The Queen - mini-review

[Dominic]

The Queen, Stephan Frears, 2006



As I'm a huge Hellen Mirren fan, I saw this film this past weekend. What a great little movie.

Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth II during the incredible week of Princess Diana's death. Michael Sheen plays the new Prime Minister, Tony Blair. The film mostly is about how Blair gets the Queen to realize her subjects do not want the British "stiff upper lip" of old, but a Queen who acknowledges their grief over the death of a beloved Princess.

What's most amazing about this movie, is how well Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan make the Royals so very human, with pride and foibles and insecurity. Just like us.

They make their own tea, drive their own cars, and watch TV as a family, just like everyone else. Mirren's monarch is slyly humorous, as is her husband, Prince Phillip and the Queen Mum. It's actually quite funny - in a dark way - when the Queen Mum is told that Diana's funeral will be held at the exact place where the Queen Mum herself has planned her own funeral! She's broken-hearted but understanding.

The relationship between the Queen and Prince Charles is also very interesting. While the fact that one is Queen and the other the Heir to the Throne must always be present in their relationship, they are first and foremost mother and son. And the sympathetic way in which Charles is portrayed is both surprising and welcome.

Michael Sheen plays Blair as an Everyman, and does a wonderful job. His obvious affection for the anachronistic trappings of the Monarchy is obvious, even while he's busy trying to "modernize" his country.

As an American, it's hard to understand the dichotomous love/hate relationship England has for Her Majesty, and the Windsors as a whole, but it is utterly fascinating to watch. How The Queen realizes that tradition and what is proper has changed in the minds of her subjects, and how she adjusts to it, is remarkable.

And to see The Queen's hurt when she realizes the country does not understand that the family thinks of Diana's death as just that - a family tragedy and nothing more. This is a woman who became Queen of England as a teenager after seeing what it did to her father - and has served her subjects her whole life - and to be the subject of scorn and hatred like she was during that week was very hard for her to understand.

A remarkable woman and a remarkable film.

And Helen Mirren will sweep most of the best Actress honors come Awards Season.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

[Rick Nebiolo]

I'm very upset with myself that I went to see Marie Antoinette instead of this one. Good review, I think Andy Fox would agree.

~ Rick

PS Does anyone remember Hellen Miren doing something rather well in a famous scene from a notorious film from long ago? (Hint: It should be no big deal to Dom, or at least one would think [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]).

[pauliewalnuts]

Excellent movie. Nice review.

[Dominic]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm very upset with myself that I went to see Marie Antoinette instead of this one. Good review, I think Andy Fox would agree.

~ Rick

PS Does anyone remember Hellen Miren doing something rather well in a famous scene from a notorious film from long ago? (Hint: It should be no big deal to Dom, or at least one would think [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]).

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmm...I know she went full-frontal nude in The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. Is that what you mean? Mirren was not shy in her younger days...lots of nudity in her earlier movies. And she was beautiful.

[andyfox]

The Cook, The Thief, etc., was easily the worst movie I've ever seen. Including everything.

Nice review.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm very upset with myself that I went to see Marie Antoinette instead of this one. Good review, I think Andy Fox would agree.

~ Rick

PS Does anyone remember Hellen Miren doing something rather well in a famous scene from a notorious film from long ago? (Hint: It should be no big deal to Dom, or at least one would think [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]).

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmm...I know she went full-frontal nude in The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. Is that what you mean? Mirren was not shy in her younger days...lots of nudity in her earlier movies. And she was beautiful.

[/ QUOTE ]

The movie I'm thinking of was loathed by the critics. Well known American film critic Roger Ebert stated that XXXXXXX was the most repulsive film he had ever seen.

But in this one scene Helen was very, very, good.

~ Rick

[whiskeytown]

alas - I have no interest in this film -

which is funny, considering I've seen Helen for over 8 hrs now in the Elizabeth I's miniseries - (watched it twice) -

I have simply no interest in the current royals or anything related to Princess Di - I rembember being a lot more bummed about Mother Teresa that week -

rb

[Rick Nebiolo]

Thanks to your review I saw this movie tonight, once again being one of perhaps three people in the theatre.

Sometimes a movie takes you into a world you never thought you would see or even care to see, and does it in such a special and wonderful way that every moment is good. This was such a movie.

The Queen is nearly perfect. My one minor quibble was that Tony Blair seemed to be the good guy and on the right side in every scene he was in. I'm a Blair fan (of course I don't have to live in England, if I did perhaps I wouldn't be) but he just seemed too darn noble and good.

Thanks again for your great review Dom.

~ Rick

PS Mirren's performance will make me forget she ever did that other thing. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Dominic]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks to your review I saw this movie tonight, once again being one of perhaps three people in the theatre.

Sometimes a movie takes you into a world you never thought you would see or even care to see, and does it in such a special and wonderful way that every moment is good. This was such a movie.

The Queen is nearly perfect. My one minor quibble was that Tony Blair seemed to be the good guy and on the right side in every scene he was in. I'm a Blair fan (of course I don't have to live in England, if I did perhaps I wouldn't be) but he just seemed too darn noble and good.

Thanks again for your great review Dom.

~ Rick

PS Mirren's performance will make me forget she ever did that other thing. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I still have no clue about what movie you're talking about, but I'm glad my review got you to see The Queen...

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
I still have no clue about what movie you're talking about, but I'm glad my review got you to see The Queen...

[/ QUOTE ]

A deservedly panned movie had an orgy scene. In that scene there were about three or four brief shots of HM doing something normally done as SOP in the movies you used to work in. Her technique was far more erotic and stylish than anything I've seen (but then again I haven't seen much).

~ Rick