while isolating herself in the Scottish Highlands at Balmoral, mourning the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert. Inconsolable, she shuns official duties and carries on what government business she can 600 miles removed for the governement.
This concerns her ministers; her eager son, the Prince of Wales, tries desperately and in vain to take on some official duties; there are even Parliamentarians who want to be dismantle the costly monarchy and establish a Republic. Things are *not* good. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Alex Sher) is not amused.
Only Brown can enlive n the Queen. He even gets away with unusual behavior like calling her "woman" in front of others. A bull in the chinashop, he raises the ire of just about everyone at Balmoral, and in London, just about everyone derisively calls the Queen "Mrs. Brown."
So much for reverence. All of this is true (verified by *The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England*, Antonia Fraser, Editor). Of course, nothing remotely romantic occurs between them. What is unusual about the pair is the almost obsessive devotion this "common man" has for his sovereign--for her mental wellbeing and personal safely. Only he is truly concerned for *her*.
Apparently, Prince Albert, a "friend" of Brown's, had the rather condescending "noble savage" view of working people. Where the film can take liberties is the dramatization of how and why the uptight Queen is able to completely unwind with the man who tends her horse. He is the only person we see having real conversations with her, in which she drops the royal "we" or third person nonsense. The entire royal family is depicted, but they are all but indistinguishable from the maids and ministers. Brown is, in effect, the only person the most powerful woman in the world can confide.
Having a lifelong love of royal history and history in general, I found this all very interesting. That Disraeli has to ingratiate himself with Brown to prevail upon the Queen to come back to London and re-establish herself as a real power fascinated me. It's not so hard to see how a Rasputin could rise to power in Russia at his tsarina's side when you consider her grandmother, who raised her, provided quite a role model.
*Mrs. Brown* is slower than the 6 train, and is probably not for everyone. The filming is unremarkable, but the br eathtaking Scottish countryside compensates, and later scenes of Brown unspooling and declawed in the decidedly more dangerous London, is understandable. He seems as out of place in "civilization" as *Derzu Usala* does.
Basically, if you are a history buff, add a star.
Copyright (c) 1997 Seth J. Bookey, New York, NY 10021
More movie reviews by Seth Bookey, with graphics, can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2679/kino.html
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