Mrs. Brown . Tucson Weekly . 10-13-97

Mrs. Brown

DIRECTED BY: John Madden

REVIEWED: 10-13-97

Foul-mouthed Scottish comic Billy Connolly seems like an odd choice for the lead in this relentlessly somber film, but he aptly gives the sense of a free spirit increasingly fettered by the Byzantine rules of the English royal household. The story, set over 15 years, but always during autumn, concerns the long mourning of Queen Victoria (Judy Dench) after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, and her difficult friendship with Connolly's Mr. Brown. While director John Madden shows a remarkable control of the mood, he doesn't allow enough life or activity into this tale of sorrow and stifling morals, and the film becomes noticeably dull as it wears on. Nonetheless, it escapes the sickly sweetness and quaint cuteness of many recent movies set in the 19th century; and when Madden allows the camera out of the dark and stuffy palaces and into the autumnal Scottish and English countryside, the results are spectacular.

--DiGiovanna

Full Length Reviews
Mrs. Brown
Mrs. Brown
Mrs. Brown
Mrs. Brown

Other Films by John Madden
Shakespeare in Love

Film Vault Suggested Links
Sense and Sensibility
The Chambermaid
Gone With the Wind

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