not just a film about Diana

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2007)

I wasn't expecting much from this film, but was pleasantly surprised. It's not just about the Queen's reaction to Diana's death; it's a film about a changing world. Given Queen Elizabeth's long reign, she's had to adapt to changing public expectations about her role as monarch, and she's had to learn to share power with the prime minister, the media, and the public. The film opened my non-British eyes to this and made me think of another public figure who lived through this age--Pope John Paul II.
The acting is superb, and I especially enjoyed watching actors whose celebrity doesn't get in the way of the role they are playing.