Victoria & Albert (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)This new A&E production on the lives of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert was simply told and well-acted.It does not oversentimentalize the relationship of the couple, and the major events of their lives are reenacted without much sensationalism.
Victoria Hamilton, who may well be one of the Queen's many namesakes, captures the petite size of Britain's longest reigning monarch, making her an endearing character in the eyes of the viewer, even though many of my own forebears suffered under her regime. Jonathan Firth's Albert is potrayed as a gentle, decent, thoughtful man, made to leave his homeland and struggle to find acceptance in an entirely different country. But in the scene where this devoted father of nine comforts hs wife during labor while nearby, his critics suggest that he should be at a men's club instead, we see that, by following the German tradition on dealing with childbirth, he is a man ahead of his time. One of the more delightful moments ofthe film is when, during their courtship, he and Victoria play a duet together on the piano. One of the saddest, is when the Christmas tree, a custom Albert introduced to England, arrives a few days before his death on December 14,1861. It was nice to see a grown-up
Kate Mayberly in films again. She plays the couple's second daughter, Alice, who followed her older sister into marriage in the German Nobility, became the mother of Russia's last Czarina, and died of diptheria at the age of 35.The relationships of the Queen and her cabinet members is touched upon, as is the relationship with her overbearing mother. Peter Ustinov has a certain strained charisma as the Queen's predecessor, who is still aware of his sister-in-law's antics despite ill health. Diana Rigg is understated and dignified as the young Queen's devoted Lady-in-Waiting. The whole cast did a fine job. This elegant miniseries brings the chief players of the Victorian Era down from the oil-painted canvases and resurrects them quite nicely.

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"Albert really is quite charming, and so extremely handsome… myheart is quite going!" --Queen VictoriaThe world remembers Queen Victoria as a staidand stately dowager in black. But when the teenaged "Drina" ascended to the throne, shewas a vibrant young woman of powerful emotions, which found their greatest outlet inher consuming love for her German-born husband, Prince Albert.VICTORIA ANDALBERT tells the true story of their remarkable union, a bond of passion, politics andpower that that helped restore dignity and respect to a monarchy long held in contempt.Victoria Hamilton (Mansfield Park, King Lear) and Jonathan Firth (Middlemarch, AnIdeal Husband) play the royal couple to perfection, and the exceptional supporting castincludes Diana Rigg, Jonathan Pryce, Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Peter Ustinov.A&E andthe BBC proudly present the compelling tale of the original Victorian romance-a loveaffair that changed the world.

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Gideon's Daughter (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Gideon's Daughter" is a film written and directed by the brilliant Stephen Poliakoff. Poliakoff's movies focus on a slice of life at a particular moment in history; he tries to capture what is then happening in England and how it might affect the future. The second disk in this set explores his philosophy in depth and how it impacts his films.
In this movie, Poliakoff captures the emptiness of celebrity culture, particularly at the time of Princess Diana's death, when it had reached unheard of heights. Bill Nighy, one of England's best actors, portrays a PR guru who is at the pinnacle of his career, and whose "guidance" just everyone wants. Ironically, Nighy's character is divorced from all those around him, grieving over the broken relationship with his hostile daughter. He is also immersed in a new relationship with Miranda Richardson. His unresponsiveness is interpreted by different people to meet their own expectations, so the farther he drifts from PR, the more they clamor for his help.
This is an outstanding film, beautifully acted, superbly written that is totally absorbing. Highly recommended.


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Gideon Warner is a hugely successful public relations consultant to the wealthy, to politicians, to businessmen and rising starlets. Their hair, their cloths, where they go and with who ? Gideon advises them on everything. With all his skills, he is the perfect man to package the Millennium celebrations and sell them to the rest of the world. But disillusioned with the world in which he works and increasingly concerned over the growing distance between he and his daughter, Gideon takes less and less notice of his business, just as clients seem to want him more and more. He clings to his slowly flourishing relationship with Stella ? a mother grieving for her dead son ? as his world spins further out of control. Only together can they make it stop. DVD Features:Interviews:Commentary by Stephen Poliakoff Robert Lindsay Interview Miranda Richardson Interview Bill Nighy Interview Emily Blunt Interview Ronni Ancona Interview Tom Hardy Interview Other:Timeshift Documentary about Stephen Poliakoff

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