The People's Princess, The Prime Minister and The Queen

Rating: 8/10 (4 February 2008)

In 1997, after the death of Lady Di in a car accident in Paris, the reluctant Queen (Helen Mirren) and The Establishment do not accept to honor the "People's Princess" as a member of the Royal Family. However, the public and the media question the utility of the monarchy and the just-elected Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) advises the Queen to make a public speech mourning the loss of Diana.
"The Queen" is probably the best performance of Helen Mirren in the cinema. This film reconstitutes the days after the death of Lady Di, showing the conservative and cold behavior of the Royal Family, and how the people questioned the reason for being of the parasite monarchy. Stephen Frears entwines archive footages with his filming and the result is a good movie, especially for those viewers that followed carefully those days. I am not sure whether the attention (and grieving) of the Queen with the stag shot by a guest is real or fictional to know whether this scene was manipulative or really happened, but it is very impressive. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "A Rainha" ("The Queen")