Victoria & Abdul

Victoria & Abdul

Starring Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith

Directed by Stephen Frears

The Story:
To celebrate Queen Victoria's (Judi Dench) Golden Jubilee in 1887, Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) and his friend are taken from British-controlled India and brought to England to present her a mohur - a minted coin - as a token of appreciation.  They're instructed to not look at the Queen, but Abdul gazes upon her.  Until that point, the Queen shows little interest in anything - she eats at the dinner as fast as possible and even nods off - but when her eyes meet the youthful Abdul's, something inside her sparks.

Soon she spends more and more time with Abdul, who genuinely shows a caring interest in her, unlike everyone else around her who just want her to die, especially her son Bertie (Eddie Izzard).  As their friendship blossoms, the Queen promotes Abdul to her personal Munshi (teacher) to instruct her about the Qur'an and the Urdu language.  This infuriates Bertie and her other subjects, because Abdul is a man of lowly stature, a servant from a country owned by Britain, but this only pleases the Queen more.  Yet as their relationship gets closer, Abdul finds himself in more danger, as does the Queen, for nothing is more dangerous than a thirst for power.

The Synopsis:
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I don't go into films to find out the true story.  Although this is based on a true story (director Stephen Frears even includes the word mostly after the opening title), I've heard there's several issues concerning the real story, but I'm not into all that: I just want to be entertained, and "Victoria and Abdul" is entertaining due to a beautiful pas de deux of two actors - one who's up-and-coming, and the other at the prime of her life - and their relationship that plays out on screen.

The issues people have with the film (which I do agree with, but I can separate from the film itself) deals with how Abdul treats the Queen.  He treats her with the utmost respect and adoration, despite the fact that her nation completely ravaged India.  It's like praising the man who killed your family.  To that end, it does detract a bit from the story, but not enough to make it completely awkward.  That awkwardness is in the film, however, when it comes to the dry humor the Queen exudes, and how it suddenly turns on a dime and becomes sadly tragic.  Certain films manage to accomplish both, but here it's a bit choppy.  However, that's the only real issue I have with this otherwise adorable film.

Well, one other thing, but it's bound to happen.  It's with Ali Fazal's performance as Abdul.  There's nothing really in-depth to the character.  He's very one-note, a man who only serves to please the Queen, and make her final years on earth enjoyable.  We never really find out why he has this feeling for the Queen or how it developed, or how it strengthened over the years (he meets her in 1887, and she dies in 1901, so they spent fourteen years together, yet in the film it feels only like a few weeks).  Yet it's not Fazal's fault: you can't expect a relative newcomer to go toe-to-toe with the Dame Judi Dench - seven time Oscar nominee and, along with the likes of Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren and Betty White, a living legend.  There's moments in the film where Abdul acts outside his character, and we don't really know why he did it.  There's no real depth of emotion either, as he tends to maintain the same balance of energy from scene to scene.

Still, the film ultimately belongs to Judi Dench, and she owns it like the cinematic queen she is.  This isn't her first encounter in playing the Queen (she played Victoria in 1997's "Mrs. Brown," which she earned an Oscar nomination for), and she seems to have a personal knowledge of the eccentric monarch.  She's a reluctant queen, a woman who suffers severe loneliness due to all the hapless yes-men and women around her who don't really care for her best interest, but their own personal gains.  Even her son (played brilliantly by Eddie Izzard, who just oozes self-contempt) is just waiting for the old hag to die.  Before she met Abdul, she hated her life.  She sleepwalks through her daily duties, and even humorously eats at a dinner party as fast as she can, knowing when she's done, the servants take the other guests' plates away.  She even dozes off mid-meal.

Then she meets eyes with Abdul, and she finds a kindred spirit.  Soon the two spend a lot of time together, because Abdul is (mostly) real with her, which is something she finds refreshing.  She even allows herself to let her guard down, and confesses to him tearfully that everyone she loved has died, and she just keeps going on and on.  Abdul tells her that it's because she's here for a greater purpose, and she begins showing a deep interest in Abdul and his culture.  She wants to learn his language, she wants him to teach her the Qur'an (no matter what the Bishop of Canterbury thinks), and she elevates him to higher service despite the ire and scorn of those around her.

Ultimately, "Victoria and Abdul" is a two-person play.  The other characters are constantly on the peripheral, who only serve as fodder for increasing the Queen's relationship with Abdul.  There's aspects of racism and elitism, but those qualities are never fully realized, but they don't need to be.  That's not the purpose of this film.  This is a film about the special relationship between the longest-ruling Queen in history, and a lowly Indian man who comes from humble standing.  To that end, the film tells it like a classic novel.

To top it off, the set designs and costumes are marvelous, and should be recognized by the Academy.  Abdul's costumes are bright and lively, while the Queen's is often drab and overflowing to support her obese frame.  Once again, it shows the contrast between these two people, and how inexplicably they managed to find common ground.

The Summary:
A beautiful tale of friendship between two worlds, "Victoria and Abdul" is heightened by the ever-dazzling Judi Dench, who owned the film like the royalty she is.

The Score: A