BEFORE: I'm off to Massachusetts later today, my first trip out of state in months, and the first time I'll see my parents since late May, when I snuck up on Amtrak to visit for a combined Mother's Day/Father's Day, and back then I thought that maybe the pandemic would last a few more months at most. I didn't know I'd have to pass up on any organized family celebration of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. But it is what it is, and those holidays are gone, except maybe we'll get together this weekend and cook a big turkey holiday dinner, who knows. My Dad says they just want to order take-out while we're in town, though. We may stop at Foxwoods Casino on the way up, it's where we usually stop on Christmas Eve when driving through Connecticut, I'm pretty sure their buffet is still closed, though, but we can find another place to each lunch.
One last movie before I get in the car - and then I'll post the review later tonight after I arrive in Mass. Two actors carry over from "Hampstead" - Adeel Akhtar, who played a barrister, and Simon Callow, who played the judge. On this date in Women's History, Abigail Fillmore, 14th First Lady of the U.S. was born on March 13, 1978, and Myrtle Claire Bachelder, American chemist and W.A.C. officer, known for her work on the atomic bomb program, was born on March 13, 1908. Also, Lyn St. James, one of only 9 female race car drivers who ever qualified for the Indy 500 was born March 13,1947. And Happy Birthday to actresses Robin Duke, Dana Delany and Annabeth Gish.
FOLLOW-UP TO: "The Young Victoria" (Movie #3,403)
THE PLOT: Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.
AFTER: Queen Victoria lived a long time, that's for sure. She was also Queen for a very long time, from 1837 to 1901. We hear so much about "Victorian England", as if that's one long, distinct time period, but that's 64 years, there were probably a few different sections within that span, the world probably changed significantly several times during her reign. And her husband died in 1861, so she went on another 40 years as an older single lady. Another movie, "Mrs. Brown", depicted herrumored relationship with a Scottish manservant named John Brown. This film posits that after that relationship ran its course, she found some kind of favour, or at least fascination, with another servant from India, who came to England to deliver a ceremonial crown during a dinner service, accidentally made eye contact with the Queen, and was then asked/commanded to stay on.
The film can't really say that the Queen was attracted to him, no, that wouldn't be proper, but here she does show an interest in where Abdul came from, what the customs are there, and various aspects of life in India, and then an interest in the Koran and Arabic philosophy when she finds out that he's a Muslim, not a Hindu. Victoria was the Empress of India, but according to this, she never went there. How can a Queen rule over another nation and its people without at least visiting? So it's really in her best interest to find out as much as she can about the far-off land of India, and she chooses Abdul as her Munshi (teacher) and instructor in the Urdu language and the Koran.
Naturally the royal court is shocked, what is this brown servant person doing having conversations with the Queen about religion and such? And is this even proper, what with the British monarch technically also being the head of the Anglican church? Yeah, thank Henry VIII for that one, a man who never considered the value of separating Church and State. He just said, "Screw it, they're basically the same thing, aren't they? Now, who's next in line to be my wife?"
Victoria ends up having a Durbar room built in one of her palace homes, getting carpets and mangoes shipped in from Agra, and having a replica of the famous Peacock Throne built for her. Again, she's the Empress of India, so she's well within her rights to act like it if she wants to.
For anyone who's been shocked by a recent notable interview during which is was revealed that there still may be racist attitudes at Buckingham Palace, just watch this film and see how the royals like Victoria's son (Edward VII, aka Albert Edward, but here just called "Bertie") and the Prime Minister, plus the hangers-on at the court and the royal staff treat a person of color. And really, it's not that many steps from Victoria to Elizabeth II - Edward VII was succeeded by his son, George V, who was succeeded by HIS son, Edward VIII (see "W.E") who abdicted and was replaced by his brother, George VI (see "The King's Speech", a different British king nicknamed "Bertie"). And George VI, of course, was the father of Queen Elizabeth II. So that makes Queen Victoria the, umm, great-great-grandmother (?) of Queen Elizabeth. Right?
That's just five generations from then until now - changes in attitudes on race take a long time to change, probably longer where royalty is concerned. Victoria forming a friendship with a man from India doesn't mean that she wasn't racist, same goes for her being interested in or fascinated by Indian culture - she was still an entitled white person surrounded by other entitled white people who had no impetus to be inclusive in any way, or change the system to benefit people of color. India and its people were just another asset to be exploited at that point.
This is mostly a true story, there was a real Abdul Karim who attended to Victoria during the last 14 years of her life. Some details have been changed, of course - in real life Abdul and fellow Indian Mohammed Buksh served the Queen breakfast after arriving in England, not a ceremonial coin during a dinner. Karim did end up teaching Victoria a few words of Hindustani and Urdu, and he made her some excellent curry. And his presence did disrupt the Royal Household, creating jealousy and discontent. Abdul did return to India to bring his wife and mother-in-law to England, and he traveled with Victoria on trips to the French Riviera and on Christmas holiday. The film messes with the timeline a bit, and doesn't include all of Abdul's trips home to India, but other than that, it seems fairly spot on.
Also starring Judi Dench (last seen in "Notes on a Scandal"), Ali Fazal, Tim Pigott-Smith (last seen in "Flyboys"), Eddie Izzard (last seen in "The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years"), Michael Gambon (last seen in "Johnny English Strikes Again"), Paul Higgins (last seen in "Greed"), Olivia Williams (last seen in "Seventh Son"), Fenella Woolgar (last seen in "Mr. Turner"), Julian Wadham (last seen in "Churchill'), Robin Soans (last seen in "The Queen"), Ruth McCabe (last seen in "Philomena"), Sukh Ojia, Simon Paisley Day (last seen in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"), Amani Zardoe, Sophie Trott, Penny Ryder (also last seen in "Notes on a Scandal"), Trevor Fox (last seen in "Billy Elliot"), Joe Caffrey, John Stahl (last seen in "Mary Queen of Scots"), Tim McMullan (last seen in "The Woman in Black"), Jonathan Harden, John Rowe.
RATING: 6 out of 10 gelatin desserts
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