Tag: stephen frears

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Victoria & Abdul (2017)

A long awaited film for a Judi Dench fan, it didn’t let me down on her account. Stephen Frears, a royal family specialist, directs a lesser known story of Queen Victoria, Empress of India and her teacher and friend, Abdul Karim.

It was the curiousity of the story and how it would be presented, that drew me to it. The grandeur and pageantry is present, but the pace is haphazard. At times it moves too slow, at others too hurried, yet the royal protocols never seem to be in place where Abdul is concerned, from the first moment on.

Performances are average by the supporting cast, and let down further by the screenplay. Judi Dench, at the age of 82 shows us acting and character from every pore, line and wrinkle, whereas Ali Fazal is a worthy and an inversely proportionate tall co-star. He emotes volumes in his gestures and is not as much in awe as in reverence of his Queen and Empress.

It was a rare insight to what could have been her state of mind and loneliness, but we have to remain satisfied with conjecture and it’s limitations.

2.5/5

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

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Is there anything that Meryl Streep cannot do? Sheer genius talent is screaming in every off note of hers as an amateur soprano.

Stephen Frears has directed The Queen and Philomena amongst other films, this one needed a vision with very good writing to make it work. And work it did, at the perfect length with brilliant actors.

Hugh Grant plays a devoted husband to Meryl who supports her dream of singing and exhibiting her talent (or lack thereof). The surprise package is Simon Helberg (Wolowitz from Big Bang Theory), who is trained at concert pianist level in real life and gets to share his talent in a role that suits him perfectly.

Meryl Streep is on her 30th Golden Globe nomination with this film and I won’t be surprised if she gets her 20th Oscar nomination for it as well. A good singer herself, she sings in flat, shrill tones, exactly like the Florence, embodying a character who seeks validation via her continuous training and hope to perform. A socialite based in New York she dresses flamboyantly, and can afford her delusions as a heiress.

A warm story which is surprisingly funny with oodles of talent, it’s another Meryl Moment.

3/5