The Queen (2006)

More about Princess Diana than The Queen.

I wanted to like this movie. I had high expectations of it with Helen Mirren's Oscar win, and its interesting subject matter. The good news is that Helen Mirren is not to blame for any of the movie's shortcomings. The bad news is that she is not enough to make the movie good.

This is a movie that is reliant on the performances of the actors, and while Mirren is doing the best she can, she just isn't directed well enough for the viewer to feel any involvement or sympathy from the viewer. What she does for the majority of the movie is sit or walk around with a stone look on her face, void of any emotion. Even in one scene where she is out in the country on her own, you don't know she is sad until you see a tear on her face, which doesn't even look real. I watched the movie the entire time feeling like this really should have been a movie about Princess Diana, since she is the royal most Americans ever really cared about.

I will say that the movie starts to get better during the last 20 minutes of the movie. Here, I will give Mirren props, since she really does make us care about the queen and what she is going through (these scenes are probably what guaranteed her Oscar win). Unfortunately, 20 minutes does not a good movie make.

In short, I was disappointed with The Queen. Maybe if it wasn't a movie about Diana pretending to be about Queen Elizabeth II, I would have more kudos to give to it. But as is, I just did not see the hype. But hey, it's only my opinion. July 13, 2008

"Walkies? Yeeeessss!"

That's my favorite line in the film, from a wickedly funny exchange between the Queen and her son Prince Charles. She says it to her beloved dogs when she abruptly decides to go for a walk and leave the Prince to drive off in a huff to a stag hunt after he exasperates her with his wimpish apprehension of getting shot at. One of my favorite scenes in an excellent film. Helen Mirren deserved her Oscar for Best Actress. Her portrayal of QEII is spot on. A marvel how much she resembles the Queen in appearance! I've seen this movie several times and it gets better every time. Michael Sheen's Tony Blair is also quite excellent. All the actors are top-notch in their roles. The movie's take of the royal family's behind-the-scenes machinations when Diana died is believable. That's what lends it an almost documentary feel throughout. Highly recommended. June 6, 2008

The Queen indeed. . . .

Under the careful, intelligent direction of Stephen Frears, the great Helen Mirren captures and displays with amazing clarity the essence of Queen Elizabeth II's quandary during the wrenching summer of 1997, immediately following the death of Princess Diana, who famously died in a car crash in Paris while being chased by papparazi. Ruminating over the palace's appropriate public response to the death of the ex-communicated princess, the Queen is caught between the ever-growing clamor for an official acknowledgement of Diana's passing and what she and nearly all her consorts (except for Tony Blair, who has just been elected Prime Minister) consider a near-vulgar display of public grief (i.e., her own stiff-upper-lip resolve to act on her own terms).

In the movie's most stunning scene, the Queen proceeds through the throngs that have gathered at Buckingham palace and is confronted by a child who offers a bouquet, insisting that the flowers are meant for the Queen. Having expressed more remorse for the demise of a stag than for her former daughter-in-law, Elizabeth is surprisingly touched by this simple gesture and it reveals her humanity, however circumspect, without ever betraying the steely contenance of a long-reigning monarch. It's also testament to the power of Mirren's daring and brilliantly nuanced performance. "The Queen" also features the legendary Sylvia Sims as the Queen Mother, Micheal Sheen, who effectively approximates Tony Blair and the charming Helen McCrory as a spunky, devastatingly funny Cherie Blair--an independent, thoroughly modern and successful career woman who disdains antiquated "royal" formalities. Also notable is James Cromwell as the crotchety Prince Phillip. May 30, 2008

God help the royals if this is even remotely accurate

I have watched this film 3 times now, and it gets better with each viewing.
Seriously, if the royal family is remotely like what is depicted here, I truly feel sorry for them.
This film provides an inside glimpse into the Royal family when Princess Diana was killed. They are one messed up bunch. You'll see what I mean in a moment.
Let me ask you: When you lose someone you love, is the idea of shooting an innocent animal even remotely appealing? Hm? Didn't think so. In this film, based upon public record, etc. the Princes William and Harry are taken out the day of their mother's death to go hunting stags in the mountains. At the time, Queen Elizabeth says in her pert little way, "I suppose anything that gets them out is useful, rather."
Wheeew! And I thought my family had problems!
This movie is phenomenal, and the job done by Mirren in her portrait of the Queen is absolutely superb. The above mentioned scenario was remarked upon by the media in those days, so it really happened, folks. And people wonder why the royals have so many problems?! One wonders that they're not still in diapers and drooling, 'rather'.
Even more interesting is the depiction of Queen Elizabeth actually mourning the death of a large stag she 'met' on her property that was later shot by another hunter. This is one of the few times the mask is allowed to slip and feelings emerge. Until this point, the viewer gets the idea that the royal family will just wait for the storm to blow over. When it doesn't the masterful portrayal of Queen Elizabeth's thawing out is just jaw dropping perfect.

By the end of the film, the viewer progresses from disgust at the disconnect between the Royals and the rest of humanity, to outright pity and even a little admiration. Given the environment they have been born into, it's amazing any of them can function at all, let alone be human beings. The incident with the boys and the hunting is just typical of how they view the world.
That sort of thing is what this film drives home. And more importantly, are the royals required to be this way because of the people's expectations or because the royals have always done things this way? At the center of all this is one single human being. Namely, the Queen. One of her last lines in the film is, "Duty first, self second. It's how I was brought up."
This is not condescension on her part, it is who she really is, and why the grueling treadmill of her work and the pressure by the media have caused her to become remote and somewhat brittle. That sort of regimen would kill most people from sheer stress alone.
By the end of the film, the viewer has seen past the glitter, beyond the fantasy that is projected by the royals and the people alike to see one lone human being who has striven throughout the decades to keep faith with her people.
The Queen. May 28, 2008

Mrs. Parker-Bowles "THE QUEEN"

I was only an child in the 3rd grade when Princess Diana Died.. I later grew up to find out how much of an wonderful spirit and beautiful person she was.. In the news, I would hear how the tabloids and the royal family would speak about Diana. When I saw "THE QUEEN", it opened my eyes even more for me to realize how much the royal family would degrade her in such a disrespectful way but, it also shows the tenderness of HER MAJESTY has for the boys. This is a really good movie but also a short movie... May 7, 2008

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