"The Glass That
Protects Her From the
Great Unwashed..."
Directed by Stephen
Frears - Written by
Peter Morgan
Starring Helen Mirren &
Michael Sheen
Distributed by Miramax -
2006 - 97m - Rated PG13
TC Candler's Review
B-
Grief is not grief when it is mustered under demand.
There is an inherent
flaw in this otherwise solid film -- and that is its inability to be
as scathing as it would like. It is very clear to most that the
Queen of England was atrociously out of touch with the pulse of the
British public. She always has been and always will be.
I think that "The Queen" accurately selects a subject worth
capturing on film. Unfortunately, it feels the need to temper its
attack by "humanizing" the royal family too much. Truth be told,
they were cold and distant, emotionless and stale -- and they hated
Diana for being so beloved. This film builds its premise on that
foundation and then seems to apologize for doing so.
There are lines of dialogue that seem entirely out of place. There
are conversations and moments that struck me as improbable. "The
Queen" is a presumptive work that is afraid to say what most of us
believe.
All that being said, the film is professionally shot and edited. It
moves briskly along an authentic recreation of that famous stretch
of eight days from Diana's death to her funeral. And the
performances are all very good. It is never easy to portray such
familiar and still-living characters.
I am not as sold on Helen Mirren's performance as some others. It is
a very restrained role, intricate and intense. However, I can't help
but sense a note of imitation rather than embodiment from time to
time. It is good work... but not Oscar worthy work. The same can be
said for the film as a whole.
