Victoria & Abdul

(spoiler free)

New drama ‘Victoria & Abdul’ sees Judi Dench reunite with director Stephen Frears after the critically acclaimed ‘Philomena’ in 2013. The film also sees her revisit the role of Queen Victoria which she previously played twenty years ago in ‘Mrs Brown’. Once again this film looks at the relationship between the famous monarch and one of her many servants.  A welcome return to the role I’m sure but would Dench’s over familiarity with this character and story make for a more dull outing or simply enhance the quality of the picture?

Dench is fantastic playing her previously Oscar nominated role of Queen Victoria. She’s playing the character in the later years of her reign and highlights the more surprising qualities that you might not expect of a Queen. She’s rather humourous in this respect but with the bat of an eyelid she demands the attention of the audience demonstrating the brilliant strength and stubbornness of Victoria. This role is far more complex than viewers might first expect and Dench is tremendous in delivering every aspect of this characters personality. Starring alongside her is Ali Fazal, playing servant Abdul Karim. Fazal has an abundance of charisma and energy about him making his character instantly likeable. This often makes for an amusing contrast to Dench who plays (at times) a more subdued Victoria making sure that you’ll never tire of watching the joyous chemistry that the pair create.

As a result of this wonderful back and forth between the main characters the narrative is very funny. I had assumed that all the best bits of comedy would have been shown in the trailer but in a refreshing change of trend this isn’t the case. The film is at times hysterical offering a rollicking insight into this royal friendship. Once the initial humour of the picture settles down the narrative does venture into more serious territory, exploring Abdul’s struggles in being accepted. This element to the story whilst not as entertaining as the comedic aspects is nonetheless well executed. Furthermore with this more earnest direction comes a lot of emotion too. Matching the level of comedy, the film features some rather touching moments courtesy of the well worked chemistry and Lee Hall’s screenplay. The writing here includes the addressing of the British rule in India and whilst this isn’t ever overly fleshed out it’s good to see it touched on as for this to be ignored would have been particularly naive.

However, this isn’t a film that was ever that interested in the more factual and historical moments of this time. Instead it chooses to focus on the friendship of a Queen and her servant. It does this triumphantly thanks to the strong performances, most notably of Dench and Fazal, but the supporting cast are very strong too. The writing is laced with humour, emotion and engaging drama making ‘Victoria & Abdul’ a right royal success!

Rating – 8.5/10

Question: What is your favourite of Judi Dench’s film performances?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)

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