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Victoria & Abdul

Victoria & Abdul (2017)

September. 22,2017
|
6.8
|
PG-13
| Drama History

Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.

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gbkmmaurstad
2017/09/22

India was under British rule from 1600 - 1947, less than half by direct British rule and the remainder by princes who ensured British rule was observed. In June of 1947, Queen Victoria celebrated her Golden Jubilee. In honor of the celebration two men from India are selected to present the queen with a gold coin specifically made for the event. One is Abdul Karim. The Queen has grown increasingly lonely since the dealth of her husband and bored with her mundane duties. When Abdul presents the Queen with the the newly minted coin she appears to be instantly taken with Abdul. He eventually become her Munshi, a term used in British India to describe a person who is a teacher or secretary employed by a European. Abdul spends the next 15 years as the Queen's Munshi and confidant. Over the course of time he gains the prestige and privileges reserved for royality and family. It is at a time when social and racial prejudices exist within not only the royal family, but the staff as well. This is an excellent film for those who love British history and an enjoyable way brush up on "the royals." Maybe a bit too mature for young viewers due to some adult themes. Get out your pot of tea, finger sandwiches and spend the next couple of hours going back in time.

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dougiesantarosa
2017/09/23

All while watching Victoria & Abdul "There but for the grace of the God." kept roaring through my brain. Glad to have never been a member of that bunch. A fine film very revealing too. When she has the Durbar Room built with elaborate carvings and a carpet from Agra, hanging portraits of Indians around the House, she tells the household she wants to give Abdul a knighthood. That starts Bertie, the Prime Minister, the court physician, Lady Churchill, et. al. to find a way to get rid of Abdul. They present Victoria with a dossier that shows he's ordinary and poor. When she asks the doctor to examine Abdul to find out why his wife hasn't become pregnant, he tells her that Abdul has gonorrhea hoping she'll get rid of Abdul to dismiss him in disgust. But, Victoria remains loyal to Abdul and tells her courtiers to stop plotting against Abdul. Bertie tries to certify Victoria as insane. Then Lady Churchill gets the household to tell Victoria if she doesn't get rid of Abdul, they'll resign. When she is told, she angrily summons the whole bunch of 'em and demands that if anyone wants to resign step forward. Of course, they all stand there with their thumbs up their asses, so she tells them Abdul is staying and instead of knighthood he'll be on her next list as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. As she ages and falls ill, she tries to get Abdul to go back to India because she knows what Bertie will do to him. She warns him that after she's gone, they'll turn on him. Abdul says he's not leaving. When she dies, Bertie takes charge as Edward VII. He burns all of the gifts and papers Abdul received from Victoria, sends him and his family back to India. It is revealed that Abdul lived in India until his death in 1909. By the way the scene where Abdul tells Victoria that the Indian "mutiny" (rebellion) in the 1850s was caused by resentment of the British behavior, including racist intolerance, Brit-style social rules, harsh land taxes, treatment of some rich landowners and princes - think South Africa apartheid and the horrific treatment of blacks in southern U.S. - it was accurate. Many Indians rose up against the British, but many others fought for the British, and the rest obeyed the British rules. So, when Victoria reminded the Prime Minister and Bertie what Abdul told her, she was correct and they were misinformed. There was exceptional cruelty inflicted on both sides. British officers and civilians (including women and children) inflicted intense beatings and killings on the rebels and their supporters (sometimes including entire villages) but the rebellion proved to bring an important change in Indian and British history leading to the end of East India Company in charge of India, and forcing the British to reorganize the army, the financial system, and the whole administration. In 1858 Victoria issued a proclamation. Even though lacking the authority of a constitutional provision, it promised rights similar to British subjects. In the following decades, when these rights were threatened again not always forthcoming, Indians pointedly referred to the her proclamation and a new nationalism.

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barbourjohn-633-608932
2017/09/24

Did Queen Victoria, head of the church of England, defender of the Christian faith, die in her sins?According to the movie Victoria and Abdul she did exactly that. In her death bed scene there is no Arch Bishop of Canterbury and no mention of Christ or Christianity. In their place is a Sufi Muslim quoting from Rumi with the implied view that Muslims are a peaceful folk and that Victoria died a Muslim with no savior.The movie could have been a good one with superb acting by Judi Dench and many light-hearted and funny scenes but it was flawed by the politically correct author, director, producers, and screen writer who want to push their anachronistic/pc views through a period piece.What a shame that these kind of movies always have to be flawed by faulty worldviews that seem to be always anti-Christian and anti-Western.

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michael-young-585
2017/09/25

Judi Dench runs away with this movie. In fact, she hits the ball so far out of the pack, that the rest of the actors are left with little more than eating dust. It seems that I enjoy her performance in every movie I've seen her in, whether its strong British characters (in movies like the James Bond Skyfall, or as Queen Victoria in this movie) or introspective people with pasts to reconcile (as in Philomena, or The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). She seems to personify the older British woman, bound by tradition, but bursting with inner feelings. Although nominated for acting Oscars seven times, she won only once, for a supporting role in Shakespeare in Love in 1999.Why she wasn't nominated for this movie, I don't know. I haven't seen any of the other female-actress-nominated movies, but find it difficult to imagine superior performances. Instead, it was nominated in two, below-the-line, categories - Costumes, and Makeup. And I have to confess, up-front, that I have some difficulty with these two categories. My complaints center around the fact that these nominees almost always play on the overly conservative side of things. Instead of rewarding the creativity that comes with designing clothing for major science fiction and fantasy movies, like Star Trek or Guardians of the Galaxy, the nominees in these categories tend to the period piece movies, or as is the case too frequently with the Makeup and Hairstyling category, with movies that are simply insults to the intelligence of the average viewer (I think specifically of the 100 Year Old Man Who.... from a couple years ago where the 'makeup' centered largely around a scrotum and testicles that hung so low they nearly dragged on the floor.)The makeup in this movie isn't that disgusting, and the wigs and facial makeup for, especially, the members of the British royal family, are convincingly done and add to the fun of the movie. And the costumes are all perfectly appropriate for the Victorian age. So I suppose the movie deserves the spotlight in those two categories, although it didn't win an Oscar in either.Victoria & Abdul is the story, 'mostly' based on fact, of the friendship that develops between Queen Victoria and a Muslim from India. As unlikely as that sounds, it apparently occurred in the few years before her death and caused quite a scandal within the royal family as the influence of a Muslim wasn't considered at all appropriate in Britain at that time (or now either?). The movie starts as a sort of comedy with the juxtaposition of the Queen's highly formal lifestyle with the care-free life of a low-level prison clerk from India. The improbable circumstances of how he meets the queen, are definitely the stuff of situation comedy. And Dench's remarkably adept portrayal of the banalities of queenly formalism is the straight-man to Abdul's devilish grin and refusal to obey even the simple rule of 'Don't look at the Queen!' But he does look at the queen, and her eyes catch his. In the next moment the delightfully droll octogenarian is commenting about how handsome he is and arranges to have him become more involved, platonically, with her. Eventually, he becomes her "munshee" which is sort of a Muslim spiritual teacher. In addition to teaching her Urdu and basics of the Koran, he succeeds in bringing out her spirit and enriches her final days. All of this occurs while the Queen's family and staff remain quite properly aghast at what is a consuming scandal.The comedic aspect of this movie, however, can't be sustained and I don't think the transition to the real drama of the relationship succeeds very well. Part of that might be the writing. Lee Hall wrote the screenplay based on a book by Shrabani Bass. Hall was nominated previously for his adapted screenplay of Billy Elliott, but I don't recognize any of his other credits. And the director, Stephen Frears, was nominated for The Queen in 2008, and The Grifters in 1991, and also directed Philomena, Dangerous Liasons, and Dirty Pretty Things. Unfortunately, this movie does not live up to some of his better work.The reason, I suspect, is that, like so many movies with just one or two nominations, this movie lacks balance. Ok, the costumes and makeup is terrific, and Judi Dench is nearly outstanding, but that's about all this movie has to offer. It would have helped, I think, if Ms. Dench had a better actor to work with her. Abdul is played by Ali Fazal, who is best known for a smaller role in Furious 7 and roles in Bollywood movies and television, but no real presence on Western screens. That he is tall and good looking is a given, but he is not a tier 1 actor. As a result, his interactions with Dench appear stiff at times and contrived. Frequently it is difficult to tell whether he is trying, maybe a little too hard, to be funny or is expressing a more serious moment. Dench deserves a stronger partner.Although far from a perfect movie, it is still fun to watch. Judi Dench's performance is worth the time, and, especially in today's age of religious and ethnic prejudices, it is encouraging to see a story like this one which at least attempts to portray the power and significance of human relationships. The Queen does die a happier woman because of Abdul.Recommended for Dench's acting, costumes and makeup, and a lighthearted, warming story.

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