Film: A caretaker and queen's...romance?

A British royal is spied on by the press, lied about in the media, criticized by the public. Her private life is the talk of the country. Personal problems promise no end to her grief. Her subjects are disillusioned with the royal family. Sound too familiar for a movie set a century ago? Director John Madden's historically-based Mrs. Brown is a classic--or shall we say modern--love and loss story cloaked in the heavy fabric of Victorian sensibility and modesty.

The royal figure in question is Queen Victoria (Judi Dench), left inconsolable after the death of her beloved husband. John Brown (Billy Connolly) is the blustery and blunt Scotsman sent to care for her horses and bring her back to her senses. Together, they build a relationship that has for years both fascinated and puzzled historians. With the release of the film, non-historians can also mull over the mysterious bond between queen and groomsman. Surrounded on all sides by pressures from the royal family, the Prime Minister, and her subjects--and smarting still from the loss of Prince Albert--the queen is left unable to function. Into this troubled midst comes John Brown.

Unimpressed by the royal standing of his employers, Brown is convinced that he alone knows what is best for the queen. Abandoning typical subservience, he slowly but surely takes control of the queen's recovery himself, using the same deftness with which he dominates the other servants. His forceful demeanor, though, is seen as arrogance by much of the royal family, who spend the film trying in various ways to destroy him. But as a former employee of the late prince, Brown is already endeared to the queen for his connection to her lost love.

Slowly the queen's perception of him changes, as the pesky groomsman becomes a trusted confidante and close friend. But as she is coaxed out of depression and into the public eye again, Queen Victoria becomes the subject of rumor. The royal family, their staff, and their subjects wonder--what exactly is the nature of the queen's relationship with the unconventional and less than regal John Brown?

Don't expect pat answers; this movie has none. The mystery of Mr. and Mrs. Brown, as they are designated by a gossiping public, will not be solved in these two-odd hours. You won't see a resolution here, but you will see breathtaking shots of the Scottish landscape, richly detailed period costumes, and impressive acting interwoven in this touching tale.

As the stately queen, Dench combines royal dignity with fragile vulnerability. Even as she issues stern edicts, her eyes shimmer with persistent tears; the loss of her husband--her marriage was called one of the happiest in royal history--is obviously never far from her thoughts.

Connolly, from his colorful kilts to his pink cheeks to his Scottish accent, is a bright touch in the somber tones of the castle. He stands out among the other servants and proves to be a perfect foil for a woman destined to live forever among royal trappings. The supporting characters, from Prime Minister Disraeli to Lord Henry to the queen's own son Albert are a sour lot whose disapproval is wholly irritating and whose occasional cruelty is shocking.

Indeed, those who claim to care most for the queen are the least concerned with her happiness and the comfort she finds in Brown. They attempt to sabotage his position in the castle and to convince the queen to release him from her service. Existing almost in their own sphere, Brown and the queen incite in each other more passion and enjoyment than is evoked in any other scene. By '90s movie standards, their relationship is no more than mild; by Victorian standards, however, it is downright shocking.

Mrs. Brown, then, is the story of two middle-aged people who may or may not have had an affair. See it for the mystery; see it for the cinematography; see it for its historical value; see it for the sheer romance. As friends--and perhaps more--Brown and the queen share a moving relationship of trust and comfort. Torn between duty to her position and the solace she finds in the controversial friendship, the queen expresses it best when she says of John Brown: "Without him, I can't find the strength to be who I must be." The status of their unique relationship may never become perfectly clear, but perhaps it needs no further definition.

This review ran in incomplete form last week. The Herald apologizes for the error.

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