The Queen,
released in 2006, was nominated for six Academy Awards (including Best Picture)
and Best Original Screenplay. I couldn’t find a film beginning with the letter
Q that had won Best Original Screenplay, so resorted to a list of those that
had been nominated. Helen Mirren won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal
of Queen Elizabeth II. (Best Original Screenplay that year went to Little Miss Sunshine.)
I remember
well exactly where I was in my life when I heard that Princess Diana had died.
I was shocked and angry at the paparazzi that surely contributed to the fatal
accident. I had never been one to follow Diana’s activities with zealous
interest, and yet I certainly had heard enough about her to mourn the loss of
this special woman.
The Queen examines the week following Diana’s death from the perspective of
the royal family, and that of recently elected Prime Minister Tony Blair
(Michael Sheen). The Queen’s initial reluctance to acknowledge Diana’s death
publicly was a mistake she was severely criticized for. Some of what is
depicted is surely the result of writers/filmmakers’ creative imagination, but
it all serves to make a point about Diana’s tragic death. I appreciated the
film as one who is not all that familiar with the British monarchy and
England’s strange obeisance to a centuries old tradition of honoring this
genealogical line. I came away from the film having gained some insight into
the tradition that uses God’s will as a reason for this family’s privilege.
The scenery shown
as the royal family goes stalking (hunting) in the week following Diana’s death
is stark, yet beautiful. It is a part of the British Isles I had not seen before:
40,000 mountainous and mostly treeless acres belonging to the royal family.
The Queen and Prince Philip (James Cromwell) are at Balmoral
Castle, along with Diana’s sons and Prince Charles (Alex Jennings) and
eventually return to London where they see the mourners and tributes that have
been left to honor Diana in front of the palace. Diana was the “People’s
Princess,” well loved and respected, despite the divorce that seems to have
scandalized the royal family more than the general public.
Liberal use of archival footage of Princess Diana is
sprinkled throughout the film. I thought that this must have been a very
stressful time for Mr. Blair, having just met the Queen and then dealing with
the public’s reaction to what appeared to them to be a lack of sympathy for the
death of Diana, their heroine.
The film is rated PG-13 for brief strong language. If you
remember Diana fondly, I think you will appreciate this film. Helen Mirren is a
great actress and her role as Queen Elizabeth is one that likely gave her many
challenges, especially being that the Queen is still alive. Although it is the
Queen’s story being told here, for me it was really all about remembering Diana.
And for that reason, I recommend The
Queen.
