Victoria & Abdul (2017)

Victoria & Abdul - 2017

Coming up next is 2017's "Victoria & Abdul", starring Judi Dench and Ali Fazal.  Queen Victoria has ruled for decades and is tired and lonely.  She takes a liking to a young Indian man who has joined her Household, and must fight her family and staff to keep him near.

The film's supporting cast includes Tim Pigott-Smith, Eddie Izzard, Adeel Akhtar, Michael Gambon, Paul Higgins, Olivia Williams, Fenella Woolgar, Ruth McCabe, Sophie Trott, Penny Ryder, and Amani Zardoe.

The film begins in Agra, India.  The film centers on Abdul Karim, a prison clerk.

Abdul is chosen by his superiors to travel to London to present Queen Victoria with a ceremonial coin from India.

The person going with him, Mohammad Baksh, is not at all thrilled to be going.  As they travel, they learn about the intricacies of the Royal Household and are completely confused by the hierarchy.

When they get to England, they are quickly overawed by their surroundings.  They are taken step by step over what they are supposed to do when they present the coin.

They are to present the coin and leave, making absolutely no eye contact whatsoever.

Upon the Queen's arrival at the grand dinner, a fanfare is sounded and the guests turn to watch her progress.

The Queen is old and not looking forward to the dinner at all.  In fact, she eats so quickly, people don't have a chance to finish before their plates are taken away.

After dessert, it's time for the coin to be presented.  It is...to say the least...unimpressive.  Abdul is chosen to carry it and bring it to the Queen.

When the coin is presented, the Queen is asleep.  And she isn't the slightest bit interested once she's aware of its presence.

As he progresses backwards, Abdul can't help but look at the Queen.  She, in turn, looks at him.  As the two Indian men prepare to head back to India, the Queen decides that the taller one (Abdul) was quite good looking.

Just as they are about to board a carriage, they are called back to serve the Queen once more.

After Abdul presents a jelly at the Queen's table, he kneels and kisses her feet.  When he leaves, she pronounces that she's beginning to feel a great deal better.

She appoints Abdul and Mohammed as her personal footmen during her Jubilee year.  Mohammed stands outside the door, while Abdul waits on her inside.

He acts as her ink blotter, while also telling her a one-sided account of the Indian Mutiny.  The Queen's staff can't quite figure out what she sees in him as they watch from afar.

She even takes the two Indian men with her to the Scottish highlands and the Balmoral Estate.  Again, the staff aren't happy at her preferential treatment of them, especially Abdul.

They get even more concerned when the Queen works on her government papers alone with Abdul and without the presence of any government ministers.

Even her son, the Prince of Wales, is left out.  And he is completely upset from the get-go.

The Queen takes Abdul to a secluded spot on the Balmoral Estate.  Once there, she confides to him that she is a lonely old lady.  He comforts her as best he can.

Later, on a trip to the European continent, Victoria talks with Abdul about plans for a Durbar room.  He talks of the Peacock Throne and the koh-i-noor diamond which was placed in it.  Queen Victoria tells him that she now has the diamond and she wears it as a brooch.  She plans to build a Durbar Room herself on the Isle of Wight.

While in Europe, the Queen is in such a good mood that she even sings a little before an audience.  Later, while talking privately with Abdul, he tells her he is married, and that his wife is back in India.  She instructs him to go home and bring her back with him.

The day he returns, Queen Victoria is thrilled and runs to the window to watch his arrival.  Her son and members of the Household are less than thrilled when he arrives wearing medals and has servants of his own.

The Queen thinks his wife looks quite splendid, even though she can't see anything of her.  The Prince of Wales wants to know where Abdul got all the medals he has on.

Later, the Queen visits them privately, and asks to see Abdul's wife.  When she's revealed, the Queen tells her how beautiful she is.

Later, the Queen has the Prime Minister visit her newly completed Durbar Room.  Their first stop is the Indian Corridor, which features several prominent Indians in portrait.

Abdul, himself, has his portrait on the wall.  He provokes the ire of the Household when he's overly familiar with the Prime Minister and seems to overstep his boundaries as a servant.

The Durbar Room is revealed.  (It's really a stunning piece of workmanship, and was filmed in the real Durbar Room at Osborne House.)  The Queen shows off the replica of the Peacock Throne and wears the koh-i-noor diamond.  Seated on the throne, she tells everyone that she really feels like the Empress of India.

At a tableaux that night, which featured Abdul, members of the Household were of two different minds when it came to the performance.

Abdul is featured as the Sultan of Persia.  The audience is shocked when he pronounces everyone under his power.  The Queen is thrilled with the performance, though everyone else certainly is not.

Later, after relating Abdul's version of the Indian Mutiny to her ministers, she is horribly embarrassed when she learns the truth of the events.  She's angry at Abdul and dismisses him.  The Household is thrilled, though are again angry when she has a change of heart and has him reinstated.

They frantically search for ways to discredit him in the eyes of the Queen.  They go to his friend Mohammed, who's dying because of sickness brought on by the English weather, to see if he can give them something of value.  He tells them nothing.

Later, during a medical examination, the Queen's physician finds that he is suffering from gonorrhea.  He runs anxiously back to inform the Queen, but she doesn't seem to care.  She said that the doctor should be focused on helping him instead of ruining him.

The Household gathers secretly and decides to challenge the Queen's decision to have him Knighted.  They say if she goes ahead with the plan, the entire Household will resign.

When the Queen is told of the plan, she is furious, and accuses them all of treason.

Her son and physician even plot to have her declared insane if she continues in her obsession for Abdul.

Feeling increasingly unwell, she gathers her strength for a showdown with her staff in the Durbar Room.  She tells them if anyone wants to resign to step forward.  No one does.  She withdraws the Knighthood idea, and has other plans to reward him for his service.

She leaves the room in a huff and collapses outside under the strain of events.

The Queen begins to feel extremely ill and tells Abdul she hasn't long to live.

The Queen faces a final illness.  As she lies dying in her bedroom, she asks for Abdul and he comes and brings her comfort.

When she dies, he's allowed to visit her body after it's prepared and laid out.  He kisses her foot one last time before leaving the room.

As he returns home, he finds the new King has directed that everything in his possession that relates to Queen Victoria be destroyed.  He's devastated.  The King orders him to leave England.

He returns to Agra, where he daily visits the statue of Queen Victoria in the shadow of the Taj Mahal.

Cast rundown:

   Judi Dench.......................................Queen Victoria

   Ali Fazal...........................................Abdul Karim

   Tim Pigott-Smith...............................Sir Henry Ponsonby

   Eddie Izzard.....................................Bertie, Prince of Wales

   Adeel Akhtar.....................................Mohammad Baksh

   Michael Gambon................................Lord Salisbury

   Paul Higgins......................................Dr. Reid

   Olivia Williams...................................Lady Churchill

   Fenella Woolgar..................................Miss Phipps

   Ruth McCabe.....................................Mrs. Tuck

   Sophie Trott.......................................Queen Sophie of Greece

   Penny Ryder.......................................Grand Duchess Sophie

   Amani Zardoe.....................................Princess Helena

And that's all for Victoria & Abdul.  This is the second time that Judi Dench portrayed Queen Victoria, and she proves that she's a master at it.  I loved the fact filming took place at Osborne House and the Durbar Room, which Queen Victoria used extensively.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.