The Queen Deserved That Oscar in her Crown~Should Be Called The Queen & The Princess!
Written: Feb 25 '07 (Updated Feb 25 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Insightful look at what transpires in the life of the Queen and the Royal Family
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: The acting, direction, cinematography, costume design, all attribute to this outstanding film
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| ifif1938's Full Review: The Queen |
When this remarkable movie opens we see Queen Elizabeth posing for a portrait… as this short time passes so does the thought that this is really Helen Mirren and not truly “Her Highness,” The Queen we see in the painting and on screen.
This is true of the entire film. Mirren’s transformation is just that, an actress, transformed into a queen.
I’ve always been in awe of the British royalty, maybe due to the fact that my mother-in-law was quite a British lady herself and talked endlessly about the royal family, even had pictures on her wall of both Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother, telling stories of the days she stood in queues to see them on rare occasions, each one a memory she would never forget…..She would have loved this movie and so did I.
Basically it’s a story which gives you a rare glimpse into the lives of those in this family with a look inside their mighty palaces, they way they think and respond to the story that is prominent in this movie, how they are treated by those around them and how they treat each other.
It is also a story about another family, that of the new British Prime minister and his wife and the way they respond to their new found prominence in the English government. Tony Blair, (Michael Sheen), certainly had his hands full right from the beginning...One of the early scenes that showed much of their mindset was when he had to meet with the Queen right after his election. The standards by how the meeting would be held and the formality would set the tone for the rest of the film as well as their most important relationship, which actually did undergo quite an interesting new development as he was forced to take an upper hand to guide the queen on another path to take.
At times while watching this movie I thought it should be called, “The Queen and the Princess”…..
Just a note:
I’ve also always been fascinated by Princess Diana, following all the stories about her from her fairytale marriage to the Prince Charles to the ultimate end of that marriage, then the stories that followed…When she died in that horrific accident I felt such sorrow, I was surprised at how much, and followed the events that unfolded in the aftermath of her death as if I were a family member.
This movie is basically a story of that moment in time when Diana died and how the Queen and the Royals handled themselves and the subsequent events that took place immediately afterwards.
Diana at the time of her death was not a member of the royal family but she was the mother of the two Princes in line for the throne… so what would be the correct protocol and how should they handle this tragedy in the public eye? In private, though they were stunned and saddened, Prince Philip,( James Cromwell), advised his wife not to make a statement and to protect the two Princes in privacy by retreating to their country palace in Scotland, (Balmoral), keeping out of the public eye…they went “stalking”,(another term for hunting), each day, providing another look into their lives that I found fascinating…The Queen, shed much of the formality of Buckingham palace, going for long walks, driving the grounds herself in her Range Rover and showed a rare tender side in a scene when the stalked deer came up to her during a moment alone when her car broke down… this up close and personal view was another scene in which Mirren showed her remarkable acting talent. Was she saddened by the thought of the deer being hunted or did she finally mourn Diana’s passing?
Meanwhile the British public was in mourning, it was extraordinary the outpouring of emotion they demonstrated, so sadly intense and very critical of the Royals, that they had not addressed them or made any comment about Diana’s death, not even lowering the flag at Buckingham Palace, as sign of respect they thought was needed…(though the flag was only supposed to be shown when the Queen was in residence)
The crowds swelled, the flowers left in memorial to Diana grew beyond anything seen anywhere at any time, an ocean of flowers in tribute… the press slammed the Queen for ignoring Diana’s passing and her popularity plummeted. The new Prime Minister, saw this to be a national disaster for the future of the monarchy and advised her that she would have to make some sort of statement, one that would appease the crowds and populace or else who knows what would happen…The emotional toll all this took on the Queen was another tribute to Mirren’s talent.
What happens next is in all the history books, tapes and news stories…so I won’t give each subsequent scene away but just to watch this film demonstrates how much public opinion can sway the mighty and powerful regardless of who they are and how important.
The acting in this film was suburb, not only Mirren but the entire cast, I wanted to slap that smug face of Prince Philip, his callousness at the whole state of affairs… Michael Sheens portrayal of Blair was outstanding too, as his opinion and feeling about the Royals underwent a drastic change as the events occurred and even the Queen Mother was played to the hilt by Silvia Sims, advising her daughter in ways that were not to their benefit at first but then going along with what had to be done to protect the Monarchy.
Director Steven Frears did an outstanding job in so many ways, combining actual footage of the time just before Diana’s death with the aftermath in the Palace, the footage of the swelling crowds and the stunning landscape of Balmoral surpassed what I had expected and I wondered at the end of the film just where the movies locations actually were, since I knew it couldn’t have been Buckingham Palace or really Balmoral, but wherever they were I certainly would love to be there myself even if I wasn’t a “Royal”….One thing lacking though was an insight into what the two young Princes thought, though the idea to protect them at the time was a good one, to keep them away from the press, it inadvertantly kept them away from the audience as well.
All in all, I loved this movie on every level and will be cheering for it to win the awards it most certainly deserves, especially Helen Mirren, who was The Queen for the entire time she was onscreen…a truly remarkable acting talent in a remarkable film.
Cast:
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Michael Sheen - Tony Blair
James Cromwell - Prince Philip
Helen McCrory - Cherie Blair
Alex Jennings - Prince Charles
Roger Allam - Sir Robin Janvrin
Sylvia Syms - Queen Mother
Mark Bazeley - Alastair Campbell
Earl Cameron - Portrait artist
Tim McMullan - Stephen Lamport
Director:
Stephen Frears
Producers:
Andy Harries , Tracey Seaward , Christine Langan
Update..12:35 AM....The Queen won Best actress..I'm a happy fan
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Serious Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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