Helen Mirren and 'The Queen'
from w
When Peceli brought home a video that he said should suit my taste and I saw it was 'The Queen' I shrugged and thought, oh dear, I don't really like that family at all. It will be boring. Anyway, it was a very good film and sort of funny and of course extremely sad at the same time. This disfunctional family are comedic except for the dreadful circumstances when a beautiful young woman dies suddenly in the fullness of life and the relatives haven't a clue how to behave.
Picking who was who was interesting as there was a kind of physical resemblance up to a point and 'Tony Blair' was a bit of a circus.
From the web about the film:
Not only is The Queen a British black comedy, it's a world-shaking tragedy and an intimately human drama, too. There are times when you will laugh in horror at the antics of the Royals and times when you will weep in sorrow. It's a bloody good film.
Helen Mirren does a great impression of both HM Elizabeth II, the proud and dedicated monarch of the world's biggest former empire, and Betty Windsor, hard-pressed mother of four squabbling kids. What makes watching her worthwhile is that she never quite separates the two women: you are always treated to the private thoughts of a public figure and the public actions of a very private woman. Playing off this performance is Michael Sheen as The People's Prime Minister™, Tony Blair. From enthusiastic antagonist to ardent advocate, Michael measures the character's growth through every scene.
The Queen also gives us a look at what goes on behind the scenes in the world of Elizabeth Regina: the plethora of people who stand around waiting for the next royal whim, the idleness of the impossibly wealthy, the introverted nature of the House of Windsor. It's fascinating, like watching a train crash in slow motion. There are times when you want to reach into the silver screen and slap someone.
If you've ever stood in the check-out line at the supermarket looking at gossip magazines then you'll like the Queen.
An interview with Helen Mirren
Labels: Helen Mirren, movie The Queen
posted by Peceli and Wendy's Blog at 2:13 AM
2 Comments:
That sounds like a good movie to see, but I have to wonder how it got made without the English, particularly the Royal Family, getting all frothy about it.
The Windsor family would probably be annoyed mightily and regard it as an invasion of their privacy to project such negative images of their strange family life. There was one redeeming scene where the Queen sees a highland stag. She feels sorry later for the death of that animal. Hmmm.
w.
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