It`s a rare pleasure to see one of Britain`s finest actresses centre stage on the big screen. In Her Majesty Mrs. Brown, which opens nationally on Boxing Day, Judi Dench plays Queen Victoria and very much like The Madness of King George this film looks at what happened when the Queen dropped out of the public eye after the death of her beloved Albert..... The Queen is only drawn out of her deep depression by the arrival of Scottish master of Horse John Brown, who disposes of the formality usually associated with dealings with Her Majesty, encouraging her to ride and walk.
The bond they form, Queen and servant, is soon a cause for gossip...The politics, not just of the court, but of many human relationships, is examined in this intimate drama; John Brown values his special role in the Queen`s life, perhaps too much, and rather than being a solution he becomes part of the problem, certainly for Prime Minister Disraeli - Anthony Sher - her private secretary - Geoffrey Palmer - and her son the Prince of Wales - David Westhead.
All the performances are solid but two shine - Judi Dench is so marvellous at nuance, so little can show so much and Billy Connolly, in a role so far from anything he`s done before, is terrific as the possessive John Brown. The director John Madden, who made Ethan Frome, keeps the drama well-confined. It certainly looks as if it was made for television. This is a touching story about love and politics.
