The Queen

I like historical dramas and so upon seeing the preview for “The Queen”, I really wanted to see this film. The movie was shown in the city where I was in university and so that made me happy. For me, the film is a time capsule of the week that Princess Diana died. I was on vacation in the mountains in Canada as a teenager when she died and I didn’t hear about the tragedy until about a day after it happened. I remember the controversies surrounding her death and other unforgettable images during that week. This movie helped me see that week through Queen Elizabeth’s eyes. I loved the story and the film’s use of archival footage. The movie feels so realistic with the blending of the movie footage with TV footage from 1997. The acting was perfect in that when I think of Tony Blair for example, the first face that comes to my mind is Michael Sheen’s. Helen Mirren’s performance was worthy of every award she won.

Even though I like “Frost/Nixon” better, this film was the perfect introduction for me to the work of Peter Morgan and Michael Sheen. Morgan tends to write these stories about powerful figures being challenged by a less powerful opponent. Another example is the play "The Audience" with Mirren reprising her role as the Queen. This film is quite historically accurate in my view. The first meeting of the Queen and the Prime Minister after Blair takes office shows how Blair is quite naïve. The Queen is letting her Prime Minister with a modern mind know that she is the sovereign. She is intimidating yet fascinating and sweet. For those unfamiliar with the British Monarchy, these opening scenes are well done. We first see the contrast between the modern-minded politician and the old-fashioned proper ruler and this contrast is well portrayed throughout the entire film. The Prime Minister throughout the movie fails to recognize names of various people calling him. We understand that he is still new at his job and it is ironic how he insists on business being done on a first-name basis but can’t recognize some names. As mentioned, the use of archival footage in the film is expertly done. Future generations who watch this film may wonder who is an actor and who is the actual person. I love the shot of Robin walking towards the Balmoral estate in the dark as lights begin to turn on inside. It represents for me how Europe first heard the tragic news. I like the line “This is going to be massive.” As true as that statement is, it is still an understatement. The film perfectly captures the weeklong response to the death of Princess Diana as I remember it. Those who view Michael Jackson’s death as similar to this tragedy need to remember the flowers that accumulated in London. That alone shows how more impacting Diana’s death was. To see the origin of the phrase “the people’s princess” is interesting, considering the impact it had. It is historically incorrect however seeing as how Blair came up with the phrase. Along with portraying relationships within the Royal Family, the film also addresses the contrasting view that Prince Charles has from his mother. We not only see portrayed the drama that was created in the wake of the death of Diana but also other commotions that are known to exist in the Royal Family. The sideplot with the stag is worth mentioning because it is symbolic of the Queen’s turmoil. The stag is a prized animal and that is the reason it is being targeted. Similarly, the Queen is a respected figurehead and at this time of tragedy, she is being targeted and criticized for her decisions that made based on tradition and past expectations. We have the opening Shakespeare quote: “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” and the stag has a “crown” of horns (he is a fourteen pointer). Tony Blair set out to help the country and modernize it, not control the monarchy. In the film, others are using the death of Diana as an excuse for Blair to exercise power and that is not what he wants. Also, he is upset with how everyone is targeting his or her frustration of the tragedy on the last person who deserves it. He finally loses his patience with these people and vocalizes his dislike of this attitude. It is a great moment when he explosively defends the Queen. His lines sum up the whole movie. The subsequent moment when the Queen is given flowers is very touching because of the acting and music. I almost cried in the theater. The shots of the Queen giving her tribute are expertly done. It feels like the original tribute because of Helen Mirren’s acting and the background, which baffles me as to how they composited it in there so well. The use of montage and music to portray the funeral was powerful. The film has a great resolution scene between the Queen and Blair. The last time they talked in person was at the start of the film and this time, things are very different. The scene starts out full of tension but ends on a positive note.

The acting in the movie furthers the realism and other elements of the film deserved to be applauded. Not only was I introduced to screenwriter Peter Morgan and actor Michael Sheen when I saw this show but also to his co-star Roger Allam and composer Alexandre Desplat. Even though Helen Mirren was coincidentally the voice of the Queen on "The Prince of Egypt", this film was the first time I took notice of her. As a Canadian, I see the face of the Queen every day and the appearance of Mirren as Queen Elisabeth II is so well done in this movie. That combined with her Oscar winning performance allows her to honestly portray this woman who when she was born was not expected to ascend to the throne and at a young age, suddenly found herself wearing the most powerful crown in Europe. Mirren also won practically every other Best Actress award you could win in 2006 and rightfully so. James Cromwell is an Oscar nominee and his performance was wonderful also. I could go on in a parallel manner with every actor in this film. Prince Charles’ reaction in Balmoral to Diana’s death is most dramatic as performed by Alex Jennings. I also cherish his performance in the Paris Hospital. The silence during that scene is so powerful as the Prince tries to hold back the tears. I would hope that those scenes accurately portray the Prince’s feelings. The music during the film is worthy of its Oscar nomination. It effectively portrays the emotions of the scenes we see. The entire film shows all the images we remember from that week. I find it interesting how they used different film formats in shooting this movie, depending on whether the Queen was in the scene or Tony Blair. I also like the helicopter shot of the group stalking. The scene dramatically transits into the archival footage of Diana being interviewed with the phrase “Do you think you will ever be Queen?”

It is too bad that this film did not win all the other Oscars it was nominated for but it was up against some tough competition. Best Actress was the film's only win and the other nominations it garnished that I haven't yet mentioned were for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and Costume Design. By the way, Peter Morgan won Best Screenplay that year at the Golden Globes. Today people ask “Where were you on September 11th?” but before that for much of the world, the question was “Where were you when you found out about Princess Diana’s death?” This film will help us always remember because of its realism. The acting, story and attention to historical accuracy are what make this film great. In the decade after the release of "The Queen", Peter Morgan's Netflix series "The Crown" is equally masterfuI and I hope to see many more works from Morgan in the future.

4.5 Stars