The Queen (English, 2006)

Its the year 1997, Tony Blair has just become the Prime Minister and Princess Diana has died. Endless miles of film-reels have been spent talking about Diana, her affairs, her trials and tribulations and frankly, enough is enough. However, here comes a movie which takes an absolutely fresh look at the incident - from the point of view of British Monarchy; from the view that the incident affected British people's relationship with their Queen.

The Queen revolves around the political public relations handling by the Prime Minister's office and the Queen. The huge public uproar about the British Monarchy distancing itself from the death of the famous Princess Diana at the time of her death and the effect this uproar had on the Queen is what this film is all about.

Helen Mirren in the title roles gives performance of a lifetime, portraying a monarch torn between the traditions of monarchy and the demands of public. The pathos of being a powerless head of state is beautifully conveyed; as is the suppressed anger at being forced to sacrifice personal beliefs and long-held traditions for public appeasement. The irony of the situation - the queen considers Diana to have tarnished the image of royalty by flagrantly violating all norms, when royalty is all about norms and traditions; and the same queen is told that her handling of the death of the same Diana is what has spoiled the image of British Royalty beyond repair - is certainly worth appreciating and watching well portrayed on the screen.

Recommendation - Good Enough to watch once, but can wait for the DVD.
Rating - ✔✔✔