Superb screenplay, the metaphor of the stag hunt,

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2006)

Everyone has raved about Mirren and the other actors, the superb and balanced use of documentary footage and clips of the Princess of Wales--and I agree. But what about the script? The nuances particularly with the Queen beginning to shed some tears while her vehicle is stranded in the river, and then the fateful appearance of the 14-point buck, the Queen declaring it beautiful, then the gunshot--and I won't tell you the rest. The subtlety of the screenplay here depends partly on what level of consciousness the viewer brings to the film. There is so much there--and more--which would be clearer with a second viewing. Clearly, the Queen is experiencing an epiphany of some sort at the river, but does she suppress her emotions later? Also the fact that we never see the faces of the two Princes, William and Harry, is crucial to the tone and tenor of the film.