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Usually, Maryann is the one who gets to write about the Royal Family. But, this week, it’s my turn.
On the night that Diana, the Princess of Wales, was killed in Paris, the world seemed to stand still, shocked and in disbelief. Diana was, as Prime Minister Tony Blair said the day after her death, “the people’s princess.” She was the one who put a human face on the Royal Family. And when she died, not just the British but the whole world mourned her—not as though they’d lost a public figure but as though they’d lost a close friend.
The Queen focuses on the days following Diana’s death and the reactions of the people, the Royal Family, and the young Prime Minister (played by Michael Sheen). The filmmakers set the stage with Blair’s election, depicting the frosty relations between Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren), who had ruled the country since Churchill’s time, and the new Prime Minister, who vowed to modernize the country. Their differences become even more apparent after Diana’s death. Despite Blair’s urging that the Royal Family return to London from their estate in the north to publicly mourn with the rest of the country, the Queen chooses to remain at Balmoral and to keep Diana’s death a private matter (as has always been the case with the Royals). In a matter of days, she explains, the frenzy will die down—and, until then, it would be best for the young princes to stay at Balmoral and spend their days hunting.
Meanwhile, the people begin to wonder why the Queen hasn’t returned to London. They see her reaction (or lack thereof) as cold and inhuman—and the people’s normally high view of the monarchy begins to falter. And Blair is left to deal with the backlash—to try to do damage control while begging the Queen to listen to him.
While no one but the Royals and Tony Blair will ever know what really happened during the week after Diana’s death, The Queen gives a fascinating portrayal—a fictional story based on actual events and punctuated with actual footage. Blair comes out of it looking especially rosy—uneasy yet wise…and just an all-around good guy. The Knight in Shining Armor. And the Queen comes out of it looking especially human (a real human, who watches TV and drives through rivers in Land Rovers and trudges around in boots and kerchiefs)—though not always especially good. Mirren depicts the Queen as a woman divided. She’s been taught through the years to follow tradition, to remain unchanged and unaffected, to be strong and emotionless. To be The Queen. At the same time, she’s beginning to see that things aren’t the same as they once were—that the people expect something different. And she’s torn between following tradition and being the Queen the people want her to be.
Of the entire Royal Family, the Queen comes off looking the best—far from Prince Philip (James Cromwell), who comes off looking like an opinionated jerk who hated Diana, and Prince Charles, (Alex Jennings), who appears to be kind and sensitive yet paranoid and weak. And while audiences won’t necessarily always like the Queen, Mirren’s spectacular portrayal will make audiences understand her—and maybe even feel for her.
The Queen may be a controversial film, but it was done especially well. While, as I said earlier, we can’t be sure what really happened, the film’s portrayal of the Queen seems fair—not particularly glowing, mind you, but not harsh, either. It doesn’t take cheap shots—nor does it really take a strong stance. Mirren’s performance alone makes it worth seeing, but if you have a fascination with the Royals (regular readers of Maryann’s column take note), be sure to see it.
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