Victoria & Albert

Victoria & Albert
by John Erman

Victoria & Albert
List Price: $39.95
Our Price: $34.99
You Save: $4.96 (12%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $8.95 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: Diana Rigg, James Callis, Jonathan Firth, Patrick Malahide, Victoria Hamilton
Director: John Erman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Published)
Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 200 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-10-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video

Movie Reviews of Victoria & Albert

Movie Review: It had it's moments ... but
Summary: 2 Stars

The real life of V and A was interesting and complex enough that there was NO need to pretty it up, or remove so much reality for the sake of the screen play.
As many others have noted, the historical inaccuracies are glaring -- to add to those already mentioned --

Victoria was wearing mourning for her dead uncle (the late King) at her first meetings with her council and parliament.

Neither her relationship nor Albert's relationship with their children was accurate, he was much more loving, she was much more remote.

Alice was nearly 19 (and looked a bit older than that) when Albert died -- the actress playing her looked about 14.

Victoria too could have stood a bit more 'padding' in her costumes by 1861. Having given birth to 9 children by then, she was far from svelte!

Victoria blamed Bertie for his father's death. She could barely stand to be in the same room with him for many months afterwards. The touching scene with the two of them and Alice is balderdash.

Recognizing the limited timeframe, they certainly could have deleted some of the more extraneous scenes and found room for anecdotes that DID enhance the actual story being told -- Vicky's marriage, and the time Albert spent with her preparing for it -- the actual death of her mother [we saw the last visit, but never her reaction] -- The Lady Flora scandal early in her reign.

Historical issues aside ... it was ok. Reasonably well acted by most, attractive costumes, good production values. As someone who is very familiar with the era and the personalities being portrayed, I did find much of the heavy, plodding 'exposition-dialogue' to be pretty tedius. "As you know Victoria, when your cousin Charlotte, son of George IV died in childbirth and King William and Queen Adelaide also had no surviving children, there was no heir to the throne, so, having been widowed myself after the birth of your half sister Feodora and half-brother Carl, I married your father in order to produce an heir." [Ok... so that's an exageration, but some of it comes darn close...]

Really disappointing ...

Summary of Victoria & Albert

Recasting history as a particularly lavish soap opera, Victoria and Albert sets the story of the relationship between the queen and her consort against a background of family strife and political wrangling. Sticklers for accuracy might be disappointed, but the strong cast and lavish production values make for an entertaining film.

Victoria is barely 18 when her uncle King William IV dies. She is introduced by the family adviser to a young German prince called Albert, and in spite of their initial indifference to one another and a great deal of political opposition, they fall in love. Marriage brings its own problems, however, and as Victoria, grows from an inexperienced young woman into a shrewd and powerful monarch Albert struggles to find a role for himself in both the family and the nation.

The relationship between Victoria and Albert was a remarkable one and this film, while occasionally erring on the side of sentiment, brings that relationship to life. The young leads are charming, but it is the supporting cast of British acting stalwarts--including Nigel Hawthorne, David Suchet, and Diana Rigg--who make Victoria and Albert truly worth watching. --Simon Leake

Art House & International DVD Video

DVD Video
Movies most talked about in Victorian Films (1837-1900)
Tipping the Velvet ImageTipping the Velvet
Release date: 2004-01-27; DVD
Best price: $14.89
Price in other shops: $29.99
Anna Karenina (2000) ImageAnna Karenina (2000)
Release date: 2004-11-09; DVD
Best price: $16.44
Price in other shops: $29.95
Gone with the Wind (Two-Disc Edition) ImageGone with the Wind (Two-Disc Edition)
Release date: 2006-01-31; DVD
Best price: $26.83
The Inheritance ImageThe Inheritance
Release date: 2004-12-07; DVD
Best price: $2.81
Price in other shops: $6.99
The Governess ImageThe Governess
Release date: 1999-02-16; DVD
Best price: $2.15
Price in other shops: $27.95
Bram Stoker's Dracula (Collector's Edition) ImageBram Stoker's Dracula (Collector's Edition)
Release date: 2007-10-02; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops: $19.94
The Bostonians - The Merchant Ivory Collection ImageThe Bostonians - The Merchant Ivory Collection
Release date: 2003-08-19; DVD
Best price: $11.91
Price in other shops: $19.95
Anna Karenina (1977) - The Complete Miniseries ImageAnna Karenina (1977) - The Complete Miniseries
Release date: 2004-07-13; DVD
Best price: $18.00
Price in other shops: $29.98
The Buccaneers ImageThe Buccaneers
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2006-04-18; DVD
Best price: $8.15
Price in other shops: $14.98
Lillie ImageLillie
Release date: 2008-02-19; DVD
Best price: $35.14
Price in other shops: $59.99
Similar DVD Movies
Elizabeth I ImageElizabeth I
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2006-08-22; DVD
Best price: $12.31
Price in other shops: $19.98
The Crown Prince ImageThe Crown Prince
Koch International; Release date: 2007-11-06; DVD
Best price: $14.27
Price in other shops: $29.98
Fall of Eagles ImageFall of Eagles
Koch International; Release date: 2006-05-02; DVD
Best price: $24.03
Price in other shops: $49.98
The Buccaneers ImageThe Buccaneers
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2006-04-18; DVD
Best price: $8.60
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Last King - The Power and the Passion of Charles II ImageThe Last King - The Power and the Passion of Charles II
Release date: 2004-04-27; DVD
Best price: $10.95
Price in other shops: $24.95
The Inheritance ImageThe Inheritance
Release date: 2004-12-07; DVD
Best price: $2.79
Price in other shops: $6.99
Edward & Mrs. Simpson ImageEdward & Mrs. Simpson
Release date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $5.65
Price in other shops: $39.95
Catherine the Great ImageCatherine the Great
Release date: 2001-02-27; DVD
Best price: $3.95
Price in other shops: $19.95
Anne of the Thousand Days / Mary, Queen of Scots ImageAnne of the Thousand Days / Mary, Queen of Scots
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.; Release date: 2007-09-18; DVD
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops: $19.98
Bertie and Elizabeth: The Reluctant Royals - The Story of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth ImageBertie and Elizabeth: The Reluctant Royals - The Story of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth
Release date: 2005-01-04; DVD
Best price: $10.86
Price in other shops: $19.95
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners