It shouldn't work, but it does

Rating: 9/10 (10 April 2007)

Making a film about Princess Diana's death less then ten years after the event seemed to me a little bit crass, especially it features people who are not only still alive but very familiar to us: in particular the Queen herself, her family, not to mention Tony Blair. But by now the film has been covered in so much glory and plaudits, I thought I may as well see what all the fuss was about.
I thought it worked well. Helen Mirren acquits herself very well as the Queen, giving a very human dimension to the monarch. The other main characters are brilliantly realised: Sylvia Syms' daft but still regal Queen Mother, James Cromwell as a pompous and old-fashioned Prince Phillip and Alex Jennings playing Prince Charles as a weaselly fop. Writer Peter Morgan has respectfully kept the two princes out of it, and asides from a brief bedroom scene where Charles breaks the sad news, they are not seen. The spectre of Diana lingers heavily over the movie, and as an audience we understand the Royal's conflicted attitude towards the Princess, fighting through their personal dislike of the woman to try and understand the public's admiration for her.
I enjoyed Mark Bazeley's representation of Alastair Campbell. Not only does he look almost exactly like the real man, but presents two sides to the character, both as a cynic scornful of the royals and a sleazy opportunist making the most of a terrible situation.
The real standout though is Micheal Sheen as Tony Blair. At first glance, the portrayal is only two steps away from yet another comic send-up, but Sheen takes the character on a journey here. He shows how the crisis allows Blair to become infatuated with the monarchy, sowing the seeds of self-delusion that will eventually prove the ruin of his premiership. Though this isn't the first time Sheen has played the role, I would like to see him do so again and develop his portrayal further.
Peter Morgan's script gets the balance right between comedy and drama, and turns out what proves to be an incisive historical satire on British politics and the monarchy.
Recommended.