The nature of Queen Victoria's relationship with her Scottish servant John Brown certainly isn't of earth-shaking historical significance, however it does make for an interesting enough story, some good speculation (both in their day and in ours) and a reminder that royal scandal didn't begin with the current crop of British royalty.
After the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert, Victoria became very attached to Brown, who in turn became very protective of her. Their relationship was for the most part a very informal one (shockingly so to others, to whom deference to royalty - especially from commoners, and servants to boot! - was the natural state of affairs) and the obvious closeness of their relationship led to rumours and innuendo about the possibility of a love affair between the two. The movie takes no side on whether that happened or not (although the very closing scene, in which two of Victoria's most important counsellors are relieved that Brown's diary was found and that no one else had seen it perhaps implies that "something" had happened) and the reality is that there's no solid historical evidence to suggest that any romance developed between the two. The movie does portray in a very convincing manner the complications of such a friendship: the jealousy felt toward Brown by both his fellow servants (to whom he becomes quite haughty at times, rubbing their noses in his special status) and by other members of the royal family, who feared the potential for scandal and also resented the fact that Brown was closer to Victoria in many ways than they were.
The movie is a good period piece. The sets and atmosphere seem authentic and there's some great Scottish scenery in the midst of the story. The movie also features great performances from Judi Dench as Victoria and Billy Connolly as Brown. Also not to be overlooked is a fine performance from Antony Sher as Disraeli - the Prime Minister whose own position as head of government is being threatened by the Queen's increasing unpopularity when she secludes herself for years after Albert's death, and who eventually has to seek Brown's help (because Brown seems to be the only one with influence over her) to get Victoria to reclaim her public role as sovereign. The story may be trivial from a historical perspective, but at least it's interesting trivia!
After the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert, Victoria became very attached to Brown, who in turn became very protective of her. Their relationship was for the most part a very informal one (shockingly so to others, to whom deference to royalty - especially from commoners, and servants to boot! - was the natural state of affairs) and the obvious closeness of their relationship led to rumours and innuendo about the possibility of a love affair between the two. The movie takes no side on whether that happened or not (although the very closing scene, in which two of Victoria's most important counsellors are relieved that Brown's diary was found and that no one else had seen it perhaps implies that "something" had happened) and the reality is that there's no solid historical evidence to suggest that any romance developed between the two. The movie does portray in a very convincing manner the complications of such a friendship: the jealousy felt toward Brown by both his fellow servants (to whom he becomes quite haughty at times, rubbing their noses in his special status) and by other members of the royal family, who feared the potential for scandal and also resented the fact that Brown was closer to Victoria in many ways than they were.
The movie is a good period piece. The sets and atmosphere seem authentic and there's some great Scottish scenery in the midst of the story. The movie also features great performances from Judi Dench as Victoria and Billy Connolly as Brown. Also not to be overlooked is a fine performance from Antony Sher as Disraeli - the Prime Minister whose own position as head of government is being threatened by the Queen's increasing unpopularity when she secludes herself for years after Albert's death, and who eventually has to seek Brown's help (because Brown seems to be the only one with influence over her) to get Victoria to reclaim her public role as sovereign. The story may be trivial from a historical perspective, but at least it's interesting trivia!