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DorotaBabilas
seenasanattempttopublicizeVictoria’sbiographyamonganew,younger
audiencewhomightsympathizewithherdeterminationtobreakfreefromthis
confinement.However,itmayalsoserveatraditionalistideologicalagenda,
promotingVictorianclassandgenderdivisionsasnaturalandadmirable.This
propositionsoundsespeciallyplausibleinviewofthefactthatthescreenwriter
ofthemovie,JulianFellowes(whoisalsoaConservativememberofthe
HouseofLords)isthemanresponsibleforthemultipleaward-winningITV
seriesDowntonAbbey(2010-2015),whichoffersatraditionalistviewofBritain
anditssocialclasssystemdatingbacktotheearlytwentiethcentury.Inboth
cases,theviewersareprojectedintotheworldofnostalgiawheretheidealized
pastisperceivedasbeingsuperiortothepresent.
AsIhavearguedelsewhere,essentiallyTheYoungVictoriaisastoryofself-
knowledge,andespeciallytherecognitionbytheQueenofhertruevocation-
thatofbeingasubmissive,quintessentiallyVictorianwife.Theacceptanceof
3
theallegedlyobvioussuperiorityofPrinceAlbert(RupertFriend)-basedon
hiseducationandintellect,butalso,astheviewersarepersuaded,onthenatural
differencesbetweenthesexes-resultsinakindof“Paradiseregained”forthe
RoyalFamily.WhereasthedeepemotionalattachmentbetweentheQueen
andthePrinceConsortisafactusuallyacknowledgedbybiographers,thefilm
4
goesfurthertopresentitasamodeltobeadmiredandfollowedbytheintended
audience.
ThefilmfocusesonthefirstyearsofVictoria’sreign,recallingmany
episodesknownalreadyfrompreviousbookandscreenbiographies:hermother,
theDuchessofKent(MirandaRichardson)andhersecretarySirJohnConroy
(MarkStrong)trytoforceVictoriatosignaRegencywarrant-hereConroyis
evenmorebrutalthaninearlierfilms.TheoldKingWilliamIV(JimBroadbent)
humiliateshisdislikedsister-in-lawathistableduringanofficialdinner.
Victoria’smaternaluncle,KingLeopoldoftheBelgians(ThomasKretchmann)
andhischiefadvisorBaronStockmar(JesperChristensen)schemetotrainher
youngcousinAlberttobecomethefuturerulerofGreatBritain,muchinthe
waythatVictoriatrainsherspanielDash.Theyinstructhiminhertastesand
teachhimtoflatter.AsAlexiaL.BowlerandJessicaCoxobserve,thefilm
“straddlestheboundariesbetweenfactandfictionalizedromanticizing,notonly
ofVictoria’slifebutalsooftheperiodingeneral,”creatingasensationalised
5
visionofthe1830sasabackdropforaBildungsromanoftheyoungQueen.
3
DorotaBabilas.WiktoriaznaczyZwyciŠstwo.Warszawa2012,p.196.
4
Seee.g.GillianGill.WeTwo.VictoriaandAlbert:Rulers,Partners,Rivals.NewYork
2009.
5
AlexiaL.Bowler,JessicaCox.“IntroductiontoAdaptingtheNineteenthCentury:
Revisiting,RevisingandRewritingthePast”.Neo-VictorianStudies2:2(Winter
2009/2010),p.8.