In The Queen, Mirren transforms into the stoic Elizabeth II, full of arrogance, refusing to modernize her ways of ruling the monarchy. When Princess Diana tragically dies, the queen refuses to give Diana a royal funeral or deviate ever so slightly from the usual protocol, stirring up the British people. With a "screw everyone" attitude, the queen refuses to give in to the public despite the growing rebellion against the queen, the royal family and eventually the entire monarchy.Mirren is brilliant in The Queen, with a stoicism that made me think, "I never thought a little old lady could scare me so much." And where Matt Damon failed in The Good Shepherd with a similar role, Mirren succeeds and goes way beyond expectations earning her nominations for Best Actress at every major awards ceremony this year. She first appears to be immune from feelings, with absolutely no reaction whatsoever to Princess Diana's death. However, as the film continues, and her support system crumbles, so does her emotional block toward the world. In one scene, the queen has gotten her car stuck, and while waiting for help to arrive she spots a deer. She becomes overwhelmed by the natural beauty of life, represented by the deer, and in this scene we see the first signs of emotion from her.
Another brilliant performance was given by Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, who balances out Mirren's performance with his upbeat attitude and modern views on the monarchy. Sheen's character sees the flaws in the royal family, saying things like, "will someone please save these people from themselves," but also has an unwavering respect for the queen, even when all others have turned their backs on her. He is the voice of reason, and the people's savior for most of the film, naming Diana "the people's princess" and trying to encourage the queen to take action while dealing with the stubborn and obnoxious members of the royal family.
The Queen is a royal masterpiece, with Mirren's performance to boot. Her portrayal of Elizabeth II is stoic yet extremely strong, and with her constant rude actions toward Blair, the film has many comical moments, giving such a heavy film a light air to it for the perfect balance. This year in film, Mirren IS the queen.
Grade: A-
2 comments:
In the film, Prince Charles tells his mother, "The Diana we knew was very different than the Diana idolized by the public", but this truth is never developed in the film. I'll mention it here.
While the "people's princess" remains the icon of superficial popular culture, the Royals knew a very different, darker character behind the facades of glamour and pseudo-compassion.
Both Diana and her brother, Charles Spencer, suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder caused by their mother's abandoning them as young children. A google search reveals that Diana is considered a case study in BPD by mental health professionals.
For Charles Spencer, BPD meant insatiable sexual promiscuity (his wife was divorcing him at the time of Diana's death). For Diana, BPD meant intense insecurity and insatiable need for attention and affection which even the best husband could never fulfill.
Clinically, it's clear that the Royal family did not cause her "problems". Rather, Diana brought her multiple issues into the marriage, and the Royal family was hapless to deal with them.
Her illness, untreated, sowed the seeds of her fast and unstable lifestyle, and sadly, her tragic fate.
The film is brilliant, but it is fiction. In reality, Her Majesty is neither rude, arrogant, or unfeeling, according to those who know her.
The Queen's reaction to Diana's death surely covered a range of ambivalent feelings, and was not just a cold insistence on protocol, as suggested by the film.
I loved this movie.
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