Dame Judi Dench stars as a declining Queen Victoria who meets a clerk, Abdul Karim (played by Ali Fazal), and begins a decade long relationship. Abdul becomes Queen Victoria’s munshi (teacher) and instructs Victoria how to speak and write in Urdu. Of course, this friendship causes the royal family and staff to panic. They hate Abdul because he is a commoner and a Muslim. And a competitor to their influence and access to the Queen.
Comedian Eddie Izzard is terrific as Victoria’s greedy and apoplectic son, Bertie. Director Stephen Frears, who also directed Helen Mirren in The Queen, knows how power and privilege works in the Palace. As Steve Oerkfitz pointed out, Victoria and Abdul resembles a Masterpiece Theater episode. That’s a Good Thing. GRADE: A-
You liked it a lot more than I did. I kept looking at my watch during the movie waiting for it to end. Looks good, well acted. I’d give it a C.
Steve, I was in the mood for a languid MASTERPIECE THEATER kind of movie.
I can’t stand Dench! To me, she always looks like she’s acting!
Bob, Judi Dench is always convincing when she plays the Queen.
You can never go totally wrong with Judi Denham involved IMHO. We first saw her – singing, no less – in the musical adaptation of J.B. Priestley’s THE GOOD COMPANIONS in London in 1973, and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Jeff, I didn’t know Judi Dench could sing! And, I really like J. B. Priestley’s plays! I always see them when they come to the Shaw Festival!
Probably not a film tha would enthrall me.
Hope you’re having a swell time at B’con!
Rick, this Toronto BOUCHERCON would rank in the Top 5 BOUCHERCONs I’ve attended (and I’ve been to 20 of them). We’re having dinner with Patti and Phil Abbott tonight.
And this is based on reality – never heard about this before!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Karim_(the_Munshi)
A bit OT:
Should I be proud because she was half German? And her husband was German too …
The world of these Royals was really crazy – later there was that war against their German cousins, the crazy rulers of Prussia and Austria/Hungary.
Wolf, given what’s happening with Trump some people might want the U.S. to switch to a monarchy form of Government!
If I don’t care for her acting, George, the role is unimportant! Obviously she has a following, but I’m not a part of that herd!