Victoria the Great (1937) User Reviews

Anton Prince of Sax Coburg

[howardmorley · 7/10 · 22 December 2008]

It was inspired casting to give the part of Prince Albert to Anton Walbrook while Anna Neagle looked far too glamorous as the Princess Victoria when compared to the many photos extant of her which show a rather plain dumpy woman about 4ft 11ins in height.I've always been a fan of Anton Walbrook ever since I saw him as Lermontov in "The Red Shoes" and as the menacing fraudster who tries to drive his wife mad in "Gaslight" (1940).I can still hear that slow, menacing, Teutonic voice - "you're going mad my dear".It is so much more satisfying when an actor is the same nationality as his character as it gives verisimilitude to the portrayal.

The producer cannot change the historical facts but I liked the parade of famous politicians - Lord Melbourne, Gladstone, Disraeli, the Duke of Wellington.Of course the screenwriter included the famous remark attributed to Victoria about Gladstone who was pompous when speaking at their weekly meetings on the affairs of state; " he speaks to me as if he is addressing a public meeting".I was intrigued by the 1840s train, did they arrange for its loan from the railway museum at York? The film accurately shows the effort Albert went to organise "The Great Exhibition" in Hyde Park in 1851.Victoria was loath initially for Albert to help her with the state papers deeming it unconstitutional but later in their marriage he gave her considerable advice and help to such an extents that when he died prematurely in 1861 she was bereft of his counsel.

It was a big learning curve for Albert too learning about the British constitution.As a member of the aristocracy, he was not made to feel welcome when he went to the House of Commons to hear an important debate.He was a talented pianist and amateur scientist hence his idea about the Great Exhibition.The Royal Albert Hall was erected to his memory and is still today a venue for music, concerts, and sporting contests.It was interesting to see Victoria's Gillie Brown portrayed.A newer film has Dame Judy Dench in the role of Victoria and Billy Connelly as Brown in "Mrs Brown" which I believe won an award.Victoria acceded to the throne in 1837 because her uncle, William IV left no issue.She died on 22/1/1901 at Osbourne House on the Isle of Wight so reigned for 64 years beating the 60 year record set by George III from 1760-1820.

If nothing else you will learn a little of modern British history by watching "Victoria the Great".

Deferential Hagiography

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 28 December 2023]

Anna Be able rather reminds me of being a female George Arliss,since in this part of her career was playing real life people in very much the same stuff and regal manner. She never makes a realistic Queen Victoria whereas Anton Walbrook makes an excellent Prince Albert.

The film is by its nature very episodic linked by intertitles.

The film in its attitudes highlight the regard the royal family was held in the coronation year,notwithstanding the fall from Grace of Edward VIII.

Nowadays the media view the royal in a rather.more critical manner.

The Technicolour in the last reel is worth the wait. The production is very well mounted.

Reverential biopic - superficial and dated but still worth watching

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 25 October 2023]

The life of England's second-longest reigning monarch is followed through a series of vignettes from her ascent to the throne in 1837 to the Diamond Jubilee of 1897 that celebrated her sixtieth year as Monarch. The film was made a century after the coronation of 18-year old Princess Alexandrina Victoria and, not unexpectedly for a pre-WW2 British film about the royal family, is very reverential. Victoria reigned over a rapidly evolving British Empire (she became 'Empress of India' in 1879) during a century of massive global political and social change, so as a biography, the 110 minute film was destined to be superficial and other than in passing references, little mention is made of the major historical events of the era. As in her life, major figures from British history come and go, such as the Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, Lord Melbourne Lord Palmerston, William Gladstone, Benjamin Disraeli, and throughout the actors portraying them are fine and 'convincing'. Anna Neagle remains a bit 'pretty' for the Queen as she ages, and although an effort is made to age the actress accordingly for her final scenes as a 78-year old woman the results are not particularly convincing. Anton Walbrook is very good as Prince Albert and the segments of him coming to England to meet the young Queen (his cousin) and his later chafing at his role of Royal Consort who was expected to distance himself from politics are (IMO) the best parts of the film. The recreations of historical events such as the coronation are interesting, with lots of pomp and stirring music and the black and white cinematography is very good (the dramatic change to technicolour for the Jubilee was undercut somewhat by 'Silver Screen' inserting a commercial break at the junction). More interesting as a period-piece piece of film-making than as an actual biography of 'Victoria Regina' but well worth watching. 'Victoria the Great' was made when England was still the dominant world power and is about a beloved Queen under whom the Empire expanded to its greatest extent, so anyone expecting even a hint of 'mea culpa' for the less desirable aspects of colonialism and empire-building will be disappointed.

Some nice moments in dated biography

[wrk6539 · 10 September 2001]

I had long been anxious to see this famous British biography, and finally found a copy available. Featuring a renowned performance by Anna Neagle, one of Great Britain's most famed golden age actresses, as Queen Victoria, this film was a huge hit when released during Coronation Summer in 1937. Although not made with US audiences in mind, VICTORIA THE GREAT also hit big in the states and resulted in producer/director Herbert Wilcox and future wife Neagle making a lucrative deal to work at RKO studios. The Wilcox/Neagle RKO films never achieved the level of acclaim enjoyed by their pairings in the UK, and they returned home during the war to many years of success.

Telling the story of Victoria's courtship and marriage to Prince Albert, VICTORIA THE GREAT has a very dated and sometimes static feel to it when compared to Hollywood films of the same era. It does, however, contain some very nice moments between Neagle's Victoria and Anton Walbrook's Albert, and Victoria has never, to my knowledge, been portrayed with such humanity and tenderness (at least until MRS. BROWN.) Lavishly produced, and with a Diamond Jubilee finale in TECHNICOLOR (one has to assume the original dye transfer prints were much more impressive than the muddy quality of the videocassette I viewed)it's easy to see why this appealed to 1937 British audiences reeling from the glamor of George VI's coronation that June. So successful was this biopic that Wilcox and Neagle filmed and released a sequel the following year, 60 GLORIOUS YEARS, shot entirely in TECHNICOLOR.

While not nearly as technically slick as such Hollywood biopics as MARIE ANTOINETTE or THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, this one is definitely worth a look for history lovers and royal watchers. It's also a chance to see Dame Anna Neagle in one of her most famous portrayals.