Mrs Brown

Last updated

Mrs Brown
Mrs Brown UK theatrical poster.jpg
Australian theatrical release poster
Directed by John Madden
Written by Jeremy Brock
Produced bySarah Curtis
Starring
Cinematography Richard Greatrex
Edited by Robin Sales
Music by Stephen Warbeck
Production
companies
Distributed by Miramax Films [1] (through Buena Vista International)
Release dates
  • 18 July 1997 (1997-07-18)(United States)
  • 5 September 1997 (1997-09-05)(United Kingdom)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$13 million (US/UK)

Mrs Brown (also released in cinemas as Her Majesty, Mrs Brown) is a 1997 British drama film starring Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher, and Gerard Butler in his film debut. It was written by Jeremy Brock and directed by John Madden. The film was produced by the BBC and Ecosse Films with the intention of being shown on BBC One and on WGBH's Masterpiece Theatre . However, it was acquired by Miramax and released to unexpected success, going on to earn over $13 million worldwide.

Contents

The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival and released in the United Kingdom on 5 September 1997. [2] Judi Dench won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role; additionally, she was nominated for many other awards for her performance, including the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, but lost both awards to Helen Hunt for her role in As Good as It Gets .

Plot

The film shows the story of a recently widowed Queen Victoria and her relationship with a Scottish servant, John Brown, a trusted servant of her deceased husband, and the subsequent uproar it provoked. Brown had served Victoria's Prince Consort, Prince Albert; Victoria's Household thought Brown might help the Queen who had remained in mourning since the Prince Consort's death in 1861.

In 1863, hoping to subtly coax the Queen toward resuming public life after years of seclusion, Brown is summoned to court. The plan succeeds a little too well for the liking of Victoria's Chief Secretary Sir Henry Ponsonby and The Prince of Wales as well as other members of the Royal Family; the public, press and politicians soon come to resent Brown's perceived influence over Victoria. Brown takes considerable liberties with court protocol, especially by addressing Her Majesty as "woman". He also quickly takes control over the Queen's daily activities, further aggravating the tensions between himself and the Royal Family and servants.

The moniker "Mrs Brown", used both at the time and in the film, implied an improper and perhaps sexual relationship. The film does not directly address the contemporary suspicions that Victoria and Brown had had a sexual relationship and perhaps had even secretly married, though cartoons from the satirical magazine Punch are shown as being passed around in Parliament (one cartoon is revealed to the camera, showing an empty throne, with the sceptre lying unhanded across it).

As a result of Victoria's seclusion, especially at Balmoral Castle in Scotland (something initially encouraged by Brown), her popularity begins failing and republican sentiment begins growing. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli's hold over the House of Commons is weakening and there is a fear of rising anti-monarchical sentiment in the country. He convinces Brown to use his influence with Victoria to persuade her to return to the performance of her public duties, especially the speech from the throne at the opening of Parliament.

Brown is reluctant to do so, rightly fearing that Victoria will take this as a personal betrayal. When he urges her to return to London and fulfil her public duties, an argument ensues. Feeling betrayed by Brown, Victoria becomes visibly agitated. When Brown once again refers to her as "woman", she sharply rebukes him. Leaving the room, she turns to Ponsonby and her physician, Dr. Jenner, requesting that they serve her needs, visibly demoting Brown's contact and influence. Their relationship was never to be the same again. Victoria's eventual acquiescence and her decision to return to public life leads to a revitalization of her popularity and a resurgence in public support of the monarchy.

Brown continues to serve Victoria until his death in 1883. In his final years, his duties become reduced to head of security. The palace staff has become weary of Brown's dogmatic ways and they mock and rebuke his security efforts as paranoid delusions. Finally, during a public event, a gun-wielding assassin appears out of the crowd leaping toward the Royal Family. An ever-vigilant Brown successfully thwarts the assassination attempt. At dinner the next evening the Prince of Wales retells the story, bragging to their dinner companions that he had been the one to warn Brown of the assassin. Seeing through her son's bragging, Victoria announces instead that a special medal for bravery, the "Devoted Service Medal," will be minted and awarded to Brown.

Years later, Brown becomes gravely ill with pneumonia after running through the woods late at night chasing a possible intruder. Hearing of his illness, Victoria visits his room and is shaken to see her old friend so ill. She confesses that she has not been as good a friend as she might have been in recent years, and the pneumonia proves fatal for Brown. During his years of service, Brown had kept a diary and upon his passing, Ponsonby and Jenner discuss its contents stating that it must never be seen by anyone.

The film's closing notes state "John Brown's diary was never found." Jenner also reveals that the Prince of Wales hurled the Queen's favourite bust of Brown over the palace wall, referencing the film's opening sequence.

Cast

Reception

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Thanks to some top notch acting, the chemistry between its stars, and a witty, thoughtful script, Mrs. Brown delivers a nuanced and entertaining, if not entirely factual, account of a seldom explored historical relationship." [3] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [4]

Roger Ebert said, "It is not about sexual love, or even romantic love, really, but about that kind of love based on challenge and fascination." [5] He called Judi Dench "wonderful"; Connolly "has the reserve and self-confidence that most stand-up comics lack almost by definition". [5]

Box office

The film opened 18 July 1997 on 6 screens (including 3 in Los Angeles and 2 in New York) and grossed $76,268 for the weekend. [6] [7] It went on to gross $9.2 million in the United States and Canada. [7] In the UK, the film opened 5 September 1997 on 149 screens and grossed a disappointing £228,469, however, it improved and went on to gross £2,542,212 ($4 million). [8] [9]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Academy Awards Best Actress Judi Dench Nominated [10]
Best Makeup Lisa Westcott, Veronica Brebner, and Beverley Binda Nominated
British Academy Film Awards Best Film Sarah CurtisNominated [11]
Best British Film Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role Billy Connolly Nominated
Best Actress in a Leading Role Judi DenchWon
Best Screenplay – Original Jeremy Brock Nominated
Best Costume Design Deirdre Clancy Won
Best Make Up/Hair Lisa WestcottNominated
Best Production Design Martin Childs Nominated
British Academy Scotland Awards Best Feature FilmSarah Curtis, John Madden, and Jeremy BrockNominated
Best Actor in a FilmBilly ConnollyNominated
Best Actress in a FilmJudi DenchWon
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Won [12]
Chlotrudis Awards Best Supporting Actor Antony Sher Nominated [13]
Evening Standard British Film Awards Best ScreenplayJeremy BrockWon
Peter Sellers Award for ComedyAntony SherWon
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Judi DenchWon [14]
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Foreign Feature Nominated
London Film Critics Circle Awards British Actress of the Year Judi DenchWon
Mar del Plata International Film Festival Best Film (International Competition)John MaddenNominated
Special Jury AwardWon
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actress Judi Dench3rd Place [15]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress Runner-up [16]
Online Film & Television Association AwardsBest ActressNominated [17]
Best Drama ActressNominated
Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Actress Won [18]
Satellite Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Won [19]
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Billy ConnollyNominated
Best Screenplay – Original Jeremy BrockNominated
Best Costume Design Deirdre ClancyNominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Judi DenchNominated [20]
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Billy ConnollyNominated
SESC Film FestivalBest Foreign ActressJudi DenchWon [lower-alpha 1]
Society of Texas Film Critics Awards Best ActressNominated
Southeastern Film Critics Association AwardsBest ActressRunner-up [21]

Soundtrack

Mrs Brown
Mrs Brown soundtrack.jpg
Soundtrack album by
Stephen Warbeck
Released1997
Genre Soundtrack
Label Milan
Stephen Warbeck soundtrack chronology
Mrs Brown
(1997)		Shakespeare in Love
(1998)
No.TitleLength
1."The Walk On The Moors" 
2."The Swim" 
3."Queen Victoria And John Brown" 
4."The Loch" 
5."The Fight" 
6."The First Ride" 
7."The Assassination Attempt" 
8."Typhoid Fever" 
9."The End Of The Loch" 
10."Brown And The Pony" 
11."The Pipes: All The Blue Bombersare O'er The Border" 
12."Loch Nagar" 
13."After The Dance" 
14."Political Intrigue" 
15."The Promise" 
16."No Toast For Brown" 
17."The Closing" 

Notes

See also

Films about Queen Victoria

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Brown (servant)</span> Scottish personal servant and favourite of Queen Victoria

John Brown was a Scottish personal attendant and favourite of Queen Victoria for many years after working as a ghillie for Prince Albert. He was appreciated by many for his competence and companionship, and resented by others for his influence and informal manner. The exact nature of his relationship with Victoria was the subject of great speculation by contemporaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Smith</span> English actress (born 1934)

Dame Margaret Natalie Smith is an English actress. Known for her wit in comedic roles, she has had an extensive career on stage and screen over seven decades and is one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actresses. She has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judi Dench</span> English actress (born 1934)

Dame Judith Olivia Dench is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage. Dench has garnered various accolades throughout a career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards and seven Olivier Awards.

<i>Iris</i> (2001 film) 2001 biographical film directed by Richard Eyre

Iris is a 2001 biographical drama film about novelist Iris Murdoch and her relationship with her husband John Bayley. Directed by Richard Eyre from a screenplay he co-wrote with Charles Wood, the film is based on Bayley's 1999 memoir Elegy for Iris. Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent portray Murdoch and Bayley during the later stages of their marriage, while Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville appear as the couple in their younger years. The film contrasts the start of their relationship, when Murdoch was an outgoing, dominant individual compared to the timid and scholarly Bayley, and their later life, when Murdoch was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and tended to by a frustrated Bayley in their North Oxford home in Charlbury Road. The beach scenes were filmed at Southwold in Suffolk, one of Murdoch's favourite haunts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Frears</span> British film director and producer (born 1941)

Sir Stephen Arthur Frears is an English director and producer of film and television often depicting real life stories as well as projects that explore social class through sharply drawn characters. He has received numerous accolades including three BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph named Frears among the 100 most influential people in British culture. In 2009, he received the Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He received a knighthood in 2023 for his contributions to the film and television industries.

<i>Mrs Henderson Presents</i> 2005 film by Stephen Frears

Mrs Henderson Presents is a 2005 biographical musical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Martin Sherman. It stars Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly, and Will Young. It tells the true story of Laura Henderson, an eccentric British socialite who opened the Windmill Theatre in London in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role</span> Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Ponsonby</span> British soldier and royal court official

Major-General Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby was a British soldier and royal court official who served as Queen Victoria's Private Secretary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role</span> Award for acting achievement in film

The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film.

Victoria Hamilton is an English actress.

Ecosse Films is a British film and television production company based in London. Ecosse Films produces programs for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Showtime, Sky Atlantic, Starz Channel and WGBH.

<i>Notes on a Scandal</i> (film) 2006 film by Richard Eyre

Notes on a Scandal is a 2006 British psychological drama film directed by Richard Eyre and produced by Robert Fox and Scott Rudin. Adapted from the 2003 novel of the same name by Zoë Heller, the screenplay was written by Patrick Marber. The film stars Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett and centres on a lonely veteran teacher who uncovers a fellow teacher's illicit affair with an underage student.

<i>Wetherby</i> (film) 1985 film by David Hare

Wetherby is a 1985 British mystery drama film written and directed by playwright David Hare and starring Vanessa Redgrave, Ian Holm, Judi Dench, Stuart Wilson, Tim McInnerny, and Suzanna Hamilton.

<i>The Shipping News</i> (film) 2001 film by Lasse Hallström

The Shipping News is a 2001 romantic drama film directed by Lasse Hallström from a screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs, based on the 1993 novel of the same name by E. Annie Proulx. It stars Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, Scott Glenn, Rhys Ifans, Pete Postlethwaite, and Cate Blanchett. It follows an emotionally beaten man who moves with his daughter from Upstate New York to his ancestral home in a small Newfoundland fishing village.

<i>84 Charing Cross Road</i> (film) 1987 film by David Hugh Jones

84 Charing Cross Road is a 1987 British-American drama film directed by David Jones, and starring Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench, Mercedes Ruehl, and Jean De Baer. It is produced by Bancroft's husband, Mel Brooks. The screenplay by Hugh Whitemore is based on a play by James Roose-Evans, which itself is an adaptation of the 1970 epistolary memoir of the same name by Helene Hanff — a compilation of letters between Hanff and Frank Doel dating from 1949 to 1968. Several characters who are not in the play were added for the film, including Hanff's Manhattan friends and Doel's wife Nora.

<i>A Handful of Dust</i> (film) 1988 British film

A Handful of Dust is a 1988 British film directed by Charles Sturridge, based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Evelyn Waugh. It stars James Wilby and Kristin Scott Thomas. Originally conceived as a television project, it was the first feature film financed by London Weekend Television.

<i>Philomena</i> (film) 2013 film

Philomena is a 2013 drama film directed by Stephen Frears, based on the 2009 book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by journalist Martin Sixsmith. The film stars Judi Dench as Philomena Lee, an elderly woman who has been searching for her son for 50 years, and Sixsmith's efforts to help her find him.

<i>Victoria & Abdul</i> 2017 film by Stephen Frears

Victoria & Abdul is a 2017 British biographical historical drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Lee Hall. The film is based on the book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu, about the real-life relationship between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian Muslim servant Abdul Karim. It stars Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith, and Adeel Akhtar. The film had its world premiere at the 74th Venice Film Festival and was theatrically released on 15 September 2017 in the United Kingdom. It has grossed over $65 million worldwide.

<i>Red Joan</i> 2018 British drama film

Red Joan is a 2018 British spy drama film, directed by Trevor Nunn, from a screenplay by Lindsay Shapero. The film stars Sophie Cookson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Tom Hughes, Ben Miles, Nina Sosanya, Tereza Srbova, and Judi Dench.

References

  1. ↑ Roman, Monica (28 April 1997). "'Mrs.' to Miramax". Variety . Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  2. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Mrs Brown". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  3. ↑ "Mrs Brown (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 Ebert,, Roger. "Review:'Mrs. Brown'", July 25, 1997
  6. ↑ "Auds kiss 'Guido' to the top of exclusive B.O." Variety . 22 July 1997. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Mrs Brown (1997)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  8. ↑ Scott, Mary (24 October 1997). "Wilde King". Screen International . p. 27.
  9. ↑ "UK Top 100 Films Nov 29, 1996-Nov 30, 1997". Screen International . 23 January 1998. p. 43.
  10. ↑ "The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  11. ↑ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1998". BAFTA . 1998. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "1988-2013 Award Winner Archives". Chicago Film Critics Association . January 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "4th Annual Chlotrudis Awards". Chlotrudis Society for Independent Films . Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  14. ↑ "Mrs Brown – Golden Globes". HFPA . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "Past Awards". National Society of Film Critics . 19 December 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "1997 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". New York Film Critics Circle . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "2nd Annual Film Awards (1997)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  18. ↑ "1997 Online Film Critics Society Awards". Online Film Critics Society . 3 January 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "1998 Satellite Awards". Satellite Awards . Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  20. ↑ "The 4th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards . Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  21. ↑ "1997 SEFA Awards". sefca.net. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  22. ↑ Barber, Nicholas. "Film review: Victoria and Abdul". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.