Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 3 wins & 15 nominations total
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Featured reviews
My wife and I attended a preview screening last night with no preconceived ideas about the movie, not having even seen a trailer.
We were immediately drawn in and pleasantly surprised by the story, even though we thought it may have been a little far fetched. Until we found that it is a biography and mostly fact. That made the story even sweeter.
Dame Judy Dench's acting was peerless as usual, but by far the biggest revelation was Ali Fazal, who put in a wonderful performance from comedic through emotionally intense.
There was so much I didn't know about Queen Victoria's twilight years that this movie put into perspective, in a way that was consistently entertaining. We laughed and cried. Highly recommended.
We were immediately drawn in and pleasantly surprised by the story, even though we thought it may have been a little far fetched. Until we found that it is a biography and mostly fact. That made the story even sweeter.
Dame Judy Dench's acting was peerless as usual, but by far the biggest revelation was Ali Fazal, who put in a wonderful performance from comedic through emotionally intense.
There was so much I didn't know about Queen Victoria's twilight years that this movie put into perspective, in a way that was consistently entertaining. We laughed and cried. Highly recommended.
What an amazing movie, Judi is as usual, such a wonderful actress portraying Queen Victoria once again. The story line is fantastic and it flows beautifully. This would have to be the best film for me this year. I love how they made this film so funny, and yet so touching. I laughed and I cried all the way through.
Some good performances to support another superb performance by Judy Dench. Izzard was a revelation.
Good pace, good camera work - More history well told than masterpiece, but a good night out.
More comedic lines than I was expecting. Is the racism at the core of the film as much about class as religion?
Good pace, good camera work - More history well told than masterpiece, but a good night out.
More comedic lines than I was expecting. Is the racism at the core of the film as much about class as religion?
This movie is a treat for the eyes with gorgeous Scottish locations, stylishly detailed costumes, stately summer palaces, and consists of many professional performances. It's good to see Dame Dench give a strong performance following some by-the-numbers of late. It also holds the attention for most of its run time by offering a tell-tale story of a little known relationship between this long reigning Queen, with a randomly selected Indian - who was one of two 'local subjects' brought to England to present her with a specially minted gold coin - as token of appreciation from British ruled India. The close relationship that follows between her and one of the guest presenters tends to become perhaps a little too romanticised for the level of believability expected of its audience. Victoria's Burqa comments made at her first sight of Abdul's wife - seem far too 'fanciful' if not highly doubtful.
It's more like a case of this older woman maybe being mesmerized by the mystical East or the BBC perhaps, following a mandate to sell a political message of Muslim cleansing to the British populace and the world. Either way there's a feeling that, at its core, maybe lays a major thread of PC manipulation. If you can brush this aside you'll enjoy a well-made tale of highly unusual interracial fascination but, there remain other odd facts to overcome. As head of the Church of England this Queen is allowed to slowly die - without a representative of her church being in attendance - highly suspect if this is being claimed as true! The introductory credits tell us; "This story is based on real events...well, mostly". Make of that what you will.
It's more like a case of this older woman maybe being mesmerized by the mystical East or the BBC perhaps, following a mandate to sell a political message of Muslim cleansing to the British populace and the world. Either way there's a feeling that, at its core, maybe lays a major thread of PC manipulation. If you can brush this aside you'll enjoy a well-made tale of highly unusual interracial fascination but, there remain other odd facts to overcome. As head of the Church of England this Queen is allowed to slowly die - without a representative of her church being in attendance - highly suspect if this is being claimed as true! The introductory credits tell us; "This story is based on real events...well, mostly". Make of that what you will.
Being a Pakistani, and a Muslim, I was quite looking forward to watch Victoria & Abdul. It seemed as if a new perspective had been depicted on the subcontinent and the British attitudes towards her colonies. However, this film does not feel real at all. It seems the Queen follows Abdul blindly; this seems strange for a lady who was the Empress of India. Although it is a true story, I feel they could have done much more with the movie so that it would feel real at least. Or maybe the relation between the two was quite unreal.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen filming began in September 2016, Judi Dench was one month older than Queen Victoria was when she died.
- GoofsAt least twice, Abdul refers to his home province as "Uttar Pradesh". That name was coined in 1950. At the time depicted in the movie, the area was called "United Provinces".
- Quotes
Abdul Karim: Listen, little drop, give yourself up without regret and in return you will gain the ocean. Give yourself away and in the great sea you will be secure.
- Crazy creditsBegins with text that says it is "Based on real events... mostly".
- ConnectionsFeatured in Today: Episode dated 31 May 2017 (2017)
- How long is Victoria & Abdul?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Victoria and Abdul
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $21,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $22,245,070
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $158,845
- Sep 24, 2017
- Gross worldwide
- $66,558,465
- Runtime1 hour 51 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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