Victoria & Abdul (2017)

Directed by: Stephen Frears | 111 minutes | biography, drama | Actors: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Tim Pigott-Smith, Eddie Izzard, Adeel Akhtar, Michael Gambon, Paul Higgins, Olivia Williams, Fenella Woolgar, Julian Wadham, Robin Soans, Ruth McCabe, Simon Callow, Sukh Ojla, Kemaal Deen-Ellis , Simon Paisley Day, Amani Zardoe

The court of the British Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) has fallen asleep in the late 19th century following the routine of the elderly queen. Though her power is constitutionally limited, she rules the vast British Empire from her palaces, including Empress of India. During the festivities around her 50 years on the throne, the Golden Jubilee, the idea is born to offer her a ceremonial coin from India. The commanders on site select two men based on their height. Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), who works as a clerk in Agra Prison, is chosen. On departure by ship to England, the second tall man appears to have fallen from an elephant and his place is taken by the much smaller Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar). In a typical example of the snobbish indifference of the British, they are referred to as the “Hindus”, when in reality the two men are Muslim.

Abdul is liked by Victoria and Abdul and Mohammed’s short trip degenerates into a permanent residence in the household. The queen, who was transported more or less like a dozing hermit from palace to palace by the next ceremony, is completely revived. Where Mohammed languishes in the English climate, the friendship between Victoria and Abdul blossoms. Soon Abdul is always by her side, teaching her Urdu and serving as a close advisor. The court sees parallels to Victoria’s previous friendship with Scotsman John Brown and detests Abdul wholeheartedly, making no bones about their racist views. When heir apparent Edward (Eddie Izzard) – usually known as Bertie – returns from his jet-set life in Monte Carlo and sees what his mother is up to, the turnips are done. The courtiers, head of household Sir Henry Ponsonby (Tim Pigott-Smith), personal physician Dr Reid (Paul Higgins), Prime Minister Lord Salisbury (Michael Gambon), and lady-in-waiting Lady Churchill (Olivia Williams) plot to get rid of Abdul to get rid of. Especially when Abdul’s past appears to be less rosy than he has imagined and his influence on the Queen goes against established opinions and political interests.

‘Victoria & Abdul’ is an enjoyable costume drama with a good dose of British humor that paints a partly fictionalized portrait of the historical friendship between Victoria and Abdul. The screenplay is partly based on the book by Shrabani Basu, who previously discovered the diaries of Abdul Karim discovered in 2010. Beautifully dressed, shot on location in India and England and sometimes even in the historical places themselves, such as Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

Director Stephen Frears opts for a light tone in the first half, with misunderstandings that at times seem farcical. Particularly witty are Mohammed’s asides on English food, beautifully piercing through all the pretensions and perceived moral superiority of the British over the Indians. The second half has a more dramatic tone and therefore connects less well with the previous one. It is also a pity that we actually know very little more about the “Munschi”, as Abdul Karim was called. The focus is on the cultural and religious divide – Abdul’s wife and mother-in-law arrive in a burqa, for example – and the court’s reactions to the alleged impropriety of an Indian servant who comes so close to power (threatening their own position). ). In doing so, the film opts for a rather one-dimensional approach.

Judi Dench is delighted to reprise the role of Victoria, who she played 20 years earlier in ‘Mrs. brown’. With her phenomenal playing, she takes the film to a higher level than it deserves based on the superficially told story. She also has a nice chemistry with the much younger Fazal and together they make the close friendship between the queen and the clerk very credible. Fazal acts with a cheerful countenance and great innocence, which contrasts sharply with the court’s suspicions that he is an opportunistic fortune seeker who takes advantage of a lonely old woman.

By the way, Dench was now the same age as Victoria herself was at the time of shooting, which is a funny detail, considering that Mrs. Brown came out in 1997, but in this film John Brown had died just four years earlier. Dench dominates every scene, with lots of close-ups to capture her facial expression and gaze.

The usually flamboyant Izzard also impresses as a fairly modest Bertie, the Prince of Wales. First of all, he looks surprisingly like (photos of) the real Bertie, including the drooping eyelids and bags under the eyes. Moreover, he manages to put enough subtlety in his playing, for a fairly “flat” role on paper as the nominal villain of the story. Izzard cleverly avoids turning it into a grimace and making Bertie somewhat sympathetic out of his concern and love for his mother. The other actors also show excellent acting.

The film is less successful than ‘Mrs. Brown’, perhaps because of the unbalanced and superficial tone, but it is certainly worth it. If only because of Judi Dench.