THE QUEEN

"This is a private matter"

The summer of 1997 changed Britain forever. After eighteen years of Conservative Government, Tony Blair's (Sheen) new Labour marched into power with a landslide electoral victory. As Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren) was introduced to her tenth Prime Minister, her Majesty and the rest of the Royal family are weary of the new Government's push for change. On 31st August a change came that no one could have ever expected, Diana Princess of Wales was tragically killed in a car accident. As grief took hold of the British public, the Royal family remained silent and distant much to the annoyance of the new Government and the nation.

The death of Diana Princess of Wales in 1997 saw an unprecedented show of public grief but as the people mourned her passing, the Royal family stayed silent.

Director Stephen Frears brings a dramatisation of the Royal family's reaction to the death of a woman they saw as an embarrassment and someone who was giving them far too much negative media attention. At a time of deepest sorrow for her two grandsons, the Queen decided to protect them by keeping the young men away from the media and all of the extensive coverage by keeping silent and saying it was a private family matter. As people around the world mourned Diana's passing, the Royal family shut themselves away from the world at Balmoral in the highlands of Scotland.

Making a story about the current Royal family was always going to be a controversial topic, especially when the subject matter is less than ten years old. This was a time of grief for a family and a nation and an event that was unprecedented in history. The Government, the establishment and most importantly, the Royal family themselves didn't realise how the people of the world would react to Diana's death. The film dramatises the Royal's reaction and doesn't portray them in the best of lights.

Prince Phillip, played by James Cromwell with an excellent English accent, comes across as arrogant and pompous, looking down on the British people and totally despising all of the attention that Diana's death was receiving. Prince Charles is a man who is scared of his mother and so desperately in need of showing his grief and giving her the funeral she and her grandson deserve. The Queen Mother, played by Sylvia Syms, is a woman stuck in her ways and seems that she doesn't really care about the British people at all.

The Queen herself is also portrayed as been out of touch with the nation for part of the movie but in this case it is an integral part of the plot. It is this event that makes Her Majesty realise that the Royals are becoming out of touch with the nation. Helen Mirren is quite simply astonishing in the role, capturing the voice, look and mannerisms of Queen Elizabeth II to perfection. She has always been an actress of immense talent but this is a role that will win her all the plaudits she deserves.

Michael Sheen plays the new Labour Prime Minster Tony Blair for the second time, after appearing in the TV movie 'The Deal', which was also directed by Stephen Frears. The scenes between him and the Queen are what drive the movie, as he tries to advise her what to do and how to react to the plot. The confrontation between Government and the Head of State is a fascinating one and one that is fuelled by spin and the media.

'The Queen' is a dramatisation of the events that does stray slightly into the realm of soap opera from time to time. The portrayal of some members of the Royal family is less than flattering and it does make Prime Minster Tony Blair into the man who saves the situation and knows the hearts and minds of the British people. The movie is all about the performance of Helen Mirren however and it is her performance that draws you into the film and pushes it beyond Royal caricatures and melodrama. 'The Queen' might not ever be by royal appointment but it is certainly regal.

The Deal

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2006