Mrs Brown (1997)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

John Madden

Writer:

Jeremy Brock (writer)

Release Date:

18 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

Queen Victoria, the world's most powerful woman. John Brown, a simple Scottish Highlander. Their extraordinary friendship transformed an empire.

Plot:

Queen Victoria is deeply depressed after the death of her husband, disappearing from public. Her servant Brown...

Plot Keywords:

Queen | Queen Victoria | Servant | Diary | Assassination Attempt

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Judi Dench	...	Queen Victoria
Billy Connolly	...	John Brown
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Henry Ponsonby
Antony Sher	...	Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli
Gerard Butler	...	Archie Brown
Richard Pasco	...	Doctor Jenner
David Westhead	...	Prince of Wales (Bertie)
Bridget McConnell	...	Lady Ely
Georgie Glen	...	Lady Churchill
Catherine O'Donnell	...	Lady-in-Waiting
Sara Stewart	...	Princess Alexandra
Finty Williams	...	Princess Helena
Claire Nicolson	...	Princess Louise
Hattie Ladbury	...	Princess Alice
Oliver Kent	...	Prince Alfred

Also Known As:

Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown (USA)
Mrs Brown (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG for a beating, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK | Ireland | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | Finland:S | France:U | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Ardverikie estate, Highlands, Scotland, UK

Company:

BBC Scotland

Trivia:

Gerard Butler (Archie) became hypothermic after filming the scene in which he and Billy Connolly (John Brown) run naked into the ocean.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Disraeli speaks from notes in Parliament and again at the end of the film. The real Disraeli made a point of delivering all of his speeches - including those several hours long or involving complicated statistics - from memory, and he warned younger politicians against using notes as a crutch.

Quotes:

Queen Victoria: [Queen spills water down her front]
John Brown: Honest to God woman, I never thought I'd see you in such a state, you must miss him dreadfully.
Queen Victoria: You do not! - he- Get him out!
[heads towards door]
Queen Victoria: GET HIM OUT! GET HIM OUT!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Shakespeare in Love and on Film (1999) (TV)

A Strong Period Drama and Another Brilliant Characterization by Judi Dench

MRS. BROWN as written by Jeremy Brock and directed by John Madden (Proof, Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli's Mandolin) is a sprightly, entertaining and engrossing study of a moment in the life of enigmatic Queen Victoria. Selecting an outstanding production crew and a fine cast this film succeeds on every level and once again proves to us that Judi Dench is one of the finest actresses on the stage or screen today.

The story revolves around the time when Queen Victoria's beloved husband Prince Albert dies resulting in a clinical depression in the queen. She leaves London with her entourage to grieve at Balmoral Castle. There her Scottish Highlander servant John Brown (Billy Connolly) nurses her back to normalcy but in the meanwhile sets up the appearance of an affair that scandalized the British Isles. Disraeli (Antony Sher) visits in an attempt to right the situation but it is Brown's strong personality - an equal match for the wise and wily Victoria - that alters the course of events that returns Queen Victoria to her proper station.

Dench and Connolly play so well off each other that their relationship has a wealth of charm, tenderness, bite, wit, and solidity. The supporting cast includes a fine turn by Gerard Butler as Archie Brown, John's supportive and playful brother. The costumes are superb and the cinematography by Richard Greatrex captures the atmosphere of the cloying indoor spaces as well as the freedom of the vast coastline vistas. Stephen Warbeck is responsible for the well-integrated musical score. Highly recommended. Grady Harp