| The Queen | |
|---|---|
Teaser poster |
|
| Directed by | Stephen Frears |
| Produced by | Andy Harries Christine Langan Tracey Seaward Francois Ivernel |
| Written by | Peter Morgan |
| Starring | Helen Mirren Michael Sheen James Cromwell Helen McCrory Alex Jennings Roger Allam Sylvia Syms |
| Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
| Cinematography | Affonso Beato |
| Editing by | Lucia Zucchetti |
| Studio | Granada Productions BIM Distribuzione Pathé Renn Production France 3 Cinéma Canal+ |
| Distributed by | Pathé Pictures Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | 2 September 2006 (Venice) 15 September 2006 (United Kingdom) 18 October 2006 (France) |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | France United Kingdom Italy |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £9.8 million ($15 million) |
| Box office | £77,865,176 ($123,384,128)[1] |
The Queen is a 2006 British drama film directed by Stephen Frears, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Helen Mirren as the title role, HM Queen Elizabeth II. Released almost a decade after the event, the film depicts a fictional account of the immediate events following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales on 31 August 1997.
The main plot focuses on the differing views in how to deal with the death of Diana. The Royal Family, while on their summer residence at Balmoral Castle, sees her death as a private affair, not to be treated as an official Royal death, in contrast with newly appointed Prime Minister Tony Blair and Diana's ex-husband Prince Charles, who attempt to reflect the public wish for an official expression of grief. Matters are further complicated by the media, royal protocol regarding Diana's official status, and wider issues about republicanism. The views of Diana's two sons throughout the film are only portrayed through other characters.
The film's release coincided with a revival of favourable public sentiment with respect to the monarchy and a downturn in fortunes for Blair, whose resignation came less than a year later. Michael Sheen reprised his role as Blair from the Channel 4 television film The Deal, and did so again in The Special Relationship. The film also earned critical and popular acclaim for Mirren, and some controversy as she had originally refused appointment into the Order of the British Empire in 1996,[2] only to accept the offer in 2003. Mirren praised the Queen in her Academy Awards acceptance speech and was invited to dinner at Buckingham Palace on 10 May 2007,[3] but declined to attend due to filming commitments in the United States.[4]
Contents |
The film begins after the 1997 British general election, where Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) becomes Britain's Labour prime minister. While sitting for an official portrait, the Queen (Helen Mirren) talks with the artist about her regret at not being allowed to vote. She is slightly wary of Blair and his pledge to "modernise" the country, but Blair promises to respect the Royal Family. When Blair visits Buckingham Palace to kiss hands, the Queen follows custom and asks him to form a government in her name.
Three months later, Diana, Princess of Wales dies in a car crash in the Alma Bridge tunnel in Paris along with her companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. Blair's director of communications, Alastair Campbell (Mark Bazeley), prepares a speech in which Diana is described as "the people's princess." Blair gives his speech the next day and the phrase catches on. Over the next few days, millions of people across London erupt in an outpouring of grief at Buckingham and Kensington Palaces. Meanwhile, the Royal Family are still at Balmoral Castle, their summer estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Diana's death sparks division among numerous members of the family. The Royal Family observes that, since Diana was divorced from her husband, Prince Charles (Alex Jennings) a year earlier, she is no longer a part of the family. They insists that Diana's funeral is a "private affair" and is best left to Diana's noble family, the Spencers. Charles argues that the mother of a future king cannot be dismissed so lightly, and the Queen allows the use of an aircraft of the British Royal Flight to bring Diana's body back to England.
In London, flowers pile up along the palace railings, forcing the changing of the Queen's guard to use another gate. British tabloids become inflammatory about the lack of a statement from the Royal Family. Charles leaves no doubt that he shares Blair's views about the need for a statement. As the Royal Family's ratings plummet, Blair's popularity rises, to the delight of his anti-monarchist advisers and wife Cherie (Helen McCrory). However, Blair does not share these sentiments. While disagreeing with the Queen's course of action, he begins to develop an admiration for her. Blair disagrees with his wife's views and tells her that a republican Britain is ludicrous, and begins to denounce the anti-royal disdain of his Labour Party advisors. Blair calls the Queen at Balmoral and recommends measures to regain public confidence for the monarchy: attend a public funeral for Diana at Westminster Abbey, fly a Union flag at half mast over Buckingham Palace and speak to the nation about Diana's life and legacy in a televised address.
Blair's recommendations outrage other members of the Royal Family including Prince Philip (James Cromwell) and the Queen Mother (Sylvia Syms). Philip is surprised that Elton John is asked to attend and sing a song, "Candle in the Wind" in Diana's memory. They view such steps as an undignified surrender to public hysteria. The Queen seems concerned about this and although she shares their feelings, she has doubts as she closely follows the news. She believes that there has been a shift in public values and that perhaps she should abdicate. The Queen Mother dismisses the idea, saying that she is one of the greatest assets the monarchy has ever had, stating: "The real problem will come when you leave." She also reminds the Queen of the promise she made in Cape Town, South Africa on her 21st birthday, in which she promised that her "whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong..." Meanwhile, Philip attempts to distract William and Harry (Jake Taylor Shantos and Dash Barber) from Diana's death by taking them deer stalking. While venturing out alone in her Land Rover, the Queen damages the vehicle while crossing a river and is forced to telephone for assistance. She weeps in frustration, but catches sight of a majestic Red Deer for which William and Harry have been stalking. She is struck by his beauty and the two stare at each other. Hearing a distant gunshot, she shoos the animal away. The Queen decides to carry out the recommendations of Blair. While preparing to return back to London, she is horrified to learn that the deer has been killed on a neighbouring estate, and asks to see the stag and is upset at its loss.
The Royal Family returns to London to inspect the floral tributes, and while being shown on live television, Blair becomes angry at his Labour Party advisors and states that the Queen is admirable and thinks that Diana "threw everything she offered back in her face" and seemed to destroy everything held most dear by the Queen. The Queen later follow Blair's advice and gives her statement, speaking about Diana's life and legacy on live television and describing Diana as "an exceptional and gifted human being". Two months later, Blair visits Buckingham Palace for a weekly meeting. The Queen finally regained her popularity, but she believes that Blair has benefited himself from her acquiescence to his advice and that she will never quite fully recover from "that week". The Queen cautions Blair that one day he too will find that public opinion can rapidly turn against him and declares that times have changed and that the monarchy must "modernise". When Blair suggests that he can help with this, The Queen replies: "Don't get ahead of yourself, Prime Minister. Remember, I'm supposed to be the one advising you".
| Actor/Actress | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Helen Mirren | HM The Queen | This film is the fourth time that Mirren has portrayed a British queen: the first was a queen consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in The Madness of King George (1994), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; the second was a queen regnant, Elizabeth I, in the 2005 miniseries Elizabeth I. She also played a police woman undercover as the Queen in The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu. |
| Michael Sheen | Prime Minister Tony Blair | Sheen had previously played Blair in the Channel 4 television film The Deal, also directed by Frears and written by Morgan. He reprised his role in The Special Relationship. |
| James Cromwell | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | |
| Helen McCrory | Cherie Blair | Tony Blair's wife. Like Sheen, McCrory reprised this role in The Special Relationship. |
| Alex Jennings | Charles, Prince of Wales | Diana's ex-husband |
| Roger Allam | Robin Janvrin (later Lord Janvrin) | In this film, Janvrin is Private Secretary to the Queen, although he was the Deputy Private Secretary at the time of Diana's death. |
| Sylvia Syms | HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother | |
| Tim McMullan | Stephen Lamport | Private Secretary to Charles, Prince of Wales |
| Mark Bazeley | Alastair Campbell | Director of Communications and Strategy for the Prime Minister |
| Douglas Reith | Lord Airlie | Lord Chamberlain |
| Robin Soans | Equerry | |
| Lola Peploe | Janvrin's Secretary | |
| Tom Cruise | Himself (archive footage) | (uncredited) |
| Dodi Fayed | Himself (archive footage) | (uncredited) |
| Bill Clinton | Himself (archive footage) | (uncredited) |
| Princess Diana | Herself (archive footage) | (uncredited) |
| Anthony Debaeck | Catholic Priest | |
| Trevor McDonald | Newsreader | ITV newsreader, covered Diana's death |
| Jake Taylor Shantos | Prince William of Wales | Diana's sons |
| Dash Barber | Prince Harry of Wales |
The screenplay was written by Peter Morgan and produced by Pathé Pictures and Granada Productions (ITV Productions). Stephen Frears had a clause in his contract from The Deal that allowed him to direct any follow-ups or sequels, and he was officially announced as director in September 2003.[5] The film was shot on location in the United Kingdom, in England in London, Halton House and Waddesdon Manor, in Buckinghamshire, Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire and in Scotland at Balmoral Castle and Castle Fraser in Aberdeenshire and Blairquhan Castle and Culzean Castle in South Ayrshire. Mirren says transforming herself into the Queen came almost naturally after the wig and glasses, since she shares a default facial expression — a slightly downturned mouth — with the monarch.[6] She regularly reviewed film and video footage of Elizabeth and kept photographs in her trailer during production.[7] She also undertook extensive voice coaching, faithfully reproducing the Queen's delivery of her televised speech to the world. Morgan has said that her performance was so convincing that, by the end of production, crew members who had been accustomed to slouching or relaxing when they addressed her were standing straight up and respectfully folding their hands behind their backs.[6] Mirren arranged to spend time off-camera with the supporting cast playing other members of the Royal Family, including James Cromwell, Alex Jennings and Sylvia Syms so they would be as comfortable with each other as a real family.[7] Shots involving the Queen were shot in 35mm film and shots of Tony Blair were shot in 16mm film to enhance the contrast of different worlds.[8]
ITV's role in the production of the film allowed them an option for its television premiere and it was broadcast on 2 September 2007(coinciding that weekend with a memorial service to Diana) to an average audience of 7.9 million, winning its timeslot.[9][10] The DVD was released in the UK on 12 March 2007. Special features include a making-of featurette and an audio commentary by Stephen Frears, writer Peter Morgan and Robert Lacey, biographer of Queen Elizabeth II. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the USA on 24 April 2007. As of 30 September 2007, The Queen has generated DVD sales of over $23 billion.[11]
Some aspects of the characters are known to be true to their real-life counterparts. Cherie Blair's hostility to the monarchy has been widely reported, including her refusal to curtsey.[12] According to Morgan, "cabbage" is an actual term of endearment Philip uses for his wife («mon chou» – “my cabbage” – is a standard affectionate nickname in French).[6]
Other elements represent characteristics associated with people depicted. The electric guitar seen behind Blair in his personal office is a reference to his past membership in the band Ugly Rumours while a student. The Newcastle United football jersey he wears to a family breakfast is a reference to his support of that team. The film also shows Alastair Campbell coining the term 'the people's princess', but in 2007 he revealed that it was Tony Blair who came up with it.[13]
The most notable inaccuracy is that Robin Janvrin is represented as the Queen's Private Secretary during the aftermath of Diana's death, but in fact that position was then occupied by Janvrin's predecessor, Sir Robert Fellowes, a brother-in-law of Diana, Princess of Wales; Janvrin was only the Deputy Private Secretary up until 1999 when he took the position of Private Secretary to the Queen. However, the film is accurate in depicting Janvrin as the person who delivered the news of Diana's accident to Elizabeth at Balmoral during the night.[14]
The film exceeded box-office expectations; with a budget of $15 million the film has earned $56.4 million in the United States and has a worldwide gross of $120 million.[15]
Before the film was released, critics praised both Stephen Frears and Peter Morgan, who later garnered Golden Globe and Academy Award-nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Michael Sheen's performance as Tony Blair earned him particular acclaim. Helen Mirren's portrayal garnered her acclaim from critics around the world. Her portrayal made her a favourite for the Academy Award for Best Actress well before the film was released in theatres. After its showing at the Venice Film Festival, Mirren received a five-minute-long standing ovation.[16] Roger Ebert came out of recovery from surgery to give the film a review. He called it "spellbinding" and gave it four out of four stars.[17] The Queen was the most critically acclaimed film of 2006 with Mirren being the most critically acclaimed actress of the year. The Queen has 97% positive reviews on the film-critics aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.[18]
Amongst the few negative reviews, Slant Magazine's Nick Schager criticised the insider portraiture of the film as "somewhat less than revelatory, in part because Morgan's script succumbs to cutie-pie jokiness [...] and broad caricature", mentioning particularly "James Cromwell's Prince Philip, who envisions the crowned heads as exiled victims and the gathering crowds as encroaching "Zulus"".[19]
The film appeared on many US critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006.[20]
Helen Mirren won at least 29 major awards for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, many of which are listed below. She was nominated for at least 3 more.
| Academy Awards record | |
|---|---|
| 1. Best Actress (Helen Mirren) | |
| Golden Globe Awards record | |
| 1. Best Actress (Helen Mirren) | |
| 2. Best Screenplay | |
| BAFTA Awards record | |
| 1. Best Picture | |
| 2. Best Actress (Helen Mirren) | |
2006 British Academy Film (BAFTA) Awards
2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards
2006 Directors Guild of America Awards
2006 Writers Guild of America Awards
2006 Producers Guild of America Awards
2006 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
2006 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
2006 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
2006 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
2006 National Society of Film Critics Awards
2006 Satellite Awards
2006 National Board of Review Awards
2006 Chicago International Film Festival
2006 British Independent Film Awards
2006 Venice Film Festival
| The Queen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Alexandre Desplat | ||||
| Released | September 26, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Label | Milan | |||
| Alexandre Desplat chronology | ||||
|
||||
The soundtrack album was released on the Milan label on 26 September 2006. The original score and songs were composed by Alexandre Desplat and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The album was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score. It was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music (lost to the score of Babel).
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||