Victoria - Season 1- DVD

Film: England, 1837: After the death of King William, it is now his 18-year-old niece Victoria (Jenna Coleman) who is to rule over England as Queen. Attempts are made from all sides to influence the young woman. Even her mother (Catherine Flemming) doesn't really trust her daughter to run the country's difficult affairs of government with the necessary strength and foresight. The very influence that her advisor Lord Melbourne (Rufus Sewell) has over the young queen is viewed with great suspicion by her mother and Sir John Conroy (Paul Rhys). Feverish attempts are made to bring the Queen under control. Young Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) of Saxe-Coburg is also pressured by his family. He is expected to win the Queen's heart so that his family can exert stronger political influence over the English royal family. But what begins as an involuntary weaving has unforeseen consequences for the young queen's life and reign.

Victoria is a historical drama for the eye and the heart. The sets as well as the costumes are of the finest and transport the viewer right back to Queen Victoria's pompous time. This is embodied by Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) great. As a young queen somewhere between naive child and strong woman, who tries to assert her own head against constant external influence and fixed etiquette, Coleman convinces in every moment. Especially when there are attempts from all sides to influence the young queen - even before she has even ascended the throne - and Victoria finds it increasingly difficult to know who she can trust and who she can't, all of these conflicts become palpable to the viewer thanks to Coleman's forceful acting, which then carries the series through its more tame moments.

Victoria doesn't just show what went on in the young queen's life, though. Her servants also take on an important role in the series. This creates quite a multi-layered picture of events and the era, which is further emphasized by the fact that screenwriter Daisy Goodwin drew heavily on Queen Victoria's extensive diaries when writing. Even if there are admittedly some artistic liberties especially dramaturgically, it was very important to the makers of the series to create a detailed and as authentic as possible portrayal of the era.

That this has succeeded, at least as far as the entertainment and the show value of the series is concerned, is shown by the good ratings, which already after the first season plans were announced to let the series run over six seasons. Jenna Coleman will of course be replaced by an older actress at some point in the course of the series. But until that happens, she gets to prove again in 2017 for a second season and a Christmas special just how good a decision it was to cast her in the role. For the first season is also due to the play of Jenna Coleman, but of course also because of the rest of the ensemble, the equipment, the costumes and the music quite clearly: absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The picture of the DVD lets the excellent work of the outfitters and set designers thanks to the good image sharpness, harmonious contrasts and the very atmospheric color scheme well come into its own. The audio, as is usual for this genre, is kept rather subdued as the action is primarily dominated by dialogue and the quiet soundtrack. However, a few well-executed ambient noises and minor sound effects make sure that the surround channels come into play every now and then. Good.

Extras: This regular edition of the first season has no bonus material to offer. However, there is also a Deluxe Edition which has just under 90 minutes of featurettes, interviews, making of and a guided tour of Buckingham Palace to offer. So if you want to get a rather detailed look behind the scenes, the only option is to grab the Deluxe Edition.

Conclusion: Victoria is an opulently equipped history series that can convince with great actors, opulent costumes and a well-researched dramaturgy. The first season presents itself on DVD in good picture and sound quality. The standard edition unfortunately has no extras to offer. But there is also a deluxe edition, which offers almost 90 minutes of bonus material. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp