TV and Movies

[KLevineFan]

 Letters and documents discovered in 2010, 101 years after Abdul's death.

[fluffie]

Seems like just another romanticized version of who Victoria really was. She was a cold and cruel woman who thought the whole world should bow to her. Sorry but I am not a fan. 

[occasionalrain]

I'm not a fan of Judi Dench; I think she's over rated by far.

[tobes]

Oh that's too bad.  Could you watch it to see the spin put on it in this production

[beach-mom]

I talked DH into seeing this tonight. He went along with it because he likes Judi Dench from playing "M" in some of the James Bond movies! 

Although I agree with you @maestra, I really enjoyed it. I think she'll be nominated for an Academy award. And looking strictly at the movie - not knowing anything about the real story it's based on:

What an example of pure love! I've always told my children there are all kinds, and IN THE MOVIE, we saw an incredible example of this! 

[Patriot3]

I wanted to see this, bc I love Dame Judi Dench, but the reviews I read said the man who plays Abdul could not match the acting caliber of Dame Judi.  Any thoughts on that for those who saw it?

[golding76]

patriot,

I was unaware that the actor who played Abdul had any problem alongside the incredibly talented Judi Dench.  First of all, his looks (to me) are enchanting, especially those eyes of his.  That was one of the complaints lodged against this movie, as I recall, that it played the race card in the sense that this man's exotic looks may have helped charm Victoria.  As one who has always been attracted to exotic looks, I felt "at home" with the whole concept.   Because there was a sense of mirth and mischief about this character, I think that the Abdul character held his own just fine.

There was always a lovely element of surprise discovery between Victoria and Abdul in the film, and both actors pulled this off successfully, IMO.

I sensed no imbalance that would detract from my enjoyment of this film.

ETA:  This film was both illuminating and fun.  Nothing should hold the potential viewer back from going to see it.  So what if it does not adhere strictly to every fact?  You are going to see it for entertainment primarily.  Approach it for entertainment's sake, but you have the bonus of learning something about imperial England and the ramifications of colonization.   

[beach-mom]

Of course I HAD to do some research on the real story! One of the articles I read was from the Smithsonian magazine. It tells how the whole process of the discovery happened and is very interesting. Abdul never had any children, but his nephew inherited his belongings, including his journal. His descendants were a lot of help to the woman who made the discovery.

I was surprised how much of the movie was actually based on truth. 

[haddon9]

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@KLevineFan wrote:

 Letters and documents discovered in 2010, 101 years after Abdul's death.

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 I wondered why I hadn't heard of Abdul before.  After seeing the movie I had to Google to find out more....

I really enjoyed it a lot!  Very entertaining.

[drizzellla]

Finally saw the movie. Had to read more about it.

Glad to read that Queen Victoria made provision for Abdul after she passed. She gave him land in India and he received the same amount of money as a high rating military official. 

We subscribe to Smithsonian Magazine but sadly I missed the article.