View source for Mrs Brown

{{Short description|1997 film by John Madden}}
{{distinguish|Mrs. Brown's Boys}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Mrs Brown
| image          = Mrs Brown UK theatrical poster.jpg
| caption        = Australian theatrical release poster
| director       = [[John Madden (director)|John Madden]]
| producer       = Sarah Curtis
| writer         = [[Jeremy Brock]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist| 
* [[Judi Dench]]
* [[Billy Connolly]]
* [[Antony Sher]]
* [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)|Geoffrey Palmer]]
* [[Richard Pasco]]
* [[David Westhead]]}}
| music          = [[Stephen Warbeck]]
| cinematography = [[Richard Greatrex]]
| editing        = [[Robin Sales]]
| studio         = [[BBC Films]]<br>[[Ecosse Films]]
| distributor    = [[Miramax|Miramax International]]<ref>{{cite web|title='Mrs.' to Miramax|website=Variety|first=Monica|last=Roman|date=28 April 1997|access-date=23 January 2022|url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/mrs-to-miramax-1117434507/}}</ref> (through [[Buena Vista International]])
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1997|7|18|United States|1997|9|5|United Kingdom}}
| runtime        = 103 minutes
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = $13.2 million (US/UK)
}}

'''''Mrs Brown''''' (also released in cinemas as '''''Her Majesty, Mrs Brown''''') is a 1997 British [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] starring [[Judi Dench]], [[Billy Connolly]], [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)|Geoffrey Palmer]], [[Antony Sher]], and [[Gerard Butler]] in his film debut. It was written by [[Jeremy Brock]] and directed by [[John Madden (director)|John Madden]]. The film was produced by the [[BBC]] and [[Ecosse Films]] with the intention of being shown on [[BBC One]] and on [[WGBH-TV|WGBH]]'s ''[[Masterpiece Theatre]]''. However, it was acquired by [[Miramax]] and released to unexpected success, going on to earn more than $13.2 million worldwide. The story concerns a recently widowed [[Queen Victoria]] and her relationship with a [[Scotland|Scottish]] servant, [[John Brown (servant)|John Brown]], a trusted servant of her deceased husband, and the subsequent uproar it provoked. Brown had served Victoria's Prince Consort, [[Albert, 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.

The film was screened in the [[Un Certain Regard]] section at the [[1997 Cannes Film Festival]] and released in the United Kingdom on 5 September 1997.<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4836/year/1997.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Mrs Brown |access-date=27 September 2009|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref> Judi Dench won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]] and the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role]]; additionally, she was nominated for many other awards for her performance, including the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] and the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role]], but lost both awards to [[Helen Hunt]] for her role in ''[[As Good as It Gets]]''.

==Plot==
{{Anchor|Synopsis}}
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 Sir [[Henry Ponsonby]] and [[Edward VII|The Prince of Wales]] as well as other members of the [[British Royal Family|Royal 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.

The [[moniker]] ''"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 magazine ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' are 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 at [[Balmoral Castle]] in Scotland (something initially encouraged by Brown), her popularity begins failing and [[Republicanism in the United Kingdom#Late 19th century|republican sentiment]] begins growing. Prime Minister [[Benjamin Disraeli]]'s hold over the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] weakens 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 the [[speech from the throne]] at 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, [[Sir William Jenner, 1st Baronet|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==
{{castlist|
* [[Judi Dench]] as [[Queen Victoria]]
* [[Billy Connolly]] as [[John Brown (servant)|John Brown]]
* [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)|Geoffrey Palmer]] as [[Henry Ponsonby]]
* [[Antony Sher]] as Prime Minister [[Benjamin Disraeli]]
* [[Gerard Butler]] as Archie Brown
* [[David Westhead]] as [[Edward VII|Bertie, Prince of Wales]]
* [[Richard Pasco]] as [[Sir William Jenner, 1st Baronet|Dr. Jenner]]
* Bridget McConnell as [[Jane Loftus, Marchioness of Ely|Lady Ely]]
* [[Georgie Glen]] as [[Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill|Lady Churchill]]
* Catherine O'Donnell as [[Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington|Lady in waiting]]
}}

==Reception==
===Critical reception===
In a contemporary review [[Roger Ebert]] said, "It is not about sexual love, or even romantic love, really, but about that kind of love based on challenge and fascination."<ref name=Ebert>[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mrs-brown-1997 Ebert,, Roger. "Review:'Mrs. Brown'",  July 25, 1997]</ref> He called Judi Dench "wonderful"; Connolly "has the reserve and self-confidence that most stand-up comics lack almost by definition".<ref name=Ebert/>

On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] the 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. Brown'' delivers a nuanced and entertaining, if not entirely factual, account of a seldom explored historical relationship."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mrs_brown/|title=''Mrs Brown'' (1997)|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=7 October 2017}}</ref> [[Metacritic]], another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/her-majesty-mrs-brown?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c |title=''Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown'' reviews|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=7 October 2017}}</ref>

===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.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|date=22 July 1997|title=Auds kiss 'Guido' to the top of exclusive B.O.|url=https://variety.com/1997/film/news/auds-kiss-guido-to-the-top-of-exclusive-b-o-1116676427/|access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref><ref name=BOM/> It went on to gross $9.2 million in the United States and Canada.<ref name=BOM>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mrsbrown.htm|title=Mrs Brown (1997)|publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|title=Wilde King|page=27|date=24 October 1997|last=Scott|first=Mary}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|title=UK Top 100 Films Nov 29, 1996-Nov 30, 1997|page=43|date=23 January 1998}}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[70th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Judi Dench]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1998 |title=The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners |accessdate=2011-08-28|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling|Best Makeup]]
| [[Lisa Westcott]], [[Veronica Brebner]], and [[Beverley Binda]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="8"| [[51st British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| rowspan="2"| Sarah Curtis
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="8"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1998/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1998 |publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] |year=1998 |access-date=16 September 2016 |ref={{harvid|BAFTA|1998}}}}</ref>
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best British Film|Best British Film]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor in a Leading Role]]
| [[Billy Connolly]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
| Judi Dench
| {{won}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Original]]
| [[Jeremy Brock]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| [[Deirdre Clancy]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair|Best Make Up/Hair]]
| Lisa Westcott
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]]
| [[Martin Childs]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[BAFTA Scotland|British Academy Scotland Awards]]
| Best Feature Film
| Sarah Curtis, [[John Madden (director)|John Madden]], and Jeremy Brock
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| 
|-
| Best Actor in a Film
| Billy Connolly
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Actress in a Film
| rowspan="2"| Judi Dench
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 1997|Chicago Film Critics Association Awards]]
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://chicagofilmcritics.org/awards-blog/archives |title=1988-2013 Award Winner Archives |website=[[Chicago Film Critics Association]] |date=January 2013 |access-date=24 August 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film|Chlotrudis Awards]]
| Best Supporting Actor
| [[Antony Sher]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://chlotrudis.org/awards/past-awards/1998-4th-annual-awards/ |title=4th Annual Chlotrudis Awards |website=[[Chlotrudis Society for Independent Films]] |access-date=23 April 2022}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Evening Standard British Film Awards#1997 Winners|Evening Standard British Film Awards]]
| Best Screenplay
| Jeremy Brock
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| 
|-
| Peter Sellers Award for Comedy
| Antony Sher
| {{won}}
|-
| [[55th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| Judi Dench
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/mrs-brown |title=Mrs Brown – Golden Globes |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=5 July 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|1998}}}}</ref>
|-
| [[Motion Picture Sound Editors#Golden Reel Awards|Golden Reel Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR for Foreign Language Feature Film|Best Sound Editing – Foreign Feature]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| [[London Film Critics Circle Awards 1997|London Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| [[London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actress of the Year|British Actress of the Year]]
| Judi Dench
| {{won}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Mar del Plata International Film Festival]]
| Best Film (International Competition)
| rowspan="2"| John Madden
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| 
|-
| Special Jury Award
| {{won}}
|-
| [[1997 National Society of Film Critics Awards|National Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| rowspan="6"| Judi Dench
| {{draw|3rd Place}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |title=Past Awards |website=[[National Society of Film Critics]] |date=19 December 2009 |access-date=5 July 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[1997 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| {{Runner-up}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/?awardyear=1997 |title=1997 New York Film Critics Circle Awards |website=[[New York Film Critics Circle]] |access-date=5 July 2021}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| Online Film & Television Association Awards
| Best Actress
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oftaawards.com/film-awards/2nd-annual-film-awards-1997/ |title=2nd Annual Film Awards (1997) |publisher=Online Film & Television Association |access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref>
|-
| Best Drama Actress
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Online Film Critics Society Awards 1997|Online Film Critics Society Awards]]
| [[Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://ofcs.org/awards/1997-awards-1st-annual/ |title=1997 Online Film Critics Society Awards |website=[[Online Film Critics Society]] |date=3 January 2012 |access-date=22 April 2022}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[2nd Golden Satellite Awards|Satellite Awards]]
| [[Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="4"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/1998/ |title=1998 Satellite Awards |website=[[Satellite Awards]] |access-date=24 August 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| Billy Connolly
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Original]]
| Jeremy Brock
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| Deirdre Clancy
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[4th Screen Actors Guild Awards|Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role]]
| Judi Dench
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/4th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards|title=The 4th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards|work=[[Screen Actors Guild Award]]s|access-date=21 May 2016|archive-date=1 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101205428/http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/4th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role|Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role]]
| Billy Connolly
| {{nom}}
|-
| SESC Film Festival
| Best Foreign Actress
| rowspan="3"| Judi Dench
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with [[Robin Wright]] for ''[[She's So Lovely]]''.}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| [[Society of Texas Film Critics Awards 1997|Society of Texas Film Critics Awards]]
| Best Actress
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Actress
| {{Runner-up}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefca.net/winners#/1997 |title=1997 SEFA Awards |website=sefca.net |access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref>
|}

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name       = Mrs Brown
| type       = soundtrack
| artist     = [[Stephen Warbeck]]
| cover      = Mrs Brown soundtrack.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = 1997
| recorded   = 
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = Soundtrack
| length     = 
| label      = [[Milan Records|Milan]]
| producer   =
| chronology = [[Stephen Warbeck]] soundtrack
| prev_title = [[Different for Girls (film)|Different for Girls]]
| prev_year  = 1996
| next_title = [[Shakespeare in Love]]
| next_year  = 1998
}}

{{Track listing
| title1 = The Walk on the Moors
| length1 = 
| title2 = The Swim
| length2 = 
| title3 = Queen Victoria And John Brown
| length3 = 
| title4 = The Loch
| length4 = 
| title5 = The Fight
| length5 = 
| title6 = The First Ride
| length6 = 
| title7 = The Assassination Attempt
| length7 = 
| title8 = Typhoid Fever
| length8 = 
| title9 = The End of the Loch
| length9 = 
| title10 = Brown and the Pony
| length10 = 
| title11 = The Pipes: All The Blue Bombersare O'er The Border
| length11 = 
| title12 = Loch Nagar
| length12 = 
| title13 = After The Dance
| length13 = 
| title14 = Political Intrigue
| length14 = 
| title15 = The Promise
| length15 = 
| title16 = No Toast For Brown
| length16 = 
| title17 = The Closing
| length17 = 
| total_length = 
}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==See also==
* ''[[Victoria & Abdul]]'', an unofficial sequel where Dench also plays Queen Victoria<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170905-film-review-victoria-and-abdul|title=Film review: Victoria and Abdul|last=Barber|first=Nicholas|publisher=BBC|access-date=2019-12-03}}</ref>

;Films about Queen Victoria
* ''[[The Young Victoria]]''
* [[Victoria & Albert (TV serial)|''Victoria & Albert'' (TV serial)]]
* ''[[Victoria the Great]]''
* [[Victoria (British TV series)|''Victoria'' (TV serial)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0119280}}
* {{TCMDb title|335698}}
* {{AFI film|65147}}
* {{BritMovie title| Mrs.-Brown_1997 }}
* {{Mojo title|mrsbrown|Mrs Brown}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|mrs_brown|Mrs Brown}}

{{John Madden|state=expanded}}
{{Queen Victoria}}

[[Category:1997 films]]
[[Category:1997 drama films]]
[[Category:1990s biographical drama films]]
[[Category:1990s British films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:British biographical drama films]]
[[Category:British historical drama films]]
[[Category:BAFTA winners (films)]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Benjamin Disraeli]]
[[Category:Depictions of Queen Victoria on film]]
[[Category:English-language biographical drama films]]
[[Category:English-language historical drama films]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Madden]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films scored by Stephen Warbeck]]
[[Category:Films shot in the Scottish Borders]]
[[Category:Films set in 1863]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1880s]]
[[Category:Films set in the Victorian era]]
[[Category:Satellite Award–winning films]]
[[Category:Films about servants]]