Oscars: 1 Win (Lead Actress (Helen Mirren)) 6 nominations (Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Score, Costume Design)
AFI 100 years, 100 _____ tributes: None
Runtime: 1h 37min
Best quote: "Sleeping in the streets and pulling out their hair for someone they never knew. And they think we're mad!" - Prince Philip:
This is not a biography of Her Majesty The Queen, but rather a biography of a moment in her life, a terrible week in 1997 when Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in an automobile accident.
Helen Mirren gives an outstanding performance as the Queen, as good as Jamie Foxx was in Ray. Mirren steals the show with her portrayal, frequently butting heads with a young Tony Blair. The Prime Minister, newly elected, and the Queen, clash over details of the Princess' funeral. The Queen, selfishly, wishes for a private funeral while the Prime Minister wishes for a public funeral.
In fact, even though the film centers on the princess' death, we never do see her on screen, played by another actress. No, her part is trimmed to archive footage, and even then is used sparingly. Alex Jennings on the other hand, plays her ex-husband, Prince Charles, poorly, but his portrayal gets his points across without brining down the film. Diana's own children, Harry and William are almost never seen, save one quick glance when we learn the horrible news. the film is not about them, and it was wise not to show them too much, as casting someone in those roles would have not done them justice at all.
Tony Blair, played remarkably well by Michael Sheen, makes a statement to the public soon after the Princess' death.
"She was the people's Princess," he states, and with that, the newly elected Prime Minister has won the people of the United Kingdom.
The Queen, on the other hand, can't understand what all the fuss is about. It is only when she finds out that a magnificent 14-point deer she had happened upon is killed that she realizes what Diana meant to the people. If she had said anything about the deer, people might wonder what her fuss was about. Now things click. Maybe she is out of touch with the people after all.
Every scene is shot solemnly and with dignity befitting the Queen herself. The score is like that of a fairy tale, soft and quirky but powerful when it needs to be. The screenplay is a glimpse into Queen Elizabeth's private life, something few of us ever get to see, and the dialogue is full of Britishisms and jokes that most of us won't even get. But It is straightforward, focused, and never strays from the topic at hand. The story doesn't go wandering into conspiracy theories or tabloid gossip, but rather stays neutral to the details and only gives us the true facts. We are left to judge for ourselves.
The film stars, and revolves around Helen Mirren. It is her film; she plays the Queen of England like no one else could or ever will again. Mirren is a cinch to win the Oscar for Best Actress and damned if she doesn't deserve it.
Movies it was nominated with for Best Picture:
Babel; The Departed; Letters from Iwo Jima; Little Miss Sunshine
Is the movie worth your time to watch?
9/10 28-01-07
Age at win: 62
Nominated for: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Queen Elizabeth II, The Queen
Nomination: 3/3 (acting), 3/3 (total); Win: 1st
Dame Helen Miren's transformation into Queen Elizabeth II is something to behold. In fact, she is the movie.
Miren captivates in every scene she is in. Like Jamie Foxx in Ray, as Ray Charles, or Jim Carrey in Man on the Moon as Andy Kaufman, Miren takes the picture into her hands makes it her own.
Much can be said of her pre work for this film. SHe gets every manerism down exactly as the real queen moves. Mirren waves like Queen Elizabeth; she talks, walks and acts like her, too.
It is an exceptional performance that Mirren gives and is one well deserving of the Academy Award.
25-08-08
