The Queen (2006)

This is an extremely interesting film about a topic that prior to it, I was extremely uninterested in. The Queen chronicles the actions of the British royal family and prime minister Tony Blair after the untimely death of Diana Spencer. This is an amazingly acted film. The Brit who plays Tony Blair may as well be Tony Blair. His performance is so convincing that if another movie is ever made that involves the former PM, it will be all but unwatchable unless he is played by the same actor. Helen Mirren was fabulous. The Queen was released in the same year that Elizabeth was released by HBO, in which she plays Elizabeth I. These may be the two best portrayals of British monarchs in the history of the cinema. Both roles were awarded high esteem, and there is no doubt that Mirren deserved it. I remember when Diana died, but I am too young to remember what it meant to people around the world, much less Britain. It was very enlightening for me to see the intense reaction that people in England had over loosing someone whose dirty laundry they were so obsessed with. It is also interesting to learn of the events that lead to the enormous popularity, at the time, of Blair. Something that I question is the accuracy of the royal family's portrayal. The movie makes them seem relatively callous and unconcerned, and I wonder if that was based on any inside information. I also wonder whether or not the Queen was too harshly criticized for not seeming more concerned. I would imagine there are a lot of mothers in this country that would not be pulling their hair out if their son's ex-wife, who contributed an amazing amount of grief to the family, was in an untimely accident. I am not saying it would be ok for them to be happy about what happened to Diana, but it seemed like they were being crucified for not reacting like it was their own child's death. I really liked The Queen and am glad to have seen it. It is a little artsy and slightly dull at times, but that is to be expected from a British film. My wife loves English history and cinema and loved this movie; I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying it. I give The Queen 4 stars.