A Week of Royal Angst

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2007)

One of the pivotal events of the 1990's was the tragic death of Diana, the Princess of Wales. This movie zooms in on the Royal Family in the aftermath. Wanting to keep the funeral private since Diana was no longer a member of the Royal Family, the Queen finds herself in conflict with her new Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who correctly sensed the mood of the people early. He pressed the Queen to return from Balmoral and show her support. In times of national crisis, the Royal Family does not hesitate to lead the nation. In this case, however, the Queen was at odds with her prime minister, who also had to fend off his own advisers, some of whom wanted to use the opportunity to embarrass the monarch.
Dame Helen Mirren plays the Queen. This highly accomplished actress came to public attention in the British television series Prime Suspect, where she played the hard-nosed inspector - Jane Tennyson. Taking on the role of a living monarch is a daunting prospect which presents great risk. Queen Elizabeth II is known to the public only on ceremonial occasions and photo opportunities. She is loved by some and ridiculed by others but generally respected. Dame Helen has risen to the occasion and seems to have mastered the public persona and mannerisms of the monarch to an astounding degree.
The treatment of the Royal Family is not sympathetic. The family is isolated from the real world and has no sense of Diana's impact on the public. Tucked away in the castle in Balmoral, Scotland, the Queen is not about to bend to the will of the neophyte but politically-shrewd prime minister. Whether true or not, the royals were more taken with the appearance of a massive stag on the grounds of Balmoral. As we know, the Queen eventually came around. She sensed the harm that the press coverage was doing to the monarchy and felt she had no choice.
Perhaps this is the key to the story and the success of the monarchy of Elizabeth. She has learned to keep the monarchy relevant by changing with the times, albeit reluctantly. An icon of the 20th century, still going strong in the 21st, Elizabeth is the only British monarch that most of us have ever known. Giving her a human face is Helen Mirren's great achievement.