Film Critique The Queen Essay

Movie roles performed by high caliber actors and actresses of living icons are always the hardest to portray. Helen Mirren’s portrayal of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, has given us an amazing resemblance (although without as much effects and make-up the resemblance ended) and an in-depth visual and emotional recognition of the British royal who was considered to be so distant and ethereal. I am more than glad that the Reston Multiplex Movie Theatre was comparably filled with older adults than the usual teenage movie goers so I was afforded the chance to concentrate on the film. Generally, the film may not appeal to the younger audience for its lack of pound for pound action and intrigue. However it does gives us an idea of how the British monarchy behaves, as the apex of the British class system. We seldom see portrayals that are free from bias especially when the subjects are as famous and influential as the Queen and her family. But the events that catapulted them into the public eye may have relieved them of their tight bond to maintain their feelings to themselves. Diana’s death has given us glimpses into their private lives which the Queen vehemently tried to seclude her family from the curious and even blatant questions of the public and the press. We see how the Queen reacted and tried in earnest to maintain her stance and tradition to shy away from the camera and the public even as the image-conscious PM Tony Blair continued to cajole the Queen and her family out of their shells. It has also given us an insight to the life the British Royal couple has led all these years which shows support for each other and a husband who is willing to stay behind the shadow of his wife and yet live admirably together in harmony. The family’s traditional and puritan values saw the British monarch trying to distance herself away from the prying eye of the media upon news of Diana’s death. The queen’s immediate concerns were for the â€Å"boys† alone after learning of the tradgedy while vacationing at Balmoral Castle, Scotland. Apparently Diana had fallen off from the royal family to warrant the kind of behavior and almost distant hatred even after learning the news of her accidental death. Public sentiment against the monarchy grew as the Queen and family continued to be absent from the public eye even as Britain grieved for the death of their princess. Seemingly, Diana had been closer to the Britons because she showed what it was like to live a fairy tale life in the beginning and showed to the world that the monarchy was not as invincible as it seems. Profoundly Diana has created a breathing, real life princess capable of feelings thereby creating a certain link of reality to the masses and thereby showing that the monarchy was no different from anyone. Eventually as grief poured, sentiments against the monarchy grew, which PM Tony Blair handled superbly thereby surging his popularity in tune with the national mood. He became closer to the British public and the world. His continued calls for the queen and the family to at least make statements were left ignored at first with Lord Mountbatten (James Cromwell) seemingly disgruntled over PM Blair’s (Michael Sheen) insistence. The Queen explained her position to Blair that Diana lost her relation to the royal family when she divorced her son, the Prince of Wales and insisted that mourning should be a private matter handled by her own family and not by the British Crown. Later on, the Queen who was known to stick to her principle gave in after mistakenly assuming that the public sentiment will slowly ebb over time. After so much criticism from the British tabloids for failing to offer any sign of condolence, and advice from Blair on how the royals should conduct out of public respect, the Queen finally gave in despite disagreement from her mother and gave a speech praising Diana’s life and work. The British flag was also allowed to fly at half mast and a public funeral was hosted in memory of Diana. The queen was then pushed into public view as Mirren’s brilliant performance showed her exact reaction while coming out to look at the flowers in front of the curious British public who was equally assailed with mixed emotions. It was a moment that I held my breath because I had seen the actual a dozen times on television and hardly noticed any difference. The scene showed Elizabeth’s graceful human side and strength both at the same time. Her candid response to the flowers given to her showed her awe that revealed her human nature that no amount of pretense a queen could mask. In effect, the movie was critical of the monarchy but candid and transparent in its portrayal that was sometimes funny and empathic. It evoked the true nature of the royal family’s behavior and sometimes leaves us questions of their simplicity or sarcasm in public statements. Martin Sheen’s portrayal of a young and enthusiastic Tony Blair also showed a generous amount of political set-up reminiscent of the time when PM Blair suddenly gained massive popularity following Diana’s death. His behavior was indeed fitted with the contemporary mixture of grief that called for human decency and respect during Diana’s death which the royal family had mixed initial feelings of. In summary, the movie showed to the world the importance of adapting to change as opposed to the views of rigid tradition which could have led to stagnation. It also showed us that family traditions and values are being questioned in the face of common contemporary behavior and modes. Public figures are always subjected to observation and ridicule because the public always love to know how public icons behave in the face of adversities and criticize any actions for consumption. The Queen (2006) Movie. Starring Helen Mirren as the Queen Elizabeth II; James Cromwell as Lord Mountbatten and Martin Sheen as PM Tony Blair.