The Queen examines the seven days following the death of Princess Diana from the perspectives of Queen Elizabeth II and Tony Blair, the newly elected Prime Minister. The film looks closely at the relationships that the Queen and Blair have with each other, as well as the public, and offers some insight into the manner in which the British media can manipulate its readers and viewers. Largely, however, the thin plot and melodrama of the supporting cast create the tone of a made-for-TV movie rather than a cinema release.

Helen Mirren portrays her enigmatic queen, who spent the days immediately following her former daughter-in-law's death in a near-reclusive state, ignoring her subjects and refusing to issue any sort of public statement to indicate the grief of the royal family. Mirren certainly has a strong screen presence, and the work of a talented make-up and wardrobe department help bring the character to life, but the script ultimately fails to engage the audience in the Queen's struggle to balance her private and public lives. Mirren rises above the uninspiring dialogue and gives a great performance of an iconic figure, but the central conflict never intensifies enough, and the viewer ultimately cares little about the Queen's struggle.

Michael Sheen gives a notable performance as Blair, the only character for whom the audience can muster up any empathy. Scriptwriter Peter Morgan injects some humour into the 10 Downing Street scenes with some witty banter between Blair and Alastair Campbell and snide remarks about Gordon Brown, and the down-to-earth depiction of Blair's relationship with his wife does remind the audience that real people are being discussed, but these genuine moments are too few and far between. Director Stephen Frears highlights the influence of the media by using clips of actual news footage, as well as allowing Princess Diana to portray herself through an archive of interviews. This tactic can work well (most recently in Good Night, and Good Luck) but is ineffective in this case, as the events of 1997 are too recent to evoke any real sense of history or nostalgia that makes such footage a useful device.

The script keeps telling, rather than showing, the viewer that the Queen's public persona is vital to her country, resulting in stilted dialogue and 'dramatic' moments that fall flat. Beneath it all, there is the suggestion that the people of the United Kingdom are moving away from the idea of a monarchy, but that thesis is not discussed in an interesting or engaging way. The Queen has performances to note, but very little else.

Jennifer Saeger Killelea

Rated PG (see IFCO website for details)
The Queen is released on 15th September 2006.
The Queen – Official website