"The Queen" (2006) - Film about Elizabeth II and the Death of Diana

[QueenMaharet]

First of all, let me say that if you read up as much as I do on the British Royal Family, you were well able to follow some of the more subtle things (ex. Phillip's comments about "getting Diana to tow the line" about Charles' continuing post-marriage relationship with Camilla, that "that's just the way things are done"; Elizabeth, "oh really, Phillip?", and the implication that Philip may have been unfaithful?).

I'm so glad that someone else caught that, I was talking to some of my friends about it and that gave me a very confused look.....then again, they hadn't seen the movie and didn't really care about it either......*sniff* I'm the only one in my area that is interested in Queen Elizabeth II.....

Also, I didn't know that Helen Mirran was so tall, I couldn't tell at all. She was amazing, and while I would never confuse her with the real queen, I thought she got her characteristics down pat.

Another scene that I liked was when the Queen was sitting on the bank of the river after her car broke and began crying a bit. I liked how when she saw the deer she smiled, and her whole face lit up, just like it really does, and kind of gave us a glimpse into her personality and her more private feelings, but then moments later she composed herself and the smile faded away. It was like a door closing the change was so complete. I dunno, it may just be me, but I thought that scene was neat.

~QM

 

[crisiñaki]

Gotta love Helen Mirren, no one plays the British Queens like she does
And do you remember the beginning of the movie, when she's being portrayed and in a moment she looks at the camera and it says "The Queen" in that moment the resemblance was sooooooooooo awesome, Mirren is really a great actress and if she's 5'10 how tall is the actor that portrays Prince Philip? 'cuz the height difference between them is quite large

 

[Lady Bluffton]

Mirren is really a great actress and if she's 5'10 how tall is the actor that portrays Prince Philip? 'cuz the height difference between them is quite large

According to Wikipedia (sorry I couldn't find a more reliable source!),

"Cromwell is also known for his unusually tall stature; he stands at 201 cm (approx 6 ft 7 in)."

So if Helen Mirren is 5'10, then he was a good 9 inches taller; if QEII is 5'3 or so, then the real Prince Phillip is about 9 or so inches taller than her, so right on!

 

[Elspeth]

On one biographical page of Helen Mirren's, it says she's 5' 4", which isn't all that different from the Queen's height.

 

[crisiñaki]

my husband is 6'6, I'm 6' and I reach about a little above his shoulder in flats so I don't think Mirren is that short, because the height difference would have been huge

This is Hugh Laurie with her at the Emmy Awards and he's a pretty tall guy (having seen him in person, he's taller than me) so Mirren is at least 5'8 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sv7Hy91EgM

 

[Von Schlesian]

I saw the film last night and was delighted by it. In the scene at number 10, when Tony Blair's press secretary makes the snide remarks about Her Majesty and 'Tony' tears him to shreds for it, I must admit, the man endeared himself to me ... only for a moment though BeatrixFan
I adored Dame Helen's portrayal very much and am looking forward to seeing it again, I'm just not quite sure about the stride, it didn't seem natural.
As for the height difference, when I spoke to The Duke of Edinburgh in March, he and I were eye-level with eachother and I'm 6'1". Allowing for HRH's slouch, I'd say he's 6'3" and perhaps 6'4-5" in 1997.

 

[Olka]

I watched it few days ago, I really liked it, it was a great one. I loved the way the Queen speaks and her humour, the actress was just fantastic.

 

[Juanita]

I saw the film yesterday and i love it!
Helen Mirren was great! And i like the way the film is. Because the "centre" is the Queen and not Diana's death. It's different.
BTW, i coulnd't agree more with Lady Bluffton and QueenMaharet.
Anyway i think it is one of the best films of 2006!

 

[Princess Arabella]

Queen Elizabeth invites Helen Mirren for lunch

Hello everyone! I have seen "The Queen" twice. I absolutely loved this film . Even my friends who are not royalty fans were amazed by Helen Mirren's performance and also with Michael Sheen who played Tony Blair so brilliantly. I have learned that the Monarch herself gave the film her royal stamp of approval. Apparently, Her Majesty liked it so much that she invited Helen Mirren and a few other members involved with the production for lunch at the palace next year. Hopefully the actress will already be in possession of her Golden Globe and Academy Award, which she certainly deserves! I am posting a link with the article. My apologies if it has been posted already (I browsed through many posts but didn't see it). One thing I don't agree with the article though. It mentions the possibility of Queen Elizabeth not being present at the luncheon to meet the other "Queen". Well, I don't think she would have invited them had she not had plans 'to grace the guests with her presence'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=422781&in_page_id=1773

A Happy New Year to everyone!

 

[sara1981]

im really wanted see that movie! but its so awesome

but Helen Mirren really bravo in their roles as HM Queen Elizabeth and also Elizabeth I but im sure she will get globes award anytimes and also academy awards im hope she will get both awards for their movies.

 

[Elise27]

i saw helen once--from far---and she seemed tall but i do have to say i've noticed that she is always wearing huge heels, especially at awards shows, so i dont think she is really very tall.

 

[flcty]

I just saw the film last week. It was really moving (showing film clips of the public people around Buckingham Palace and the steer getting shoot and Helen M. going to see the dead animal ) (it was also very funny [love Tony + Cherie Blair + Tony's publicity advisor]). I had no idea that the flag post indicated whether the Queen was in Buckingham Palace or not.

 

[sinead]

Just noticed that Dame Helen Mirren is nominated for BAFTA for her role in the 'The Queen' and a Golden Globe, so someone out there must think that she is worthy of praise for her portrayal of the monarch.

 

[crisiñaki]

Just noticed that Dame Helen Mirren is nominated for BAFTA for her role in the 'The Queen' and a Golden Globe, so someone out there must think that she is worthy of praise for her portrayal of the monarch.

If she wins those two awards, the Oscar's probability is very high, I hope she gets that, she deserves it after that superb part!

 

[ysbel]

Just thought I'd share this.

Peter King is a sports reporter for Sports Illustrated writing about the NFL (National Football League-American football)

He has a section in his weekly column, Monday Morning Quarterback, that's devoted to non-football stuff and would you believe he gave an endorsement of 'The Queen'?

It was somewhat humourous.

b. I realize this will lower my rating on the Macho Scale, but I saw The Queen, with Helen Mirren, the other day and loved it. Not only is she great in it, but the plot, the story, the supporting actors ... Just a well-done movie with a compelling story about the death of Princess Diana. Mirren's incredibly believable.

Its so funny that Peter thought he had to preface his remarks with: I realize this will lower my rating on the Macho Scale,

 

[foiegrass]

Just watched the show here! I loveee the guy that played Alastiar, he's just sucha smart alex. But I really felt for Her Majesty in the show, but I think the only thing that's probably exaggarated is how Charles behaved. Don't think that Charles is as weak as that in real life.

 

[BeatrixFan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6254717.stm

10 BAFTA nominations. Why this cinematic cat mucus got 10 nominations is beyond me.

 

[Warren]

Because Helen Mirren's performance is riveting; because the film gives an insight into HM's humour, humanity and iron sense of duty; and because the film will leave you sad at a senseless and tragic death, and angry at the equally senseless hysteria which threatened to engulf the throne. It's a powerful and emotional ride, and not always pleasant.

 

[BeatrixFan]

Hmmm. Did we both see the same film Warren?

 

[Skydragon]

Because Helen Mirren's performance is riveting; because the film gives an insight into HM's humour, humanity and iron sense of duty; and because the film will leave you sad at a senseless and tragic death, and angry at the equally senseless hysteria which threatened to engulf the throne. It's a powerful and emotional ride, and not always pleasant.

Does this mean you liked it?

 

[theprincess]

I saw this movie on the plane coming back from my christmas vacation and I really liked it. It is a bit slow at times, but I though the tone and the generally message it was trying to portray were important. Basically, here is a women who has given her life for her country. Helen Mirren was excellent at the Queen, she looked exactly like the real Queen and her mannerisms were dead on. Also, the actor who played Tony Blair (don't know his name) was really good as well and very believable even though he didn't really look like Tony Blair. Overally, i think anyone interested in royalty will mostly definitley enjoy this movie. However, my sister who is not into royalty at all didn't really liked it that much and was confused at times asking me lots of questions. Also, loved who they incorperated real news footage with regular acting. Was a nice touch that gave the movie more of documentary feel.

 

[GlitteringTiaras]

Because Helen Mirren's performance is riveting; because the film gives an insight into HM's humour, humanity and iron sense of duty; and because the film will leave you sad at a senseless and tragic death, and angry at the equally senseless hysteria which threatened to engulf the throne. It's a powerful and emotional ride, and not always pleasant.

Absolutely, Warren.

I just got back from the 2:45 pm showing of The Queen and I was blown away.

As a fan of Helen Mirren, since I first saw her in the film The Mosquito Coast, I believe this, The Queen, is the finest performance of her career.

The movie was a real treat for anyone who is a royal watcher. Furthermore, this film shows the interesting dynamic between Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and PM Tony Blair. It was interesting to see the young PM evolve during the crisis; more importantly, I was intrigued with the way he was portrayed by Michael Sheen.

The symbolism within the film brilliant as well. Case and point: the Stag. I don't believe I need to discuss it in detail, but if you have seen the film you know what I mean.

I highly recommend this movie, and if you haven't seen it yet, run to your local cinema today.

 

[ysbel]

Actually although I enjoyed the movie, I thought it should have been named the PM rather than the Queen. Just joking but the movie made the PM out to be a much more interesting character precisely for the reason that the PM did appear to evolve and grow in the movie.

As for the stag scene, it was my least favorite of the scenes, a bit too melodramatic for my tastes which contrasted quite sharply with the sharp and slightly acerbic portrayal of the Queen by Helen Mirren.

 

[LadyK]

It's official-Helen Mirren wins the Best Actress Golden Globe!
in her acceptance speech, she said '___ years ago, a woman named Elizabeth Windsor stepped into the roll of a lifetime...I think you fell in love with her, not with me...since she already has an orb, it goes with her sceptor, so I will gratefully accept this one.'

 

[selrahc4]

It's official-Helen Mirren wins the Best Actress Golden Globe!
in her acceptance speech, she said '___ years ago, a woman named Elizabeth Windsor stepped into the roll of a lifetime...I think you fell in love with her, not with me...since she already has an orb, it goes with her sceptor, so I will gratefully accept this one.'

I'm so very pleased that she won for this role. Her tribute to HM in the acceptance speech touched me greatly.

 

[sara1981]

im so happy

 

[crisiñaki]

I hope she wins the Oscar as well, she deserves it

 

[Sister Morphine]

I was also happy that she won the GG for playing Elizabeth I as well.

 

[Thomas Parkman]

It is a wonderful movie, and this from a man who does not like movies. They are too noisy and too jumpy. The thing that I found impressive was the presence of silence. The presentation of space and great human dignity. Of course the scene with the stag was a bit of a set up but still moving never the less. There were the marvelous moments of humour and the opening scene where the Queen grants her first audience to Tony Blair is hilarious. Warren, I could not agree with you more.

As for cat mucous, as you so delicately describe it, dear BeatrixFan, haven't been to any real American movies lately, have you??? Cheers.

 

[Avalon]

...As for the stag scene, it was my least favorite of the scenes, a bit too melodramatic for my tastes which contrasted quite sharply with the sharp and slightly acerbic portrayal of the Queen by Helen Mirren.

I liked the movie, apart from the depiction of Prince Charles and Prince Philip. But the stag scene was tasteless, imo. And yes, it was also too melodramatic. Up to that point, I was actually quite surprised at how much I liked the movie. I must admit, I was very sceptical at the beginning.

In any case, Helen Mirren was excellent as the Queen. So congratulations on well deserved award!