The 10th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death is on the way and a year in advance comes “The Queen,” one of the first movies to recount that week for the royal family in a way that isn’t overly serious.
“The Queen” takes viewers into Queen Elizabeth’s (Helen Mirren) bed chambers, her office and her life in Buckingham Palace. Although this is ordinary time for her, the tabloids are following the entire royal family’s every move, especially since Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) has just been elected prime minister and his political views are more progressive than the Queen’s.
This week will turn into a bad time for the royal family as news reaches them of Diana’s crash after being chased by photographers. The family has hated the rise in attention that Diana had been receiving since the divorce.
Instead of staying in London, the family heads to the country to grieve in private. But they underestimated how the public would feel. The sea of flowers grows at the gates and the frustration with the Queen’s inattentiveness to her people grows.
Blair acts as a go between for the royal family and the people. They need to come to an agreement of what is appropriate, while he says that he understands that the family thinks this is a private matter -- since Diana was no longer royalty -- and the public who considered her “the peoples’ princess.”
“The Queen” takes a close look at the difference in mourning that the people call for and what a traditional queen believes. Anyone and everyone should be able to see that both sides of this argument are right. No one would want their grieving broadcast to the entire world, but the difference involves the stature.
Director Stephen Frears brings humanity to this family which is usually seen as uptight and traditional. This isn’t a documentary by any means, but it doesn’t feel fictionalized, either.
The movie utilizes actual footage and interviews with Diana. If you can’t remember what the front of Buckingham Palace looked like after the car crash, there’s a video timeline through the movie showing how the sea of flowers grows and grows.
Mirren embodies Queen Elizabeth, both in looks and mannerisms. The character is strong to begin with, but Mirren took the role and ran with it. She plays a woman that has her authority and place in society threatened by something she considers personal.
Queen Elizabeth is not an entirely serious role, she has her funny moments, like when she’s interacting with Blair whether it be in person or over the phone. But she is a woman torn between her public persona and her personal life.
A nice counterpoint to the royal family is the Blair family: Sheen as Tony and Helen McCrory as Cherie. Their characters lean to the lighter side of things, with Cherie joking about the traditional way to greet the queen and Tony walking around the house in a jersey with his last name stamped on the back.
“The Queen” opened the Milwaukee International Film Festival last week and arrives at The Oriental this week. It’s one movie that shouldn’t be missed.
Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.
However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.
Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson.
Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.
