THE YOUNG VICTORIA PRODUCTION NOTES - Thecia

emerged from her mother's shadow.”
At the heart of the film is the love story of Victoria and Albert, who she married in 1840.
This happy and fulfilled chapter is the focus of the film. "Prince Albert was purposefully
chosen for Victoria over his less attractive older brother, by his uncle King Leopold of
Belgium,” explains Fellowes. “Leopold was using Albert to jostle for power and influence
over the British throne and considered him ideal for a woman who was determined to
marry for love. What is interesting is that Albert fell for her completely. He came from a
very dour German court and suddenly he was with this girl who was out for a good time.
She loved dancing, music, riding. Everyone had overlooked the possibility that they would
fall in love with each other."
What appealed to King about the story was the romance. "It is a pure love story to me. It
is a human story, a story that people can relate to rather than just being a standard period
film or film about royalty. I didn't want it to be a conventional period film, but something a
bit hipper and a bit edgier."
With the screenplay underway, the producers’ attention turned to who would direct the
film.
Graham King explains how director Jean-Marc Vallée came on board. "Jean-Marc's film
C.R.A.Z.Y landed on my desk and I took it home one night and watched it. I was really
impressed by it. I immediately called Marty and told him he had to see the film as I
thought Jean-Marc had real talent; not only visually, but how he dealt with the characters
was fascinating to me. I actually thought it was Scorsese-ish. Marty watched it and also
loved it.” King met with Vallée and found they had the same approach to the material.
“We both wanted to make something with an edge to it, with amazing visuals, but with
characters that the audience could relate to. Jean-Marc was a hot property in Hollywood
after C.R.A.Z.Y, and he had a lot of scripts thrown at him, but this was the only script he
felt passionately about. I was really excited about his vision for the film."
Co-producer Denis O'Sullivan adds, “Graham and I watched C.R.A.Z.Y. in late 2006 and
immediately felt that Jean-Marc had such a sympathetic feel for a young protagonist
caught in conflict with himself and his family. That dynamic is much the same for the
young princess Victoria. The important thing for all of us was that The Young Victoria be
first and foremost about the characters. Our aim has always been to have people forget
that they're watching a "period film" after the first fifteen minutes, and just have them
completely invested in Victoria and the very human family around her.”
Director Vallée was won over by the strength of the story, Fellowes' writing and the
complexity and integrity of the characters, but it was the girl at the heart of the story who
really inspired him. "It's rare to read a good script and I loved this one. It was character
driven and was a beautifully observed piece about family and human relationships and I
wanted to understand more about these characters. I'm moved by beautiful stories and
this is one - of the young girl who became the Queen of England at 18 years old. It
touched me. It's also a family drama and I like to explore those relationships, to show
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