Movie Review: 'Queen Marie of Romania'

Queen Marie of Romania is part soap opera and part solid CBS television drama. This historical drama attempts to reclaim the legacy of the Romanian Queen, Queen Marie, a woman born of English Royalty, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who went on to have her legacy destroyed by her own son, Prince Carol II. Queen Marie of Romania is a handsome but insubstantial film with a weak screenplay bolstered somewhat by a compelling lead performance by Roxana Lupu.

The story of Queen Marie of Romania picks up just after the end of World War 1. In 1919, the allied powers of America, France and Great Britain were meeting in Versailles to essentially divide up the parts of Europe that Germany had occupied and devastated. Chief among the countries affected by the German invasion was Romania which saw disparate parts of the country carved up by factions amid the German occupation, a move intended to weaken the influence of the Romanian Royal Family, headed up by Marie’s husband, King Ferdinand (Daniel Plier).

While peace talks stagnate and the Bolshevik revolution begins to penetrate the weakened borders of Romania, Queen Marie (Roxanna Lupu), is using her position and stature to try and bring aid and comfort to the Romanian people. She’s called upon her cousin, King George (Nicholas Boulton) to send aid and support Romanian independence, but has thus far received no response. Meanwhile, Queen Marie’s strained relationship with her son, Prince Carol (Anghel Damian) is threatening to tear her family apart much the same way the allied powers may carve up Romania.

This is when a member of the King’s court hatches an idea to send the Queen to Paris as part of an effort to garner attention to the Romanian cause. Queen Marie is a popular figure having been part of the English Royal Family before marrying Ferdinand. The hope is that her stature and appeal might sway public opinion in Romania’s favor. The Queen meanwhile, though she loathes politics, isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. In interviews and in closed door meetings with French, English and even American President Woodrow Wilson, the Queen proves quite capable of persuasion.

For decades after the fall of the Romanian Royal Family, Queen Marie was remembered as a drunkard and even alleged to have been promiscuous having hosted orgies at the castle. It’s unknown if any of the salacious rumors about the Queen are true or not. The film does hint at potential infidelity in the Queen’s relationship with Prince Barbu Stirbey (Emil Mandanac) Superintendent of the Royal Estates and future Romanian Prime Minister, but the film is vague about the full nature of their relationship.

Much of what is known about Queen Marie was invented by her son Carol II out of spite for Marie having attempted to quash his relationship with a non-royal woman, Zizi Lambrino (Maria Muller), who would go on to be Prince Carol’s wife after he ascended the throne. The drama between Carol and Marie is the weakest element of Queen Marie of Romania as Anghel Damian’s performance is little more than petulant whining while Lambrino is exploited for a highly unnecessary and explicit sex scene that adds nothing to the story of Queen Marie of Romania.

The scenes of Marie in Paris where eventually Romania would be rescued by the Treaty of Versailles are beautifully recreated for the period. The look of Queen Marie of Romania from costumes to set design is undoubtedly the film’s strengths. However, it’s the dialogue that truly lets the movie down. Queen Marie’s moments of triumph are too often reduced to platitudes about defending the downtrodden and vague notions of the role Romania should play in keeping the Russian Bolshevik revolution at bay in Europe.

The screenplay is incredibly lightweight and while star Roxana Lupu does wonders to give the movie life and energy, the screenplay and plot progression are often stunted by dumbed down dialogue. It’s as if director Alexis Cahill and co-director Brigitte Drodtloff is afraid to allow the cast to sound too smart or speak with any complexity out of fear of losing the audience. It’s a shame because I can imagine Roxana Lupu’s charisma carrying through even in moments where the nuance and complexity of world politics might put off audiences interested in potboiling dramatics.

That desire for soap opera style melodrama that appeals to the lowest common audience might also explain why Prince Carol II is portrayed so poorly as a sniveling, mustache twirling villain. The Prince Carol II of Queen Marie of Romania would be right at home in a lurid soapy melodrama of sexy shenanigans, tabloid, gossip and the over the top backstabbing of Royal politics. That might also make for a fun movie but it is completely at odds with the more sedate and stately aspects of Queen Marie of Romania.