The Queen

I just saw a great movie with my friend Tony---The Queen, starring Helen Mirren. I found it fascinating to see the inner workings of the British government, the interplay between monarch and prime minister, the conflict between the old order and the new, and the subtle humor of the whole thing. I laughed a lot!

The movie is based on the immediate aftermath of Princess Diana's death in 1997---interesting, because Queen Elizabeth is still on the throne and Tony Blair is still in office today, and they are the two main characters, trying to figure out what protocol is in the situation and how the queen can reach out to her people without compromising her dignity. It's worth it just for the numerous shots of the queen driving her Land Rover across her Scottish estates in her tweed skirt and rubber boots, once even getting out to examine her broken SUV as she is crossing a river. As she points out to one of her groundsmen who helps her out, she was a mechanic during the war. Who knew?

The movie represents a clash between the queen's conservative way of doing things, her devotion to duty and dignity and emotional reserve ("that's what the world respects us for!") and the common people, who loved Diana's total lack of reserve, her bold vulnerability about personal problems, and her willingness to follow her heart rather than the call of duty. The movie is subtle, well-written, and has fabulous acting, as well as fabulous tweed costuming within an inch of the royals' lives.

I recommend it!

I'm going to break my personal bank with all the good movies coming out right now. I saw four previews before this movie, all for movies I now want to see (the habit is self-perpetuating), and all in addition to the four movies currently in the theatre that are on the "schedule."