The Queen

As each of us can testify life is full of change. There are moments of joy mixed with great personal tragedies that each of us must face. We hold on to family traditions as an anchor to get over the most difficult of these changes, comforted by the familiarity these personal customs bring. For most of us theses changes and traditions are personal matters know only to those closest to us. For some people their every move is under the scrutiny of the unblinking eye of the public. Those people may have fame and fortune but they have lost the comfort of privacy. The latest film by director Stephen Frears, ‘The Queen’ shows the personal and public tribulations that surround Queen Elizabeth II in the turbulent year of 1997. This was a time when traditions, tragedy and politics all collided for the Queen of the United Kingdom. The film is incredibly well done. It may have lost five of the six Oscars it was nominated for but don’t be mislead, this is one of the best pictures to come around in many years.

The film opens on May 2^nd, 1997. Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) has just been elected to the position of Prime Minster, a post not held by his political party, the Labour Party, in almost two decades. Queen Elizabeth (Helen Mirren) is posing for her official portrait, expressing some doubts over the coming changes in the political climate of her country. Blair ran his landslide winning campaign on the basis of getting England ready for the coming millennium, a position that will further reduce the influence of the royal family. While the Queen in steeling to face the new political climate an early August morning is shattered when news that Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car crash in Paris along with her boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed. The Princess was one of the most popular royals in a long time and the British popular is stunned with grief. The people and the media look to the Queen and her family for their reaction but Queen Elizabeth is reticent to show any public reaction. In a public speech written by director of communications, Alastair Campbell (Mark Bazeley), Blair describes Diana as ‘the people’s princess’ a term that gathers rapid and widespread use. The Queen and her husband, Price Phillip (James Cromwell), are thankfully away from most of the public fray, staying in their Scottish vacation home, Balmoral Castle, instead of the more visible Buckingham House in London. Blair wants to do what the public is demanding; a public funeral for the late princess but the Queen demands a private ceremony, stating that since she was divorced she was no longer a member of the royal family. Prince Charles (Alex Jennings), looks at the mood of the population a bit differently than his mother. These are the people that he will have to deal with as their king and he supports the more modern trend of the country. He makes sure his ex-wife’s casket is properly draped with a royal standard showing her continued connection to the family. Blair is also a man caught in the middle. His wife Cherie (Helen McCrory) views the monarchy as an outdated concept that will only hold Britain back in the new millennium. Blair has been for modernizing the country but now the grief of the nation has softened many towards the royal family. Many in the population want a public expression of grief from the crown. This is something that Blair could exploit politically but he is not ready to use the loss of a popular royal figure for such gain. He comes to respect the dedication that the Queen shows to her position, her innate sense of duty to her family and their subjects. Still he must respond to the demands of the public and when he has the national flag flown at half mass and speaks on television about the late princess Queen Elisabeth, her husband and her mother (Sylvia Syms) are outraged. Finally the Queen gives in feeling her obligation to her people must override her personal feelings and she makes a televised statement about Diana and her charity work.

For most of us public figures like the Queen of England and the Prime Minster are their titles, not real human beings. Stephen Frears not only pushes this façade aside he shows the public people as very real, conflicted individuals. The script by Peter Morgan gives Frears the platform to create a work that is complex and intriguing. This is a film that needs to be seen many times. Each time you will come out with something new, some aspect you may have initially missed. This is a hallmark of a truly incredible film, one that will become an instant classic. There is an attention to detail here that is a joy to watch. The audience is pulled into this world that most can only imagine. In humanizing the characters Frears allows the audience to connect with them. Elisabeth may be the Queen but she is also a mother, not a big fan of the woman who was divorced from her son. The film is so well paced. In a story like this there is a danger of dragging in some of the more emotional moments but Frears holds your interest throughout the piece. He could have played this story in a more sensational way which would have reduced it to something that Lifetime would have rejected as too exploitive. Instead he takes the high road and gives us a film that is based on human emotions and how a sense of duty has to change how we see the world.

This is one of the best casts that could be imagined. Not only do they capture the look and body language of their subjects they give performances that are nothing less than mesmerizing. Helen Mirren certainly deserved that golden man named Oscar that now sits in her home. Within minutes of her coming on screen you will completely forget that she is an actress playing a part; she is Queen Elizabeth. Most have only seen the Queen waving to the people but here we look behind the private walls. Mirren gives a look at a woman born to duty. She is fundamentally a very private person who has to maintain a very public persona. It is difficult for an actor to create an emotional connection when she plays a person living in a castle but Mirren brings the role down to the person who happens to be Queen. Michael Sheen basically reprises his role from the 2003 television drama ‘The Deal’. Actually, this film picks up about where that one left off. He shows Blair as a man conflicted by his position. He is a public servant but also is a loyal subject. He portrays Blair as a man who has to juggle his personal life with the demands of his public service. James Cromwell is one of the most amazing character actors ever. He can play anything from a pig farmer to a rocket scientist with equal commitment and talent. Here he is the perfect choice for Prince Phillip. He is a man who lives in the shadow ofr his wife yet still loves her as a husband and advisor. Together this cast shows people at the cusp of a major change and how they deal with it publicly and personally.

Miramax Home Entertainment has brought this film to DVD with the attention and respect it so richly deserves. The 1.85:1 anamorphic video is simply put flawless. The color balance is rich with a tonal quality that is realistic and natural. The Dolby 5.1 audio surrounds you not so much overtly but gently, pulling you into the often intimate moments. There are two audio commentary tracks provided. The first is by British historian, Robert Lacey. He goes into the realism of the work and how the week depicted here change the monarchy and the Prime Minister. Next there is another commentary by the director and writer. They go into the difficulties presented in bringing such public figures to the screen in a human fashion. Of course there is also a behind the scenes, making of featurette. No matter what you think of royalty this is an absolute must have film.

Posted 04/10/07