Victoria and Abdul

Who doesn't love to hear a juicy story about the Queen of England and one of her servants? The movie "Victoria and Abdul" is just the drama-filled story you were looking for. This film was based off a true story and was also based off the book that was written by Shrabani Basu, who actually discovered the diary of Abdul Karim. This drama/comedy film itself was written by Lee Hall and was directed by Stephen Frears. The film's budget was $21 million, but they made $65.4 million in the box office, and even had a Golden Globe nomination. "Victoria and Abdul" was released on September 22nd, 2017.

In this film, Queen Victoria was having her 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee, which celebrated her 50 years as ruler of the British Empire in 1887. She also adopted the title of Empress of India in 1876, so when she had this celebration, there had to be "representatives" of India. Two men from India were ordered to bring the Queen a gift from India, which was a ceremonial coin. One of the men from India, Abdul Karim, was told to not make eye contact with the Queen, but of course, he didn't follow that rule. As soon as Queen Victoria and Abdul made eye contact, it was an immediate connection, but not in a romantic way. They soon grew a close friendship, and Queen Victoria asked Abdul to be her teacher. Abdul taught Queen Victoria daily Urdu lessons and in return, she gave him gifts. The royal family was frustrated with Queen Victoria's actions and resented her relationship with Abdul Karim, but that never stopped her.

"Victoria and Abdul" was a very historically correct movie and this is because of Shrabani Basu. After Queen Victoria died in 1901, her children burned all of her letters to Abdul Karim. It wasn't until Shrabani Basu discovered Karim's diary that the true facts came out. This film focuses on not only the 63 year reign of Queen Victoria, but about how the royal family resented anybody that wasn't in their circle. When Queen Victoria brought Abdul Karim into her life in an almost permanent way, the royal family was enraged since they were on different social statuses. During this time, Queen Victoria's family was seen as very prejudice and racist, so Victoria was seen as a very defiant person.

Overall, this film follows history pretty closely, despite the little exaggerations to make the movie more entertaining to the audience. This was a drama, but it also had a comedic sense to it, so it made it even more enjoyable to watch. It was interesting to see how Queen Victoria's family reacted to her decision to bring Abdul Karim in as her teacher and friend, since during this time it was frowned upon to bring a lower social class person into the inner circle. This film made an incredible amount in box office, and for it to be a historically correct movie, I give it all my props. I highly recommend watching "Victoria and Abdul", and honestly would rate this movie about a 9 out of 10.


Hunt, Kristin. "The True Story of Victoria and Abdul: The Friendship that Scandalized England." Smithsonian, 20 Sept. 2017, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/victoria-and-abdul-friendship-scandalized-england-180964959/. 

"Victoria and Abdul (2017)." History Vs. Hollywood, www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/victoria-and-abdul/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2019.

Wloszczyna, Susan. "Victoria & Abdul." Roger Ebert, 22 Sept. 2017, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/victoria-and-abdul-2017.

The Duchess (2008)

The Duchess (2008) is a biopic directed by Saul Dibb. The movie, starring Keira Knightly, Ralph Fiennes, and Dominic Cooper, concerns the life and happenings of Georgiana Spencer who became the Duchess of Devonshire at sixteen with her marriage to William Cavendish, the Duke. Unfortunately, as the movie shows, their marriage was not one made out of any affection; ultimately, both partners take other lovers, a slew of them in the Duke’s case, and attempt to raise a gaggle of legitimate and illegitimate children. While the young Georgiana attempts to come to grips with her expected role of heir-factory, she blooms in the worlds of fashion and politics.

Before Georgiana gets down to the business of becoming a proper feminist, the movie does a bit to confirm the changes occurring throughout the nobility and common classes. Initially, this is made apparent when she is whisked off to Bath after failing to conceive a son.  By the second half of the eighteenth century, health-retreats to Bath were becoming a more common occurrence (McKay 596). Prior to this, water was considered very suspicious and dirty, and bathhouses were just dens for sexual impurity and disease (McKay 596). As evidenced in The Duchess, these ideas eventually went into vogue, and Europe embraced a more healthful, cleanly approach to hygiene. This came to mean that places like Bath, areas of wealth and leisure, became popular destination spots across Europe (McKay 596).

This trend towards comfort and opulent destinations was echoed by the fashion consumerism of the time. The film portrays the fashion-forwardness of the Duchess Georgiana boldly. During her introduction in Bath when she meets Lady Bess, Georgiana is heralded “the empress of fashion”, and she protects the title throughout the remainder of the film. As we know, the fashion industry of the time was becoming dictated more by the designer than the consumer; however, shops would still frequently choose wealthy nobles to patronize their goods (McKay 594). While this sort of arrangement is nowhere made clear within the biopic, it would not have been unusual for exclusive boutiques to compete for the distinction of dressing the Duchess of Devonshire. The emphasis on fashion and the trappings of nobility fits well with the emerging consumer society and division of classes in eighteenth century England.

This isn’t to say that the classes were entirely distinct. The gambling, partying, and politicking that characterize Georgiana’s early appearance were popular in all classes in 1700s Europe (McKay 590). Though the behaviors may have been irregular coming from a woman, these were still popular pastimes, however uncouth. Georgiana’s wealth and position would’ve allowed her a unique ability to enter into these more masculine arenas with some confidence. Though she led a frustrated life, Georgiana’s comportment speaks to the emergence of genuine feminism.

Citations:

McKay, John P., et al. A History of Western Societies. 12^th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 590-596.

The Duchess. Directed by Saul Dibb, performances by Keira Knightly, Ralph Fiennes, and Dominic Cooper, Paramount Vantages, 2008.