The Queen (2006)

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writer:

Peter Morgan (written by)

Release Date:

15 September 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Tradition Prepared Her. Change Will Define Her.

Plot:

After the death of Princess Diana, HM Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted.

Plot Keywords:

Queen | Royal Family | Monarchy | Prime Minister | Speech

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 58 wins & 51 nominations

Cast

Helen Mirren	...	The Queen
James Cromwell	...	Prince Philip
Alex Jennings	...	Prince Charles
Roger Allam	...	Robin Janvrin
Sylvia Syms	...	Queen Mother
Tim McMullan	...	Stephen Lamport
Robin Soans	...	Equerry
Lola Peploe	...	Janvrin's Secretary
Douglas Reith	...	Lord Airlie
Joyce Henderson	...	Balmoral Maid
Pat Laffan	...	Head Ghillie
Amanda Hadingue	...	Queen's Dresser
John McGlynn	...	Balmoral Head Ghillie
Gray O'Brien	...	Charles' Valet
Dolina MacLennan	...	Balmoral Switchboard Operator

Also Known As:

La regina (Italy)
The Queen (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Runtime:

103 min | Turkey:94 min (TV version)

Country:

UK | France | Italy

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:PG | UK:12A | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Finland:K-3 | Netherlands:AL | France:U | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Germany:o.Al. | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Denmark:A | Norway:A | Sweden:Btl | Canada:G (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Nova Scotia) | South Korea:12 | Peru:PT | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42527) | Malaysia:U | Norway:10 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Blairquhan Castle, Blairquhan, South Ayrshire, Scotland, UK

Company:

Pathé Pictures International

Trivia:

Nathan Larson, who had composed the score for the previous film in the series, The Deal (2003) (TV), had his score replaced by Alexandre Desplat after Stephen Frears found the first score not suitable. Desplat finished his score in three weeks.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Blair is in his study surrounded by books using a telephone, a copy of "Carter Beats the Devil" is visible which wasn't first published in Britain until 2001. The film is set in 1997.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Reporter: After weeks of campaigning on the road, Tony Blair and his family finally strolled the few hundred yards to the polling station this election day morning. Amongst the Labour faithful up and down the country, there is an enormous sense of pride in Mr. Blair's achievements, and the confidence that he is about to become the youngest prime minister this century.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Have I Got News for You: (#36.8)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Creag Ghuanach

Betty Windsor as we have never seen her before ...

There is no way of knowing, of course, just how authentic is Peter Morgan's very fine script for this account of what may or may not have taken place in the household of HRH during the days, chiefly between the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and her funeral, as it is unlikely that those involved would have blurted out to Morgan what they probably consider to be state secrets. No, Morgan's script is pure conjecture, a fiction about real events lent a considerable degree of seeming 'authenticity' by director Stephen Frears handling of the material and use of documentary footage mainly taken from the television programmes of the day. Should we condemn him, then, for guessing what conversations may have occurred in private between the Queen and her Prime Minister? Certainly not, anymore than we should condemn James Goldman for being fanciful as to what may or may not have occurred in the Court of Henry 11 and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

"The Queen", then, is not some purposeful account of the facts surrounding the death of Princess Diana as seen from the Royal, (and Prime Ministerial), perspective as a wonderfully human comedy hewn from a national and a private tragedy. And at it's heart, and what really makes it work, is a devastatingly accurate study, not simply of a Monarch we all feel we 'know' from endless television footage, but of a deeply private woman struggling to maintain her own personal dignity in the midst of immense public scrutiny, and Helen Mirren's performance is really quite extraordinary. She has the looks and the mannerisms off pat but more significantly she cuts to the quick of the private individual and unearths the human being inside the Queen. This is great acting which I have no doubt will be rewarded with every prize going come the year's end, (and anyone unfamiliar with Mirren's work who thinks, perhaps, that this is largely just a brilliant piece of mimicry should seek out her very different but equally brilliant performance on television as the present Queen's namesake Elizabeth 1).

The biggest glittering prize most likely to come Mirren's way is, of course, the Oscar and amid the ballyhoo surrounding her performance, Michael Sheen's brilliant turn as Tony Blair has been mostly overlooked. Sheen, too, gives an award-worthy turn as our present Prime Minister, again capturing, not just the look and the mannerisms, but also the arrogance that comes with youth and success and, more importantly, the humility that finally comes with understanding. Sheen gets closer to the 'real' Blair in those moments when he isn't saying anything at all.

Neither Alex Jennings nor James Cromwell look anything Princes Charles and Philip but they manage to capture the essence of the men. (Jennings is particularly good at getting that vacant look of Charles' that says to many people, 'Is there anyone at home?'). And there's a lovely, beautifully understated performance by Roger Allam as the Queen's Private Secretary.

Of course, it is almost as unlikely we will ever know what the people portrayed in the film think of it as it is we will ever know how close Mirren has come to 'getting it right' but I defy anyone to condemn the film on the grounds of either taste or accuracy. What matters isn't how real this film is, (it isn't a documentary, after all), but how closely those involved have come to capturing the hearts and minds of the people on the screen. Judged on this basis, "The Queen" is an unqualified triumph.