The movie is a wonderful love story. They don't really let on as to what kind of love, but it is apparent that Brown is utterly devoted to the Queen. Victoria is marvelously played by Dame Judi Dench, who quite obviously went to great lengths to research the queen, right down to the fact that she was left-handed or "cackhanded" as my grandfather used to say. Billy Connolly is John Brown. A perfect fit for both roles really. Dench being theatre "nobility" and Connolly being a irreverent comedian. To me, it mirrored the awkwardness of the original pairing. Gerard Butler made his movie debut in this in a small role as Archie Brown.

The year is 1864. Three years after Prince Albert has died, holding Victoria's hand. The Queen has thrown herself into mourning so deep that people are starting to become a bit frightened. Particularly her secretary Sir Henry Ponsonby. The household staff goes about it’s very familiar morning routine, setting a room for the day. Clothes are laid out on the bed, hot water is poured, fresh towels and shaving implements are at the ready. The problem is this – the person for whom all of this fuss is made? Is dead. Victoria apparently wanted to seem as though her husband had just left the room and would be returning, thus everything was efficiently carried out for him the same as if he were living. His bedroom had become a shrine. This had gone on for three years – so it’s painfully obvious why folks were a bit worried. Her Majesty goes to breakfast and we next get to see royalty eat. Up until this point we had not seen too much of the queen except to watch while she had her hair dressed. Again - morning routine. Everything is done silently and formally and when she does speak, her conversation is very limited. She wants to know “How many?” How many people will she have to face at the breakfast table. She is told by one of her ladies in waiting. Short sweet and to the point. Period. She goes in, eats and leaves. Sir Henry remarks that they have sent for Brown – there is no response. She comments on Princess Alix’s shawl and the fact that she is not eating enough to suit. Everyone dutifully responds and out she goes.

Brown arrives and we already know that he’s going to be a stickler for getting things right. He immediately announces to the coachman that he’s late. He is very brusque and I immediately saw this straightforward tongue of his clashing with the Queens. He walks with Sir Henry while the latter spews forth the rules and regulations of Osbourne House. Brown ignored the rules it would seem, because just as the interview with Her Majesty is getting on so well, with the Queen reading a little speech she has just composed just for the occasion, he spouts out his feelings and sets the whole room topsy-turvy. Sir Henry Ponsonby is less than pleased, and according to John, "almost ruptures his truss." 

We next meet Archie, John’s baby brother. In a very round about, sort of dim-witted way, he is attempting to explain that there are rules. “Things you do and things you don’t do.” John’s response? “I speak as I find.” In other words, “I won’t pull any punches and I’ll tell it like it is.” And he apparently doesn’t particularly care who likes it. Period. Typical Scot – god bless him. They discuss promotion and it becomes obvious that Archie has a “thing” for the queen’s assistant dresser – Mary Taylor. Archie doesn't understand the queen's mourning and John's defends her, but it is Archie who responds with the profound line "There's love and then there's acting like you still do because there's no one to tell you not to."  Obviously prompted by his brother and in an attempt to get the queen out of “the state” he found her in, Brown saddles her pony and waits with it in the courtyard, despite receiving no orders to do so from anybody. This happens on several occasions, finally generating a confrontation between himself and the queen. He has been told not to, he has received no orders and Victoria wants to know why he insists on saddling the pony and waiting anyway. He tells her. In no uncertain terms. He dares to tell an anointed queen that he believes that she is wrong and he survives the ordeal. When next we see him, he is leading the pony with the Queen perched on it back. It is at this point in the movie that everything loosens up. From the way the film was shot, to the dour expression on Victoria’s face. We are out of doors now, color is added to the mix which loosens up the formality of the black and white earlier. The film was not shot in black and white– it is simply that everything WAS black and white. Vicky smiles a bit and speaks a bit more, especially to Brown about Albert. John’s influence is starting to be seen, only now her family now seems a bit distressed that she has a new outdoor regime. There is still much that she won’t do, but it is obvious that she is now relying on John for advice, much the same as she relied on Albert. He has told her that salt-water will do her good so she decides to take the Princesses swimming instead of dealing with ambassadors. Well that’s what I’d do if given the choice. Let’s see – swimming vs. dealing with stuffy ambassadors? Last one in the Loch is a rotten egg. She apparently liked Brown's humor as well. While settling the queen on her pony he passes a comment about the household staff standing around looking very stiff and severe. "You could buy that lot for garden ornaments and still get change for 10 guineas."  She cracks a smile.

I honestly think that John gave the Queen someone with which she could be herself.  John allowed her the freedom to not worry about what others thought. He was only concerned about her safety and he accepted nothing except her love and devotion. She had a cottage built for him and granted him land – he never lived there. The only visit he ever made, was post-mortem. His coffin rested there overnight on its way to the churchyard. At the end of day, Victoria was still a woman and she no doubt wanted to be treated as one. I also suspect that she appreciated John’s frankness and bluntness. He spoke to her like a real woman, not like a queen and I think this is why she never parted with him. Needless to say, John rises in rank above most of the servants and assigns himself the head butler’s seat at the dining table below stairs.

1866. Enter Prime Minister Disralei. An unbelievably talented Jewish politician. He apparently had the ability to flatter anybody - and it worked. Both with Brown and with the Queen. He is portrayed here very admirably by Antony Sher. We see him play both sides of the field really.  The Queen is most notably absent and he knows that it wouldn't take much to "winkle the old girl out of mourning" as he puts it, but if gossip is against it - he will keep his distance. However, the speech that he has just give has been about the "traditions" of England, and of course part of that is the monarchy.


The next scene is the reason everybody else loves this movie. I find that very strange because it was done merely to contrast the two very different cultures. Victoria' s very prim and proper - dare I say it - "Victorian" swim in the sea - covered from her neck to her ankles, with a tiny hat perched on top of her head - to the way the Highlander's did it - buck naked, whooping it up and shouting aloud Rabbie Burns. These two contrasting scenes represent so many things, the list is endless - however what sticks out is not only the juxtapostion, but the fact that Her Majesty is actually taking John's advice to heart, which of course shows her respect for that advice. However, she can't break free of the constraints that society has placed upon her. This scene is not there for any other reason than to clearly emphasize the lack of constraints on John and Archie, and I find it odd to hear of so many people hitting the slow-mo button during their run to the sea. (This is the scene in which Gerry did contract hypothermia - that's how cold the water was.) Yeah - they're naked. I don't bathe or swim fully dressed either. Sigh. They clearly don't care what anybody thinks of them skinny-dipping. Victoria doesn't want to care either, but because of her position - she has too. In this one case, with John - she clearly didn't care and it created all kinds of trouble. In either case, once back on the shore, Brown spouts off about the things the queen needs for her trip to Balmoral - the things she enjoys and how nobody will have them ready for her. Archie warns him about the Queen's temperament and tells him to be careful.

Bagpipes. Ah, the pipes.. Most people don't know that they were most often used to send messages over a great distance - the messages being in the music. They're VERY loud and if you perch a piper on a hillside, over lake? The sound will carry for miles. I digress. The pipes herald the arrival of the queen to Balmoral Castle in Scotland. I love the pipes - Sir Henry Ponsonby doesn't agree. Once in Scotland, you see Victoria much  more open than she was even at Osbourne House. She goes riding with Brown and discusses the publication of her Highland Journals. (Which were eventually published - FYI.)  They do have a bit of a disagreement over the journals, but in the end Victoria offers John a piece of heather "for friendship."   When next we see John, he is reading the queen's itinerary to Sir Henry and her doctor and is insistent about certain things regarding her schedule. His interference next spills over to Bertie and the closing of the smoking room at midnight.  Vicky decides, Bertie argues and Brown steps in. Guess who doesn't like it?  She also does something else they don't like - goes to visit the Grant family at their cottage on the Balmoral Estate. She sets the table - with a little help from John - and stays for dinner -even has some whiskey. (John Grant was one of the ghillies employed as Head Keeper on the estate and had been there for a while. He was mentioned in her Journals in 1848.) When she finally returns to the castle and Dr. Jenner swears that she is drunk. She is late - everyone is in a panic - except Brown. Interspersed with this scene we see Disraeli and company attend a society function and it is here that we get to hear the gossip surrounding Her Majesty and Brown. People hardly think it proper, especially The Prince of Wales who attempts to drag the Prime Minister over to his side. Disraeli delicately maneuvers around the subject and refuses to take either side. Most of the gossip revolves around the fact that Brown is a servant, not nobility and that would hardly be proper would it? Hm. 

The queen attends the Annual Ghillies Ball, some thing that the Royal family did attend. Traditional Scottish music abounds along with set dances. We see Archie dance past the camera with Mary Taylor a few times whooping and hollering and more importantly, we see Brown and the queen as partners during the "Eightsome Reel."  One would think they were married, simply by the smiles on their faces.  They end the dance and the room explodes in cheers from the ghillies, Archie included, who has a rather perplexed look on his face. It is clear that the other members of the Royal Family do NOT like this at all. Neither does Ponsonby. Especially considering that we next see Brown passed out on the floor, drunk and snoring. It does become clear, that despite Brown's love of whiskey, he is there to protect the Queen first and foremost. On a picnic at Lochnacher he chases away journalists that have obviously been tipped off as to her whereabouts and then gives the castle staff what for about leaking the information. Archie goes after him, after all he's getting his arse chewed out too.

The local newspapers are now having a field day with the gossip and now it's about Brown. I liked that they actually quote actual articles written about him. Brown is upset and insists that nobody has the right to know anything about him. Unfortunately for him, because of his link to Her Majesty, he is now a celebrity.  Parliament convenes and we hear for the first a call for the disestablishment of the monarchy. Disraeli is horrified, as are others. His goal? To get "Mrs. Brown" out of Balmoral. She is still refusing to leave. A newspaper article is printed stating that the nation is overjoyed that the queen will soon be coming out of mourning. Not knowing where this came from, Victoria positively explodes about the rumors. She says that Brown is all she left of Albert and she refuses to give him up. Brown has another run in with the Prince of Wales, for which the Prince has him beat up. In the movie it occurred at Windsor after Brown refused to grant Bertie access to his mother because she was busy. We see Brown actually physically grapple with him. In reality, the Queen was napping and Brown told the Prince to go and amuse himself and returned to reading the newspaper. The Prince then hired a thug to beat him up at Balmoral. In either case, the physical attack occurred. Naturally the Queen is lied to and is told that Brown got into fight and had been drinking. Archie tends to him and of course tells him what the queen has been told. They have another disagreement about exactly what John's position is. Archie says that he is merely a servant. John insists that he is much more than that. He and the queen are "best friends."  Archie has problem with all this and John orders him from the room. Because the family believes that Brown was drunk, they request that Victoria dismiss him.

Victoria has a discussion with the Dean of Windsor - the chaplain. She explains that while her love for Albert has not changed she finds herself changing with regards to her grief. She finds herself relying more on friends now. The Dean assured her her reaction is perfectly normal and simply because she is comforted by others, does not imply any disloyalty to Albert's memory. Instead of comforting the Queen, his statement infuriates her and she states quite clearly to her family that she will not give up that in which she takes comfort - aka Brown. Brown himself tried to resign his post but is forbidden, with the queen stating that she can not live without him. She makes him promise that he won't let them send her back "there."  He does. All this of course prompts Disraeli to visit Balmoral in 1868 to see for himself what on earth is going on with "Mrs. Brown."  It is obvious that she still knows what is going on and fusses about the Irish church bill and fumes that the people think that the crown does not govern anymore. Disraeli reminds her that the people hold her in very high esteem - her Highland Journals have out-sold Dickens. He does tell her that despite reading about her - the people miss her presence and that he misses her. Brown appears to take her for her afternoon walk and she introduces the two men, telling the Prime Minister that her "good John Brown"  will show him a bit of highland life. When next we see Brown, he is trudging through the bracken in the rain with the Prime Minister and a hunting party doing their best to keep up. You see the Prince of Wales and several ghillies in this scenes and a brief glimpse of Archie as well. Highland life apparently does not sit too well with Disraeli. He doesn't hunt, or drink. He is there for a purpose regarding Brown, he just hasn't revealed it yet.

John finally reveals to his brother that the Queen has told him that she can't live without him. He is very concerned for her safety whereas to him, nobody else seems to be. Drunk, he looses control at dinner and Archie has to take him out of the room. His own quarters are a mess - he doesn't have time to clean and doesn't want anybody in his room, probably for fear of gossip. We find out why he is probably drunk - he is in pain. His ribs are bothering him, probably from the pummeling he took a few years back. Archie finds his diary, turns a few pages and gently warns him to be careful about who sees it. Archie is not a fussy as he was before, perhaps he is coming to understand and accept the sincerity of the feelings between the two. Disraeli sends for John and together they walk up Lochnagar. It become evident to the Prime Minister that John is not well and he mentions a wife. John answers that he is not married. They discuss ambition and it become clear that John has no ambitions other than to serve the Queen and keep her safe. Unfortunately with the new Republicanism that is taking place - she is not safe and Disraeli tells John that by keeping her isolated is proving more of a safety issues than if she were to return south and be visible again. John is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He has sworn to keep Her Majesty safe and he has also promised never to return her "south."  However, at this point, she will be safer if she does return "south" and back to her duties. It is very obvious that Brown knows that he will have to break his promise in order to keep her safe and this knowledge is tearing him apart. He also knows that she will think he has betrayed her. The look of despair on Connolly's face twisted a knife in my gut. You can tell, however, that he agrees that this is what is best.

And just like clockwork - the inevitable fight occurs. He has to send her back. Naturally she doesn't understand. But her anger at what she takes to be his betrayal is enough to get her moving. She makes a sudden appearance at breakfast, only to be informed that the Prince of Wales is at Windsor with the typhoid - the same thing that killed Albert. Panic stricken and realizing that it is her own fault that she does not know - she rushes to pack for Windsor Castle. What Archie has predicted has come true - she is now indifferent to John and all but ignores him. We see Archie and Mary Taylor staring at the carriages as they leave Balmoral. Surely Archie has noticed what has just occurred.  The Queen attends on her son, who survives the typhoid. She promises a mass at St. George's in his honor and Brown recommends a closed carriage and a full guard. Victoria contradicts him and goes in an open carriage anyway. It is while leaving the church that we see Brown thwart an assassination attempt. In reality it occurred at Buckingham palace after Her Majesty returned from a ride through Regent's Park in February 1872. While in the movie, the Prince of Wales turns the whole affair into a joke, it is for this that Brown actually received the "Devoted Service Medal."  

At the end, we see Brown, devoted as ever, at age 50 still keeping Her Majesty safe from intruders. And he dies as a result. We are also led to believe that Victoria did not know until it was too late. Dr. Jenner and Sir Henry have his diary at the end of the movie, and while it is unknown as to where it really went, the fact remains it did exist and went missing after his death. Coincidence? Don't think so. The movie also states that he died from pneumonia which is not true and it also makes it seem as though he died completely alone.  That is an untruth as well. The reality is that it was his vigilance that probably cost him his life. Investigating a supposed attack on one of her courtiers, he developed a chest cold, but instead of resting, he continued to serve the Queen and took her for her usual walk at Windsor on Saturday, March 24, 1883. He was still seen that evening but it was noted that he had a bad cold. A very concerned Archie is actually the one who notified Dr. Jenner of Browns decline and by Sunday the 25th, erysipelas had taken over his face and fever had set in. A break in the skin can cause erysipelas, as can diabetes or vascular disease. Monday, the 26th, the Queen was required to attend the christening of her granddaughter, Princess Alice, so it is unclear if she knew how seriously ill John was at that point. Without antibiotics he deteriorated fast and by Tuesday he was so gravely ill that Dr. Reid was ordered by the Queen not to leave his bedside. Septic shock had no doubt set in. If left untreated, the infection moves to the bloodstream and to the heart and liver.  By Tuesday afternoon he had fallen into a coma and died at 10:40 p.m. It was Prince Leopold who finally told his mother of Brown's death. No one else dared.