Introducing Jean Marc Vallee

8 months ago 06th Mar 13:35

After a ten year struggle to get his last movie C.R.A.Z.Y to the big screen French-Canadian filmmaker Jean Marc Vallee returns this week with The Young Victoria.

While C.R.A.Z.Y tackled a more controversial subject of homosexuality this time around he takes on the story of the longest serving British monarch Queen Victoria.

"It's a true romantic, heartbreaking film. The Young Victoria is such a passionate film and it underlines the beautiful romance that she had with her cousin, ooh, with Albert.

"It's a story where we learn about her young years and how she was when she first became queen of England and we follow her through the years of the seduction with Albert."

The film was a test for the director from the off, having made most of his movies in his native language of French, the period movie is not a genre of movie that he had worked in before.

Plus he had also been struggling to find a project to work on reading script after script without success.

"I was almost ready to give and stop reading when they said that I should read this script by Julian Fellows called The Young Victoria, but my first instinct was well first I'm not into period and film and secondly I don't know anything about the monarchy and I'm not sure I want to know.

"But then I stared to read and it was good and I felt that it was something that would be fun to direct and I could relate to and when you choosing your film, it's like choosing your lifestyle, when you are spending two years on something you have got to love it."

But of course everyone has this image of Queen Victoria of an old woman dressed in black and she lived in grief after the death of her husband Albert but Valle, scriptwriter Julian Fellows and the cast wanted to show the monarch in a different light.

"Of course it's about the young Victoria and not the old, dressed in black widow that everybody knows and that was the interest it was nice to present her through that veil and in a different way.

"We are going to discover a young and rebellious girl, she was rock and roll for her time; if rock and roll is to make some noise and cry out loud what you want to do and what you don't want to do to the authorities she was modern in her own age and era."

And while the movie has the backing of Oscar winner Martin Scorsese there is a distinct British feel to the film with the cast made up predominately of Brit stars, with Emily Blunt in her first lead role.

"Yes she is just perfect, great, she's amazing and such a professional she was so generous, so good, so present and so into her character and just as Queen Victoria wanted to do good she has the same intentions and shared the same goals.

"So did Rupert and the magic that happened between the two of them was beautiful and the romance is quite strong."

The Young Victoria follows in the footsteps of Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and The Queen which have all looked at certain aspects of some of this country's longest serving monarchs.

With another feather to Vallee's bow, moving into the period film for the very first time, he is now returning to french speaking movies and looking for Hollywood projects.

The Young Victoria is released today

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw