Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Movie Review: Victoria & Abdul (+trailer)

By Jaden McLeod
NZME. regionals·
1 Oct, 2017 03:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Judi Dench and Ali Fazal star in Victoria and Abdul

Judi Dench and Ali Fazal star in Victoria and Abdul

Victoria & Abdul is the previously untold story of Queen Victoria I and Abdul Kareem, the Royal Munshi, who became a close confident of the ageing Queen during the final decade of her reign.

Directed by Stephen Frears, who reunites with the grand Dame Judi Dench and also stars Eddie Izzard, Ali Fazal and Tim Piggott-Smith in his final film role, it is a triumph.

Elegantly paced, injected with wry humour, and filmed with a cunning cinematic eye.
Dench is in powerful form as the Great Queen of the Victorian Era, having taken on the woman previously in 1997 in Mrs Brown.

Dame Judi portrays a woman who has attended to her duties for nearly 60 years, and yet is completely alone. She has lost Albert. Mr Brown has passed away. Yet, life for her roles on, one engagement after another.

Ali Fazal portrays the young Indian man who is instructed by officials of the British Raj, in a time when England ruled India, to travel to the United Kingdom to deliver the Queen with a ceremonial coin for her Diamond Jubilee.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The biggest issue with the whole film is that his character is fairly one dimensional and does not have the scope that Dench enjoys.

However, the film has received harsh critique for its depiction of their relationship; many argue it whitewashes the British occupation of India and takes great pains to absolve Victoria of colonial responsibility, painting her as tolerant and reviled for it.

But I disagree. It does show her to be cantankerous, bullish and impractical, but humanises a character that is so often not humanised. It is a film about the love shared between two people, who are utterly different in age, background and race, yet completely besotted by one another. It has a powerful score which is dynamic throughout.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Dame Judi Dench.
Victoria & Abdul
Director: Stephen Frear
Starring: Dame Judi Dench, Eddie Izzard, Ali Fazal, Tim Piggott-Smith

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Motorist dies after early morning crash in Waipukurau

29 Jun 12:09 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Final four to battle for Maddison Trophy glory

28 Jun 11:44 PM
Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

Ranfurly Shield-winning prop retires at 28 due to 'head knocks'

28 Jun 06:00 PM

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Motorist dies after early morning crash in Waipukurau

Motorist dies after early morning crash in Waipukurau

29 Jun 12:09 AM

The road has reopened after the tragedy in Central Hawke's Bay.

Final four to battle for Maddison Trophy glory

Final four to battle for Maddison Trophy glory

28 Jun 11:44 PM
Premium
Ranfurly Shield-winning prop retires at 28 due to 'head knocks'

Ranfurly Shield-winning prop retires at 28 due to 'head knocks'

28 Jun 06:00 PM
Premium
'Bring energy back': Call for new store as empty supermarket site stalls nearby trade

'Bring energy back': Call for new store as empty supermarket site stalls nearby trade

28 Jun 06:00 PM
There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently
sponsored

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP