Anna Neagle stars in this 1937 British cinema classic. The talented actress portrays England's beloved queen from her 1837 Coronation to her jubilee celebration of 60 years on the throne. The film offers a charming depiction of the romance between Victoria and Prince Albert, who is played by the excellent Anton Walbrook.

viewer's comments:

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 year 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 it's easy to see why this appealed to 1937 British audiences reeling from the glamour 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.

cast:
Anna Neagle .... Queen Victoria
Anton Walbrook .... Prince Albert
Walter Rilla .... Prince Ernest
H.B. Warner .... Lord Melbourne
Mary Morris (I) .... Duchess of Kent
James Dale (III) .... Duke of Wellington
Felix Aylmer .... Lord Palmerston
Charles Carson .... Sir Robert Peel
Gordon McLeod .... John Brown
C.V. France .... Archbishop of Canterbury
Arthur Young (I) .... Rt. Hon. William Gladstone
Grete Wegener .... Baroness Lehzen
Paul Leyssac .... Baron Stockmar
Derrick De Marney .... Younger Disraeli
Hugh Miller (I) .... Older Disraeli


Runtime: 112 min
Country: UK
Language: English
Color: Black and White / Color (Technicolor)