Film Reviews ....

The Queen Reigns in England and Hollywood

By Elaine Radford

The Queen is a film that is all about character—the Queen of England. There would be no story without the Queen. She generates the action, the conflict, and the resolution.

Helen Mirren plays the role of Queen so seamlessly that she appears to have slipped into the skin of the real Queen Elizabeth II. From the very first scene, we stop thinking of Helen Mirren as an actress playing a part. She walks, talks, carries her handbag like the Queen, and convinces us that she is indeed royalty.

The deftly written screenplay for this docudrama focuses on the conduct of Queen Elizabeth and the British Royal Family following the tragic death of Princess Diana. The story is set in 1997, when Tony Blair was elected as the new Prime Minister. We learn that the Royal Family had been struggling for years to manage the scandal surrounding the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. When the beloved Diana is suddenly and tragically killed in an automobile accident, along with her lover, Dodi Fahed, the British people expect their Queen to respond.

The plot of the film revolves around Queen Elizabeth’s conduct in the week after the tragedy as the profoundly grief-stricken public waits and watches for the Queen to respond. We see that while Elizabeth and the Royal Family carry on their daily lives, maintaining their traditional customs and rituals, the nation mourns the loss of their beloved storybook Princess Diana.

The film captures the public’s inconsolable grief. A moving scene focuses on a shrine of flowers the public has created in front of Buckingham Palace. Soon, the British people begin to question the absence of a response from the Queen. They want to know if she and the Royal Family share their feelings. They want the British flag that flies over the palace to fly at half-mast. The Queen’s persistent silence creates a crisis when the public begins to question the necessity and the very existence of the British monarchy.

Scenes in the Royal chambers show the Queen and Royal Family debating over flying the flag at half-mast and making a public statement. It would break with tradition. Princess Di’s death is considered a private matter. The Princess is no longer part of the Royal Family even though she is the mother of the Queen’s grandsons, who are future heirs to the throne.

In the film, Tony Blair uses his powers of persuasion to urge the Queen to acknowledge the nation’s grief by speaking to the people and flying the flags over the palaces at half mast. But Elizabeth’s entire life has been steeped in tradition, in carrying out her duties as leader of the British monarchy. This time, her silence has created a crisis for the monarchy.

Will the Queen allow her nation to guide her actions, or will she be bound by outdated traditions and customs? Will she do the right thing and demonstrate that the Royal Family shares the nation’s grief? One poignant scene with a small child in a crowd becomes a turning point for the Queen, and she finally responds to her people.

This film is a gem in every way. It has an Academy Award performance by Helen Mirren; a flawless, original screenplay by Peter Morgan; and a director, Stephen Frears, who brings out the best in everyone. Applause also goes to supporting roles by Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, James Cromwell as Prince Philip, Alex Jennings as Prince Charles, and Sylvia Syms as the Queen Mother.