Mrs. Brown

MRS. BROWN

BBC Films

Director: John Madden

Cert. PG

Prince Albert died in 1861, leaving Queen Victoria in a state of excessive mourning, for a number of years, imposing a strict regime on her family.

A Scottish retainer, John Brown, of whom the prince thought highly, was summoned in the hope that somehow his presence in the royal household at Osborne on the Isle of Wight might alleviate the situation.

This film, starring Dame Judi Dench and Billy Connolly, is an attempt to portray the close relationship which sprang up between the two, while, at the same time, in the footsteps of The Madness of King George III apparently making some comment on the present monarchy.

We saw this film on the day of Princess Diana's funeral, and the contemporary parallels were poignant and astonishing. These included not just Brown protecting Victoria from the press of the day, but the Queen isolated in Balmoral in her grief while the British public were calling for her presence at the centre of government in London. One wonders whether it was this film which sparked the tabloids into their attacks on the royal family for not being in London sooner after Diana's sad departure. Victoria's influence is still strong in the way the current royal family lives and views its role; this film gives a powerful insight into this aspect of their world.

The film itself is absorbing. Bill Connolly, in a straight role as Brown, and Anthony Sher as Disraeli give very convincing performances. Dame Judi Dench is a wonderful actress and fascinating to watch, though facially very different from Victoria.

The screenplay portrays in an interesting way something of the internal pressures of holding high office as a frail human being, and is a timely reminder for Christians to be stirred to pray for those in authority over us (1 Timothy 2.2). Much of the relief Victoria gained in her sorrow comes through the contact with ordinary highland folk which John Brown facilitated. Perhaps there is a pointer as our post-Diana monarchy considers how it needs to change.