Mrs Brown

Mrs Brown
Australian theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Madden
Written byJeremy Brock
Produced bySarah Curtis
Starring
CinematographyRichard Greatrex
Edited byRobin Sales
Music byStephen Warbeck
Production
companies
Distributed byMiramax International[1] (through Buena Vista International)
Release dates
  • 18 July 1997 (1997-07-18) (United States)
  • 5 September 1997 (1997-09-05) (United Kingdom)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$13 million (US/UK)

Mrs Brown (also released in cinemas as Her Majesty, Mrs Brown) is a 1997 British drama film starring Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher, and Gerard Butler in his film debut. It was written by Jeremy Brock and directed by John Madden. The film was produced by the BBC and Ecosse Films with the intention of being shown on BBC One and on WGBH's Masterpiece Theatre. However, it was acquired by Miramax and released to unexpected success, going on to earn over $13 million worldwide. The story concerns a recently widowed Queen Victoria and her relationship with a Scottish servant, John Brown, a trusted servant of her deceased husband, and the subsequent uproar it provoked. Brown had served Victoria's 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.[2] 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.

  1. ^ Roman, Monica (28 April 1997). "'Mrs.' to Miramax". Variety. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Mrs Brown". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 27 September 2009.