Into this world literally falls Abigail (Emma Stone) a cousin of Lady Sarah who has landed on hard times stemming from her father's gambling woes. She has come to court in hope of finding employment ending up in the scullery performing mundane tasks. On one occasion she gets the chance to tend to the Queen directly, boldly following up to give Queen Anne more comfort resulting in recognition at Court landing her the role of her influential cousins' maid. As Lady Sarah becomes more wrapped up in politics in the place of the ailing and disinterested Monarch, Abigail slides in as the Queen's companion plotting the restoration of her status and usurping Lady Sarah permanently from the Queen's side.
Director Yorgos alongside writers Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara create early18th-century European court-life with sharp-tongued, backstabbing brilliance. Abigail has a noble suitor Masham (Joe Alwyn) who she both draws in and pushes away with equal force driving him absolutely mad. She has her firm grip on him while her mind is focused on her next maneuver at Court. Harley is first to sport her rising star taking her into his confidence as a link to the Queen to learn of the plans of Godolphin and Lady Sarah while having her as a vessel to plant his agenda into the ear of the monarch. The dialogue between the three female leads drips with pointed barbs and sarcasm. The language is delightfully way more sailorish than the Queen's English. Production Designer Fiona Crombie leads the Art, Set and Costume design teams that lock the audience into Kensington Palace circa 1710. The viewer's eyes are first drawn to the opulence of the castle, the intricate art in Queen Anne's bedchambers, the narrow fine wood staircases, and walkways plus the detailed relief work on the ceilings that jump off the screen from the first frame of the piece.
The film features the strongest written treble of female leading roles since possibly All About Eve. Olivia Colman revels in sloth and malady as Queen Anne. Her legs failing, eyesight going dotting over her 17 bunny rabbits attempting to fill the void for suffering a similar number of failed childbirths but despite her apparent mental haze never misses a crucial point although it may seem so at the time. Rachel Weisz as Lady Sarah has a sharp mind for politics and military strategy, a keener skill for riding and shooting anchored by a wit that is without compare. Emma Stone's Abigail is the ultimate survivor and adaptor. She can be dropped into any situation observe, listen, improvise and adapt looking out for her best interest at all times.
The Favourite is a beautiful looking crisply written tale centering on the intrigue and absurdities of life at Court in 18th century England. Lanthimos subtly switches to a fisheye lens when he truly wants to point out the ridiculous as The Queen of England sits on the floor in her bedchambers playing with a maid amongst her bunnies celebrating the death day of one of her miscarriages. Or standard shot as Lady Sarah and Abigail go out shooting trading insults and veiled threats with loaded weapons in their hands. Its a must see film that could very well net three female acting Academy Award nominations for the first time since the aforementioned All About Eve.
**** Out of 4
The Favourite | Yorgos Lanthimos | Ireland/ U.K. / U.S.A. | 2018 | 119 minutes.
Tags; Queen Anne, House of Stuart, War of Spanish Succession, Torys, Whigs, Parliament, Kensington Palace, Court, Poison, Throw.
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