The Queen

The Queen could have very easily been a TV movie of the week, given it's subject matter (the death of Lady Di and the royal family's reaction to it) and the nature of what you would imagine to be it's initial target audience. I couldn't imagine anyone other than Helen Mirren playing Queen Elizabeth II without making it ridiculous though, and Michael Sheen is perfect casting as Prime Minister Tony Blair. I think it's also somewhat snobbish to underestimate the power and importance of the events portrayed in this film... the death of Lady/Princess Di is to the 1990s generation what JFK was to those in the 1960s, and I think The Queen gives this piece of recent of history the serious treatment it deserves.

The film picks up with the appointment of Tony Blair as Prime Minister of England. Through his first official meeting with the Queen as PM we are introduced to the protocols and reverence that surrounds the royal family, and we witness this meeting of two worlds from the viewpoints of both sides. After these initial few scenes that help us get to know how the dynamic is supposed to work, we then get the story proper… this film deals with the death of Princess Diana and the fallout that came afterwards, in particular the public’s reaction to the Queen’s refusal to comment on the matter in any way whatsoever. It was a historical event that marked the first time in hundreds of years that the British people challenged their monarch in such a way… the death of Diana was a galvanising event that scratched the surface of the relationship between the royal family and their country to reveal the modernistic resentment that bubbled underneath. In short, it was a wake up call for the Queen.

This is a fascinating and extremely well-made film. Once you get past the sheer audacity of how close-up we get to a living sovereign as stoic and unknowable as Elizabeth II, it’s quite realistic and manages – against the odds – to humanise the woman most of us are familiar with as mainly being the face on the back of our coins. Through the Queen, director Stephen Frears offers us a fascinating and largely unfamiliar viewpoint on one of the most emotional and well-known events of the late 20th century. It’s an incredibly bold and engrossing move, and you can’t help but wonder how true it all is. Let it be said though, that the talent involved here ensures that the film is always miles away from any tacky television movie about the royals, and it retains it's credibility at all times. The film manages not to sensationalise, despite it’s tackling of a controversial subject.

Helen Mirren is the undisputed star of this movie. Frears wisely doesn’t over-saturate the screen with her, and whenever she appears her presence is so impressive that it demands our undivided attention. What will she say? What morsel of emotion will she let us have? How will she react to what such-and-such is saying to her? Mirren's Oscar win for the role was thoroughly deserved. The rest of the cast is fairly spot on too – Michael Sheen is incredibly well cast as Tony Blair, combining boyish charm with earnest sympathy to add depth to what could’ve so easily been a caricature.

This is an excellent film, far better than I imagined it would be. It manages to evoke sympathy for the Queen without softening her resolve, dignity or stubbornness. It enlightens and makes you understand the world the royals live in and why they act the way they do.