Triumph

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2006)

Excellent movie by director Stephen Frears. He adroitly captures the mood of a nation, of most of the world in fact, that first week of September, almost ten years ago. The part that is fiction though shows the way the Royal family reacted to Lady Di's death. Who knows for sure how they reacted? But that's what also interesting about this film. It puts a human face on a personage known only in public. That was easy with Diana, it's more challenging to do for Elizabeth. Have you ever tried to imagine what the Queen does when she's relaxing in her private apartments? The movie reminds us that she's not only an old woman waving while sporting colorful hats.
That brings me to the way Frears depicts the Royals. The Queen is of course rigid. But one can sense some sensibility some times, quickly put away by the more present sense of duty. Funny to think that the two Royals that are shown as the most insensitive are the ones that are usually considered more accessible: Prince Philip and the Queen mother (now dead, of course). All the Royals and their staff, but also Tony Blair and his entourage are brilliantly played by an excellent cast. At the top: Helen Mirren. She's just great.
A word on the use of footages from the archives. I think the director did an excellent job of mixing those with the fictionalized parts.
A question remains though: has the Queen seen the movie? If so, could she please let us know what she thought of it by posting a comment on IMDb? This would truly show the world that she's able to modernize her institution!
Seen in Toronto, at the Beach Cinemas, on October 28th, 2006.
88/100 (***½)