One of the best films of 2006

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2006)

I rarely write a comment for the IMDb, but when I do it's usually after seeing a film like this.. I've got to start with the acting here. I was enraptured by the performances (not to mention the uncanny resemblances), and without them this film might not stand on its two feet. The perfect balance between the performances, the premise and telling of this story, the cinematography and production design I think are what makes this into what it is. Mirren gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Queen Elizabeth, and I find this to be one of the best female characters and performances I have seen since Frances McDormand in Fargo. There is a subtlety to all of these performances, which I always admire, I think it is easy to get cheap laughs and cheap sentiment from films, but what affects me is when the actors restrain themselves, and the director restrains himself, and I think they did this perfectly here. There is a stunning scene that illustrates this point, when Elizabeth, the determined, stubborn 'old fool' as one character calls her decides to drive a Jeep herself through rough terrain on her estate and gets stuck in a river. It is at this point in her story that she breaks down crying, with her back turned to the camera (an earlier scene shows Tony Blair, having just been elected Prime Minister, being told how to behave in front of Elizabeth on their first meeting, and one rule is to never turn his back to her). She then spies a stag on the countryside in the central shot of the film, and immediately collects herself and stops crying. She cries not because her Jeep broke down, but because of the massive assault on her routine, her seemingly private life, that has occurred during the course of the story, and the stag I think represents the grace, honor and dignity that she so fiercely protects. So when she discovers someone has shot the stag for game, she tracks down the beheaded animal, you can't help but make the connection between the animal and her position as queen. If you know nothing about the royal family, Princess Diana, Blair and his relationship to the Queen and the monarchy, that should not stop you from seeing this film, and it should fill you in on a lot of details if you are not. I'm not sure even after seeing this what is fact and what is embellished (but I get the feeling that this was vigorously researched), and it might even inspire you to learn more about those relationships after viewing. The point is, this is entirely self contained, and whatever relationship it has to reality doesn't really matter in a film like this. Incredible.