And the Oscar goes to....Helen Mirren for "The Queen"
Written: Feb 25 '07 (Updated Feb 28 '07)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Excellent story, a part of history.
Cons: nothing for me.
The Bottom Line: After tonight's Oscar Show, The Queen will be around in movie theaters again - go see it while you have a chance.
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| gaelkm's Full Review: The Queen |
Helen Mirren's performance as Queen Elizabeth II, the current reigning monarch of Great Britain was, in my opinion, flawless. She was, in her role, neither understated, nor over the top. She was perfect.
The Queen is a film that gives the viewer some insight into the life of Queen Elizabeth in the days just following the death of Princess Diana, the ex-wife of Elizabeth's son, Prince Charles. The reaction of the family is shown, including a grieving Prince Charles, and a somewhat scornful, Prince Philip (husband of Elizabeth), played by James Cromwell.
The family appears shocked as they watch the endless news coverage of the story, which happened on August 31, 1997. Michael Sheen is outstanding in his role as Tony Blair, who was the brand new Prime Minister that very week, is schooled on what to do and say when he meets the Queen for the first time. He soon becomes instrumental in acting as liaison between the Queen and her well-rehearsed statement to the grieving public over Diana's death.
I found it fascinating to watch Mirren as she went through her "day" around the Palace. The way she "behaves" while with family members in her living quarters was much like anyone else would be, except that she is the Queen of England. Of course, some of the things she does are things that anyone would do, such as when she goes out to walk her five corgis! It was easy to forget that this Queen was the talented, Helen Mirren, she was that excellent in this role. Even looking at the Queen's "apartments" was intriguing to me because while very nicely furnished, did not appear to be overly ostentatious. It almost felt like being a fly on the wall peering in on the life of the Queen.
Cromwell as Prince Philip was as he appears to be when I've seen him in photos...critical and disdainful. The Queen, however, was much more sympathetic. She even speaks with her mother, the very old, Queen Mum, asking her what she should do. The British are sometimes thought to keep that "stiff upper lip". In the days following Diana's death, it appears, through watching this movie, that she didn't quite know what to do about the situation, so she did nothing, thinking that her silence was somehow appropriate.
The Queen is human, after all. Tony Blair's advice to her helped her in the eyes of the people. The Queen does have a heart and two scenes illustrated that more than any others. One is when she is out "hunting" and her Range Rover becomes stuck in a flowing stream. She realizes she's stranded, calls for help and sits down to wait. During those moments she spots a magnificent buck nearby, looking at her. She tries to "shoo" it away in an effort to save its life. Another touching moment occurs when Philip and Elizabeth look at the flowers and notes left by throngs of Diana's admirers and a young girl gives a bouquet to Elizabeth. This greatly surprises her, because she has presumed that these flowers were also for Diana.
The cinematography, direction (Stephen Frears) and writing (Peter Morgan) are all deserving of Oscars as well.
I would see this 97 minute movie again, in a heartbeat, which I rarely say about a movie.
~thanks for reading~
©gkm.
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Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Serious Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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