Victoria And Abdul

Director: Stephen Frears

2017, UK

Cast: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams, Eddie Izzard, Simon Callow, Tim Pigott-Smith, Adeel Akhtar, Fenella Woolgar.

 

(UK, 2017) Director: Stephen Frears. †Written by Lee Hall, based on the book by Shrabani Basu. Cast: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams, Eddie Izzard, Simon Callow, Tim Pigott-Smith, Adeel Akhtar, Fenella Woolgar.

The glorious Judi Dench and director Stephen Frears show off their virtuosity just because they can. From their last collaboration, Philomena, the story of a feisty Irish woman trying to track down her adopted son, they have transitioned to 1887 and Queen Victoria’s lavish if dull gala celebrating her 50th year on the throne. So stultifying, in fact, that Victoria dozes off before dessert – until a young Indian man (Ali Fazal) presents her with a coin celebrating her status as ‘the Empress of India.’ She is swept away by his beauty, spiritual bent, and lack of subservience. This (mostly) true story follows their unlikely – and certainly unequal – friendship, as she learns about the continent she rules but has never seen.
“There are multiple pleasures to be had by witnessing a powerful, still-vital woman finding unexpected late-life joy of the platonic variety.” -Susan Wloszczyna. RogerEbert.com