The Queen

Review By: Aaron Heredia
AaronHeredia@TheCinemaSource.com

The Queen is an inside look on an event that the world already knows. The story tells more than just the reaction to the death of Princess Diana, it shows how one woman is capable of carrying the pressure of the world on her shoulders. By the end of the movie, I was seeing Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) as a terrifying little woman, whom I deeply respected.

It’s not like the film could have had a surprise twist ending, seeing as it is a pretty accurate account of events that only happened ten years ago. I’m not very hip to the British culture scene, but even I remember where I was when the news broke of Diana’s death. I was surprised at how capable it was at holding my attention. The Queen is about the country’s response to death. It shows a distinction between private grief and public tragedy. The surprise is that on a governmental perspective, the tragedy is just a task that needs to be calculatedly maneuvered. This was the driving conflict of the movie.

It is impressive how Stephen Frears and Peter Morgan are able to create such characters that are so repressed, cold, and calculating, yet have enough redemption within them to make them likeable. Every character in this story works with selfish ulterior motives, but even then they aren’t antagonists because it is done out of duty.

There is definitely a Lion King moment, the scene where Mufasa shows Simba that one day all of Pride Rock will be his. There is a large pan of the vast lands that the royal family is “vacationing” at. They’re in seclusion during the fallout of the tragedy, but it helps to show the scale of this family’s influence and the responsibilities carried by each of their lives. All of it is theirs, but they’re also trapped.

There are a few points where the queen feigns sincerity, which actually come off very funny, but still in a regal manner. I think this need to be proper has even affected how I’m writing this review.

The entire film had a great way of juxtaposing the perks and price of fame, power, and duty. That is what really got me enthralled. There is a constant battle of supremacy between Queen Elizabeth II and Tony Blair (Michael Sheen). The two actors are extremely convincing at portraying these cultural personalities. Mirren’s Best Actress Oscar proves this. The film doesn’t glorify one side of the power struggle, because it shows each character’s opposing perspective in such an objective way, which works. This is in toe with the cold tone of the entire film.

Frears has a gift of building unspoken tension in the scenes. Each character is so restrained to act civilized that most of their arguments are through awkward pauses and scowls over the phone. This level of repression is almost inhumane. Even the royal family speaks to each other as if each conversation is some sort of business transaction. It’s ...