The Queen
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Movie Reviews of The Queen
Movie Review: Superb. Hip hip hurrah and Rule, Britannia.
Summary: 5 Stars
Saw the film in the theaters, bought the (pricey) DVD when it came out. That's because this film is especially well-crafted by all the participants.
Helen Mirren goes as an actress all the way down into her body to come up with perfect pitch.
Jim Cromwell as Prince Phillip understands perfectly what a rotter, and how utterly damaged as a human being, Prince Phillip is. Chap who plays his son has the tension in the family, and the POW's inability to break through the "enchanted glass" of a family romance, upon which rests such a weight of memory, down pat.
The phrase "The Enchanted Glass" is from an excellent book by Tom Nairn about the subconscious of monarchy, and the way that Britain is more or less stuck with it absent a disaster such as happened to the Hapsburgs.
Mirren and Cromwell document the passing of an era dominated by the unadmittedly fearful shadow of what had happened to Britain and Britons in WWII and the long years after of rationing and the end of Empire.
The film documents a moment of hope which was reversed when Britain realized that its financial markets, and hence its foreign policy, were in thrall to the USA and went roaring in the old style into Iraq.
To its credit the film does not document a transformation in Elizabeth so much as a moment of greatness when the "real" Queen realized the truth of Charles de Gaulles' advice to her when young, and this was to realize that she was in for a life sentence, and thereby to understand that a Constitutional monarch's lot is not a happy one. She had to represent the gay men and the fat chaps sleeping on the streets, she had, in a minor key, to imitate Emperor Hirohito when he got on the radio to say that "Japan must endure the unendurable and suffer the insufferable" in 1945.
She had to surrender to time and change, and a Britain no longer in thrall to the posh alone.
She realizes how dismayed her father was when his own elder brother bugged out in 1937 and how the stresses of being George VI may have killed her Dad, who smoked himself to death.
The film is an elegant lesson in the meaning of the unwritten British constitution, right down to the strange way in which hierarchies parallel each other, with Blair's men meeting with court flunkeys who spend two hours arguing the merits of a gun carriage as an hearse for a Princess no longer, don't y'know, a Princess.
What we need next is a film treatment of the Princess who here appears only as herself in film clips, but Parliament needs to pass a law that a certain Madonna Ciccione from the USA is not to be allowed anywhere near the casting couch for that role: I say this because that woman, who is talented in certain regards but not in others, destroyed filmdom's chances to bring Evita Peron to life on the silver screen. Elton John in drag, or any number of gay chaps, would do a better job as Princess Diana in the same way boys played Cleopatra in Shakespeare's day.
This treatment may start up as a Broadway and West End musical but if you ask me, only first-rate actors and writers should be allowed anywhere near this subject. The tastefulness of The Queen shows what happens below blockbuster level where the makers of the film aren't bullyragged as they are in movies aimed at 14 year olds.
A xenophile can see a "foreign" film (although British films are not really all that "foreign" to Americans save self-moronized Texans) and get all patriotic for the wrong country: this happens to the sensitive chap in watching the Gance Napoleon. I can only hazard that this film will manufacture consent to the (relatively) harmless, if rather pricey, institution of the Monarch, although it gives some time, but short shrift, to Cherie Blair's Jacobite sympathies.
The moral is don't fix it if it isn't broke, and the adventure of Iraq demonstrates that flawed institutions should never be replaced unless absolutely necessary.
Movie Review: A study in contrasts
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Queen" is, far and away, Stephen Frears' best film to date. That's saying a lot since his "Dangerous Liasions" is one of my favorite films of all time. While "Dangerous Liasions" is about power and cruelty, The Queen allows you a glimpse behind the scenes of power, and illustrates that everyone, no matter how famous or how powerful, stumbles a little in life, and fortunately has a person or persons around them that save them from themselves.
A study in contrasts of style and substance is the theme of the film -- the events that brought together Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) and her new Prime Minister, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen). Had it not been for the sudden, almost inexplicable death of the tragic Princess Diana, followed by the schism in terms of reaction between her people and the Queen, Elizabeth and Tony may have taken years to get comfortable with one another, years to understand each other, years to forge the kind of relationship that works for the UK.
These two actors are brilliant in their roles. Mirren goes beyond the traditional caricature of the Queen as stodgy, opinionated, and totally in control/disdain of her family members' lives and foibles. She gives us the Queen as an extraordinary woman made humble by events she did not create and could not fathom. Her reaction to them, her eventual awareness and response, is, for lack of a better word, queenly. Mirren, the redoubtable Jane Tennyson of the brilliant "Prime Suspect" series, is the best actress of her time (yes, Meryl Streep, that includes you). Michael Sheen, on the other hand, may not portray Tony Blair as he really is (how would I know?) but the contrast of his coltish, disarming charm and his leadership style at the beginning of his term as Prime Minister (and the obvious affection from staff and family, for his ability to be real, to be the kind of leader that one would follow into hell ) to his growing confidence that he can, by the truth of his understanding and his willingness to continue to persevere, to bring the tragedy from the brink, all of it is captured in his performance.
Frears benefits from a brilliant script by Peter Morgan, but turns the script into an extraordinary film by the perfection of his choices and his editing. He chooses to recreate scenes that have never been filmed (the crowd in front of the hotel before Diana emerged to her car and her subsequent death the scene of Charles arriving at the hospital) and mixes them with real film clips of Diana in life, and some of the real film of the funeral events. Choosing NOT to recreate Diana with an actress was sheer genius, and the mix of clips and live action was incredibly well done. Mixing the filmmaker's/writer's interpretation of what must have happened in the series of entreating phone calls between Blair and the Queen, making both vulnerable by showing little shots of daily life -- the cozy, contemporary chaos of the Blair house, the deliberacy of the Queen taking off and putting on her glasses, tells the story of how the power shifted between them (perhaps?) in a way that not even his fine actors could do. Choosing a breathtaking but not imposing score for the film and making the shots of Balmoral ( the almost forbidding surroundings) come to life as the barrier between the Queen and her people...well, Frear has taken what could be an ordinary, dull film about a living monarch to the realms of an incredible character study, played out against a backdrop that stands stark in the memory of people all over the world.
Was the crown really endangered by Elizabeth's reaction to the tragedy? Did she change her stance because of the leverage of Blair's campaign, his truth? Is Frears film opinion, or is it reality? Somewhere in the middle? It matters not. It's unique, it's powerful, it's a shame that it won't be viewed in wider release, because it is the best film, so far, this year.
Movie Review: A CLOSE CALL
Summary: 5 Stars
There are several themes to this excellent and most original and interesting film; but what it is about more than anything else is how political regimes and whole dynasties can be undone on account of a single error of judgment. It is only near the end that Her Majesty warns her prime minister that this will happen to him, and happen suddenly and without warning. It had nearly happened to her, he had been the saving of her on this occasion, and her dire prediction for him probably holds an uneasy message for herself too.
At the start the Queen is full of regal self-assurance, neatly putting her boyish and slightly nervous novice of a prime minister in his place by telling him he is sitting where Churchill once sat. In next to no time the positions are reversed, as Blair's acute political antennae tell him that HM is in imminent danger of losing her subjects' allegiance, something that would have been unimaginable only days previously, through trusting her own judgment and listening to the advice of her husband and her mother in respect of how to react to the death of Princess Diana. Throughout the crisis Blair is adroit and sure-footed, the monarch is made to realise bitterly from the newspapers how he has it right and she has been hopelessly at sea, but unlike her family counsellors she has the wit to swallow her pride and retrieve the situation before it slides beyond retrieval. This one incident could have undone a lifetime of unswerving dedication, universally acknowledged, to her country, and put the skids under the House of Windsor itself. Her warning to Blair is really made from a new sense of respect and a shocked realisation of how quickly and brutally the tables can turn. And how right she has been. This film does not make the matter explicit, but any viewer can sense the irony of Blair's own political fate. For years he seemed unable to put a foot wrong as far as the public were concerned, his luck was near-incredible (and his political nous was enormously greater than Churchill's); and then he blew it all with one foolish and ill-considered assertion in the Commons about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Just one mistake, when one is not sensing danger, is enough.
The depiction of the main players is brilliant, and I found it fascinating to guess just how accurate it may be. Leaks, rumours, gossip and memoirs certainly descend on the public these days like leaves in Vallombrosa, giving us some shaky basis for forming a judgment. In the nature of the case a prime minister has to make himself (or herself) familiar to a rightly suspicious electorate, but a monarch should always retain some mystique, and the other dramatis personae, even the heir to the throne, are only intermittently in the limelight. Inevitably and rightly the film's characterisation is creative, but it is coherent and convincing provided one does not mistake it for portraiture from life. The acting has been widely praised and I concur entirely. The atmosphere is beautifully touched in too, from the family life of the Blairs (and the Windsors) to the blokeish informality of the New Labour apparatchiks in Downing Street and above all the hushed flunkeyish reverence accorded to the Queen, cocooning her in the chrysalis that nearly devoured her.
I hope there is no possibility of a sequel, as a masterpiece like this should be left unique. Within days now Her Britannic Majesty will be welcoming a new prime minister whom she probably suspects of being a closet republican, as I suspect he is too. I shall be watching out all the same for one thing that this film says clearly through the lips of Cherie Blair, something to the effect that all Labour prime ministers finish up devoted to the Queen. Maybe it will be the same story with Brown, but I wonder how matters will stand once the monarch is no longer Elizabeth II. When that becomes the case the story of Princess Diana is likely to open a new chapter.
Movie Review: Inside the Gilded Cage
Summary: 5 Stars
At an early point in THE QUEEN, Prince Charles comments that the Princess Diana known to the royal family and the Princess Diana known to the people are two entirely different entities. It is an astute observation, and much the same might be said of Queen Elizabeth II herself, a woman who has spent most of her life upholding the dignities, responsibilities, and duties of the crown regardless of her personal sentiments--and who has worked remarkably hard to keep those sentiments out of the public eye.
THE QUEEN focuses on the week following Princess Diana's fatal car crash, and Princess Diana's presence broods over the film in the form of actual news footage. But THE QUEEN focuses on Elizabeth, and as presented here she is a woman whose life has been dominated by the discipline required of her office. She has authority, wealth, and priviledge of such degree that it is far, far beyond the scope of all but handful to imagine, much less understand. At the same time, however, she is a prisoner in a gilded cage; few moments are hers alone, and only her iron-clad will upholds her in the face of the demands of her office.
It not therefore surprising that upon Diana's death Elizabeth instantly sets aside her own emotions and moves forward inside the code of conduct that has dominated her entire life. Even her concerns for her grandsons must take second place to the demands of her office, and in this instance she determines that the office demands the same stability she has always offered to her people: a calm and unruffled visage and adherence to the meticulous protocol that has shaped her entire life. This proves a great miscalculation. The public, enamored of Diana, interprets this as indicative of royal indifference.
Very little can be said of Helen Mirren's performance as Queen Elizabeth II which has not already been said. It is brilliant and quite possibly unequalled in its recreation and interpretation of such a well-known and still-living figure. It is perfectly balanced by Michael Sheen in the role of Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose habitual informality offers a perfect counter-balance, and the remarkable efforts of those cast as the royals: James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms, Alex Jennings, and Helen McCrory, who play Prince Philip, The Queen Mother, Prince Charles, and Cherie Blair respectively. The tone of the film is cool, graceful, elegant, and indeed stately--and although this might have emerged as dull in other hands, it builds to a remarkable climax in the hands of Stephen Frears.
The one occasionally questionable note is the script by Peter Morgan. In one sense, it is remarkably resourceful, managing to include considerable detail; in another, however, it is extremely obvious. I was occasionally troubled by the thought that, had it not been fueled by the miraculous performances of the cast, it would have drifted into triteness. This is particularly the case in terms of character shifts, which occasionally seem unexpected and which occasionally go nowhere in particular.
It would be interesting to know what the royals and the Blairs think of the film. At present there has been--in typical Buckingham Palace style--little or no comment. The Queen herself has only noted that, given that it focuses upon a particularly painful time, she has no desire to see it. In terms of quality, the DVD is quite good without being dazzling. Bonuses include a short and generally interesting, if not particularly deep, "making of" documentary and two audio commentaries: one by director Stephen Frears and writer Peter Morgan, which is good, and one by royal expert Robert Lacey, which is better still. Strongly recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Movie Review: A very fine film of events most of us remember, but what happened behind the public scenes
Summary: 5 Stars
This really is a very good movie and I think Helen Mirren is wonderful in this performance. Frankly, I prefer her portrayal of this Elizabeth to her fine performance of the first Elizabeth. Of course, this is a more personal and private story and it is the intimacy without all the accoutrements of history that I enjoyed so much.
I suppose it helps to have at least a passing understanding of the British system of government, its society, and the function of the Queen and the Royal Family. If you are a thoroughgoing Republican (in their sense - that is anti-monarchist) you probably cannot work up much interest or sympathy for the Queen and much of what the movie offers will simply not be available to you. So, I hope you can see her as a woman, a real person, who is in this position in her government and in history. Notice how she came to the throne as a very young woman (only talked about, but not shown in the movie - but can be found on the BBC website).
The story centers around the events of the coming to power of Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) as Prime Minster and the death of Princess Diana. The Queen, being raised during more austere times, particularly the furnace of the Second World War, did not believe in public displays of emotion or grieving. Add to that the fact the Diana was really no longer a member of the Royal Family when she died. It was felt that her death was a private affair. The Queen and her family are steeped in tradition and were following its protocols perfectly. They in no way were intending to minimize or insult Diana's memory. Prince Philip (James Cromwell) is quite supportive of tradition and the Queen, but seems quite oblivious to the world outside the grounds of Balmoral or the other palaces.
What they did not appreciate was the way the public had taken Diana to its collective heart. She was a celebrity even more than royalty and the public felt a loss that required the Queen to participate in a new way. According to the movie, it was Tony Blair, with some help by Prince Charles (Alex Jennings), who played the key role in helping them understand this new requirement. It was actually a new and heavier burden the public placed on the Royal Family, but the public did not and does not care.
I especially liked the way Tony Blair grows in appreciation for Elizabeth and the way she fulfills her role. The pressures of being Prime Minister almost certainly contributed to that appreciation. A key scene is when his staff is bashing the Queen yet again and Blair has had enough and sets them straight about the appreciation they should have for her.
The most touching scenes are when the Queen is driving her Land Rover around her estate wearing her royal scarf over her hair and being as close to a normal person as she can ever be. Fascinating. Another touching scene is her appearance outside the gate viewing the huge displays of flowers and notes the public left for Diana outside Buckingham Palace. The Queen maintains her public dignity as she reads some very insulting remarks about her and her family, but we know how much this wounds her.
The filmmakers have woven actual footage of the actual events into the movie itself and it is amazingly well done and does add to the sense of immediacy of the story. Anyone who remembers the actual events will still be drawn in by the movie's Tony Blair talking within footage that is matched carefully to the surrounding actual footage contemporary to Diana's death.
A very good movie and wonderfully worth seeing.