"The Queen" – A film which shows you the days after Lady Diana's death from another perspective!

Rating: 9/10 (17 April 2013)

If you are interested in the events after Lady Diana's death, you should watch "The Queen". This film is set in the days following the death of Diana in 1997. "The Queen" (2006, Great Britain) is a brilliant historical drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Peter Morgan. It tells about the reactions of the British public and those of the Royal Family after the death of the Princess of Wales. While the public reacted with grief and sadness, the Royal Family neither gave any statement nor showed any emotions to the public. After Princess Diana's death, Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) has been censured as heartless. This movie shows the reasons of the Queen's behaviour and exposes the hidden emotions behind her facade.
The beginning of the movie shows Tony Blair running for Prime Minister. His role is an important one because he later changes the course of the action when he tries to convince the Queen of a statement that pays tribute to Diana. During the elections, the Queen is shown in her daily routine. She would like to have the right to elect, so she tells her portraitist. Queen Elizabeth can be characterized as the head of state who attaches great importance to the protocol and etiquette. The plot of the film is as follows: The Queen always preferred to keep her emotions to herself. She was brought up this way. Because of the importance she attaches to the protocol, she does not let the flag fly at half-staff over the palace after Diana's death. The flag only shows that the Queen is in residence. Because of the fact that the Queen goes with her family to Balmoral, the way it was planed before Lady Di's death, there is not any reason for flying the flag at half-staff. But the Queen is also criticized for going to Balmoral and not helping her country grieve. Of course, the Royal Family is entitled to go for a short period of time to Balmoral. Prince William and Prince Harry have lost their mother and they need their grandparents at this time. The Queen is also a grandmother and she has to be there for her family. When she is alone, she cries and lets her emotions out in spite of her strong appearance. This is perhaps the most memorable scene in the film, when she sits by the river all by herself. But to find out how the film ends you have to watch it yourself.
In terms of language, the film is kept in a British style. Actress Helen Mirren plays the title role of the Queen in a very convincing way. She shows through her facial expressions her internal discontentment, hidden by her external strength.
To conclude, I can only strongly recommend this film because it shows the time after Diana's death from another perspective. Those who criticized the Queen for her behaviour will get another view of the choice of the Queen to act the way she did. This film is surely worth seeing because of its historical facts and authentic scenery. It is full of different characters and points of view, so it is very interesting to see for those who do not care about Diana or who is against monarchy and wants to abolish it by the very first opportunity. If I was asked to rate this film on a scale from zero to ten, I would give it nine points. It is worth watching!