Review of The Queen (2006) by Stuart K — 30 Jun 2009

Stephen Frears and writer Peter Morgan had worked together previously on the TV Drama The Deal, here they made a follow-up to it, tracing one week in the life of one of our longest-reigning British monarchs, but it was a week which brought a whole country to a standstill, and how their tradition nearly brought them to their knees.

It is a powerful yet enjoyable drama. The week in question began on the early hours of August 31st 1997, when Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris. The country was in shock, and went into mourning, but the Royal Family stayed firmly behind closed doors on their Scottish estate of Balmoral.

Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren), said it should be a private affair, and the death did not deserve a royal funeral, as Diana was no longer part of the Royal Family. But, Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) tries to convince her to change her mind, as sticking to tradition could lead to an abolishion of the monarchy.

We'll never know for certain what happened behind the scenes between the monarchy and the government that week, but this has a good stab at what just may have been. Helen Mirren makes a wonderful Queen, and Sheen's Blair is spot on character-wise.

It's got a good supporting cast from James Cromwell, Helen McClory and Sylvia Sims, and Frears gets the best from all corners. There was greater things to come from Sheen and writer Morgan!! ;).