Victoria the Great (1937)

The story of Queen Victoria from her coronation, focused on her meeting and marriage to Prince Albert and the way they established shared responsibilities until his death.

Director:

Herbert Wilcox

Writers:

Miles Malleson, Charles de Grandcourt

Stars:

Anna Neagle, Anton Walbrook, Walter Rilla

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Neagle	...	Queen Victoria
Anton Walbrook	...	Prince Albert
Walter Rilla	...	Prince Ernest
H.B. Warner	...	Lord Melbourne
Mary Morris	...	Duchess of Kent
James Dale	...	Duke of Wellington
Felix Aylmer	...	Lord Palmerston
Charles Carson	...	Sir Robert Peel
Gordon McLeod	...	John Brown
C.V. France	...	Archbishop of Canterbury
Arthur Young	...	Rt. Hon. William Gladstone
Greta Schröder	...	Baroness Lehzen (as Grete Wegener)
Paul Leyssac	...	Baron Stockmar
Derrick De Marney	...	Younger Disraeli
Hugh Miller	...	Older Disraeli

Storyline

The story opens on the morning of 20 June 1837, when the Lord Chamberlain and Archbishop of Canterbury arrive to inform young Princess Victoria that her uncle, William IV, is dead, and that she is now queen. The new queen's mother and her adviser, Baron Stockmar, have been used to seeing their opinions prevail with Victoria, but now she is on the throne, she makes an effort to assert herself and show that she will not be a mere puppet. However, she agrees to confirm Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne in his place. Melbourne advises Victoria to marry, and suggests her German cousin, Prince Albert. The two appear incompatible but soon find that they are in love. As Prince Consort, Albert becomes frustrated that he is given no role in governing the country and by his powerless role as husband to the queen. Though Sir Robert Peel suggests that Victoria share some of the burdens of the crown with her husband, she refuses, on the grounds that the people would reject Albert as an interfering ...

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Plot Keywords:

benjamin disraeli character | character name as title | prince albert character | queen victoria character | william ewart gladstone character | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 October 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Königin Viktoria

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Herbert Wilcox Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the play Victoria Regina was written in 1935, it was banned from the London stage on the grounds that depictions of royals were not allowed. But its success on Broadway and the enthusiasm of Victoria's grandson, Edward VIII meant that Herbert Wilcox was commissioned to turn the story into a film to celebrate the centenary of Victoria's accession to the throne in 1837.

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Quotes

Joseph Chamberlain: I do not feel any great horror at the idea of the possible establishment of a republic in this country. I am quite certain that sooner or later, it will come.

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Connections

Version of Mrs Brown (1997)

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Soundtracks

Soldiers of the Queen
(uncredited)
Written by Leslie Stuart
Heard during the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

User Reviews

Some nice moments in dated biography

I had long been anxious to see this famous British biography, and finally found a copy available. Featuring a renowned performance by Anna Neagle, one of Great Britain's most famed golden age actresses, as Queen Victoria, this film was a huge hit when released during Coronation Summer in 1937. Although not made with US audiences in mind, VICTORIA THE GREAT also hit big in the states and resulted in producer/director Herbert Wilcox and future wife Neagle making a lucrative deal to work at RKO studios. The Wilcox/Neagle RKO films never achieved the level of acclaim enjoyed by their pairings in the UK, and they returned home during the war to many years of success.

Telling the story of Victoria's courtship and marriage to Prince Albert, VICTORIA THE GREAT has a very dated and sometimes static feel to it when compared to Hollywood films of the same era. It does, however, contain some very nice moments between Neagle's Victoria and Anton Walbrook's Albert, and Victoria has never, to my knowledge, been portrayed with such humanity and tenderness (at least until MRS. BROWN.) Lavishly produced, and with a Diamond Jubilee finale in TECHNICOLOR (one has to assume the original dye transfer prints were much more impressive than the muddy quality of the videocassette I viewed)it's easy to see why this appealed to 1937 British audiences reeling from the glamor of George VI's coronation that June. So successful was this biopic that Wilcox and Neagle filmed and released a sequel the following year, 60 GLORIOUS YEARS, shot entirely in TECHNICOLOR.

While not nearly as technically slick as such Hollywood biopics as MARIE ANTOINETTE or THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, this one is definitely worth a look for history lovers and royal watchers. It's also a chance to see Dame Anna Neagle in one of her most famous portrayals.