Queenie

MOVIE REVIEW
The following movie came out two months ago, but it's still in theaters here and thus still eligible in my world for a posted review. Catch it before the Oscars because I have a feeling star Helen Mirren (always fabulous) will be nominated.

The Queen feels every bit the docudrama that it is. Director Stephen Frears weaves news footage of Princess Diana (her royal and post-royal life and the public grief over her death) with dramatized showings of the response by HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair (along with their capable assistants). What is most surprising about the story is not that the familiar events lend themselves so well to a movie but that the characters turn out to be so compelling. Tony Blair appears the most sympathetic with Prince Charles a distant second (surprised?). But as the story unfolds clarity falters, sympathies become less clear cut, and her Majesty's part--positively villainous from the start--deepens in emotion and human complexity. Don't despair, though; there remain one or two clear villains (I'll let you guess and see).

I asked David for his comment on the movie, and it was: "She was very stiff." Uh, okay, I'm guessing we can all figure out who "she" is.

The lowdown: The Queen is a solid docudrama both in style and substance. These are clearly actors playing real people (they look unapologetically more like themselves than their "characters", so they are open to doubtful interpretation), but well done and nuanced performances allow you to overlook what seem to be truly inconsequential bits of reality. Good pace, clear point to be made in the end without being at all preachy, and thought provoking for range of topics from mundane to philosophical. Highly recommended.

In an odd, related but unrelated note, I found that the British monarchy has an official website. Is that not a trifle strange?