Mrs Brown

For other uses, seeMrs Brown (disambiguation).

Mrs Brown(also released in cinemas asHer Majesty, Mrs Brown) is a 1997 Britishdrama filmstarringJudi Dench,Billy Connolly,Geoffrey Palmer,Antony Sher,andGerard Butlerin his film debut. It was written byJeremy Brockand directed byJohn Madden.The film was produced by theBBCandEcosse Filmswith the intention of being shown onBBC Oneand onWGBH'sMasterpiece Theatre.However, it was acquired byMiramaxand released to unexpected success, going on to earn over $13 million worldwide. The story concerns a recently widowedQueen Victoriaand her relationship with aScottishservant,John Brown,a trusted servant of her deceased husband, and the subsequent uproar it provoked. Brown had served Victoria's Prince Consort,Prince Albert;Victoria's Household thought Brown might help the Queen who had remained in mourning since the Prince Consort's death in 1861.

Mrs Brown
Australian theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Madden
Written by	Jeremy Brock
Produced by	Sarah Curtis
Starring	Judi Dench Billy Connolly Antony Sher Geoffrey Palmer Richard Pasco David Westhead
Cinematography	Richard Greatrex
Edited by	Robin Sales
Music by	Stephen Warbeck
Production companies	BBC Films Ecosse Films
Distributed by	Miramax International(throughBuena Vista International)
Release dates	18 July 1997(1997-07-18)(United States) 5 September 1997(1997-09-05)(United Kingdom)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$13 million (US/UK)

The film was screened in theUn Certain Regardsection at the1997 Cannes Film Festivaland released in the United Kingdom on 5 September 1997.Judi Dench won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Dramaand theBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role;additionally, she was nominated for many other awards for her performance, including theAcademy Award for Best Actressand theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role,but lost both awards toHelen Huntfor her role inAs Good as It Gets.

Plot

In 1863, hoping to subtly coax Queen Victoria toward resuming public life after two years of seclusion, Scottish servant John Brown is summoned to court. The plan succeeds a little too well for the liking of Victoria's Chief Secretary SirHenry PonsonbyandThe Prince of Walesas well as other members of theRoyal Family;the public, press and politicians soon come to resent Brown's perceived influence over Victoria. Brown takes considerable liberties with court protocol, especially by addressing Her Majesty as"woman".He also quickly takes control over the Queen's daily activities, further aggravating the tensions between himself and the Royal Family and servants.

Themoniker"Mrs Brown",used both at the time and in the film, implied an improper and perhaps sexual relationship. The film does not directly address the contemporary suspicions that Victoria and Brown had had a sexual relationship and perhaps had even secretly married, though cartoons from the satirical magazinePunchare shown as being passed around in Parliament (one cartoon is revealed to the camera, showing an empty throne, with the sceptre lying unhanded across it).

As a result of Victoria's seclusion, especially atBalmoral Castlein Scotland (something initially encouraged by Brown), her popularity begins failing andrepublicansentiment begins growing. Prime MinisterBenjamin Disraeli's hold over theHouse of Commonsis weakening and there is a fear of rising anti-monarchical sentiment in the country. He convinces Brown to use his influence with Victoria to persuade her to return to the performance of her public duties, especially thespeech from the throneat the opening of Parliament.

Brown is reluctant to do so, rightly fearing that Victoria will take this as a personal betrayal. When he urges her to return to London and fulfil her public duties, an argument ensues. Feeling betrayed by Brown, Victoria becomes visibly agitated. When Brown once again refers to her as"woman",she sharply rebukes him. Leaving the room, she turns to Ponsonby and her physician,Dr. Jenner,requesting that they serve her needs, visibly demoting Brown's contact and influence. Their relationship was never to be the same again. Victoria's eventual acquiescence and her decision to return to public life leads to a revitalization of her popularity and a resurgence in public support of the monarchy.

Brown continues to serve Victoria until his death in 1883. In his final years, his duties become reduced to head of security. The palace staff has become weary of Brown's dogmatic ways and they mock and rebuke his security efforts as paranoid delusions. Finally, during a public event, a gun-wielding assassin appears out of the crowd leaping toward the Royal Family. An ever-vigilant Brown successfully thwarts the assassination attempt. At dinner the next evening the Prince of Wales retells the story, bragging to their dinner companions that he had been the one to warn Brown of the assassin. Seeing through her son's bragging, Victoria announces instead that a special medal for bravery, the "Devoted Service Medal," will be minted and awarded to Brown.

Years later, Brown becomes gravely ill with pneumonia after running through the woods late at night chasing a possible intruder. Hearing of his illness, Victoria visits his room and is shaken to see her old friend so ill. She confesses that she has not been as good a friend as she might have been in recent years, and the pneumonia proves fatal for Brown. During his years of service, Brown had kept a diary and upon his passing, Ponsonby and Jenner discuss its contents stating that it must never be seen by anyone.

The film's closing notes state"John Brown's diary was never found."Jenner also reveals that the Prince of Wales hurled the Queen's favourite bust of Brown over the palace wall, referencing the film's opening sequence.

Cast

• Judi DenchasQueen Victoria
• Billy ConnollyasJohn Brown
• Geoffrey PalmerasHenry Ponsonby
• Antony Sheras Prime MinisterBenjamin Disraeli
• Gerard Butleras Archie Brown
• David WestheadasBertie, Prince of Wales
• Richard PascoasDr. Jenner
• Bridget McConnell asLady Ely
• Georgie GlenasLady Churchill
• Catherine O'Donnell asLady in waiting

Reception

Critical reception

Onreview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoesthe film has an approval rating of 92% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Thanks to some top notch acting, the chemistry between its stars, and a witty, thoughtful script,Mrs. Browndelivers a nuanced and entertaining, if not entirely factual, account of a seldom explored historical relationship. "Metacritic,another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Roger Ebertsaid, "It is not about sexual love, or even romantic love, really, but about that kind of love based on challenge and fascination."He called Judi Dench "wonderful"; Connolly "has the reserve and self-confidence that most stand-up comics lack almost by definition".

Box office

The film opened 18 July 1997 on 6 screens (including 3 in Los Angeles and 2 in New York) and grossed $76,268 for the weekend.It went on to gross $9.2 million in the United States and Canada.In the UK, the film opened 5 September 1997 on 149 screens and grossed a disappointing £228,469, however, it improved and went on to gross £2,542,212 ($4 million).

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	Best Actress	Judi Dench	Nominated
	Best Makeup	Lisa Westcott,Veronica Brebner,andBeverley Binda	Nominated
British Academy Film Awards	Best Film	Sarah Curtis	Nominated
	Best British Film		Nominated
	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Billy Connolly	Nominated
	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Judi Dench	Won
	Best Screenplay – Original	Jeremy Brock	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Deirdre Clancy	Won
	Best Make Up/Hair	Lisa Westcott	Nominated
	Best Production Design	Martin Childs	Nominated
British Academy Scotland Awards	Best Feature Film	Sarah Curtis,John Madden,and Jeremy Brock	Nominated
	Best Actor in a Film	Billy Connolly	Nominated
	Best Actress in a Film	Judi Dench	Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress		Won
Chlotrudis Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Antony Sher	Nominated
Evening Standard British Film Awards	Best Screenplay	Jeremy Brock	Won
	Peter Sellers Award for Comedy	Antony Sher	Won
Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama	Judi Dench	Won
Golden Reel Awards	Best Sound Editing – Foreign Feature		Nominated
London Film Critics Circle Awards	British Actress of the Year	Judi Dench	Won
Mar del Plata International Film Festival	Best Film (International Competition)	John Madden	Nominated
	Special Jury Award		Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards	Best Actress	Judi Dench	3rd Place
New York Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Actress		Runner-up
Online Film & Television Association Awards	Best Actress		Nominated
	Best Drama Actress		Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress		Won
Satellite Awards	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama		Won
	Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama	Billy Connolly	Nominated
	Best Screenplay – Original	Jeremy Brock	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Deirdre Clancy	Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role	Judi Dench	Nominated
	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role	Billy Connolly	Nominated
SESC Film Festival	Best Foreign Actress	Judi Dench	Won
Society of Texas Film Critics Awards	Best Actress		Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress		Runner-up

Soundtrack

Mrs Brown
Soundtrack albumby Stephen Warbeck
Released	1997
Genre	Soundtrack
Label	Milan
Stephen Warbecksoundtrack chronology
Mrs Brown (1997) Shakespeare in Love (1998)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Walk on the Moors"
2.	"The Swim"
3.	"Queen Victoria And John Brown"
4.	"The Loch"
5.	"The Fight"
6.	"The First Ride"
7.	"The Assassination Attempt"
8.	"Typhoid Fever"
9.	"The End of the Loch"
10.	"Brown and the Pony"
11.	"The Pipes: All The Blue Bombersare O'er The Border"
12.	"Loch Nagar"
13.	"After The Dance"
14.	"Political Intrigue"
15.	"The Promise"
16.	"No Toast For Brown"
17.	"The Closing"

See also

• Victoria & Abdul,an unofficial sequel where Dench also plays Queen Victoria

Films about Queen Victoria

• The Young Victoria
• Victoria & Albert(TV serial)
• Victoria the Great
• Victoria(TV serial)

External links

• Mrs BrownatIMDb
• Mrs BrownatAllMovie
• Mrs Brownat theTCM Movie Database
• Mrs Brownat theAFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Mrs Brownat BritMovie (archived)
• Mrs BrownatBox Office Mojo
• Mrs BrownatRotten Tomatoes