Review of The Queen (2006) by Richardb. — 02 Jan 2007

Why is this movie so captivating and enchanting? Admittedly, the plot concept is simple, perhaps even banal -- but simplicity here is a virtue because it showcases Mirren's remarkable portrayal of QEII.

The real strength of this film, however, is its depiction of candid, almost voyeuristic, moments plausibly inferred from external events that are timelessly seared into our psyches -- all the more so because of the Queen's extreme penchant for personal privacy.

The sympathetic characters validate this as a film that is both voyeuristic and friendly to its subjects, a combination we see infrequently in literature and film. There is, in the end, an uplifting outcome, though some inevitable sadness at the extent to which Princess Elizabeth whose engagement with the suffering of the British people during WWII made her a populist monarch in the early years of her reign had grown out-of-touch with modern public sentiment and the power of modern media -- mastery that Princess Di had represented up til her death.