A closer look at events in the week of Lady Diana's death

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2007)

The Queen, directed by Stephen Frears, tells us the story of events unfolding in little over a week after Lady Diana's death. While a sufficient summary of the plot, it is secondary to this expansive landscape that elegantly captures the current state of Britain and its monarchy. Much of the story revolves around the reaction of the British monarchy, specifically Queen Elizabeth II, to Lady Diana's sudden demise. But the hundred or so minutes of the film cover a much broader set of topics.
The death of Lady Diana, shows the film, puts many things into motion - the galvanization of the anti-monarchy feeling, the massive rise in popularity of the then newly-elected Prime Minister Tony Blair, the rethinking of the monarchy's public behavior by the Queen, and of course the unbelievable media circus that took place. The film at many times, both directly and indirectly, gripes about the nature of the public reaction during that period. A few scenes, and the outburst of Tony Blair clearly comes to mind here, show the seemingly inhuman reaction of the monarchy in a more sane light.
All of the above is shown in a style that is delightfully British. Say what you will, there is nothing more biting than the cut of the British jib. In mere words can the Prime Minister of Britain be reduced to the stature of a peon. Add to that the carefully trained manners of the Queen that can express what words would do clumsily, and you have some choice rib-tickling moments as only British humor can provide.
The many characters covered in the film are portrayed par excellence. It just might be that the people themselves are darn fine specimens, each one showing varying degrees of self-involvement, prejudice, loathing, and so much more. Their interactions are positively fun to watch as well. The Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth (the mother) represent the Queen's traditional views, regularly backing up her stoic responses and pooh-poohing the public commotion. Cherie Blair, on the other hand, represents Tony Blair's modernist views, admonishing the deafening silence of the royal family and its general high-handedness. The Queen and Tony Blair themselves represent two sides of the spectrum that goes from traditional to modernist. By the end of the film they both see value in the other person's stance and are open enough to work together to learn more about the other.
Helen Mirren delivers a performance well-deserving of the high accolades it is receiving. Dignified and poised, yet human and, at times, even introspective and, dare I say, vulnerable, she shows the myriad sides of a Queen we know only through her rare public appearances. Through her portrayal, we see the Queen as a caring but private person, the vestige of an age of uprightness that seems anachronistic today. As the events unfold, and the sorrow of the people turns into a vulgar display of public demonstrations, she slowly realizes that the people of her country want something different from her. They need more drama and theatrics than quiet dignity, and that she might not be the right one to give them that. The film leaves us with the sense of optimism that the reins of Britain are in sane hands, but with a warning that the zeitgeist might change the institutions that we have always seen as unchanging.