The Queen
2006 Directed by Stephen Frears
Synopsis
The Queen is an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at the interaction between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle, following the death of Diana, to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.
Cast
Popular reviews
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While it's not a masterpiece and how much actually happened is questionable, The Queen is an enjoyable insight into a private woman who may lead a nation but knows little about her people.
For those ten days after Princess Diana's death, the people turned against Queen Elizabeth II as she refused to acknowledge the grief of the British people. Director Stephen Frears smartly puts the viewer in the Queen's point-of-view as the excellent archive footage proves that the out-pouring of grief over Diana bordered on the ridiculous and down-right psychotic. Diana, while charming, actually did very little for the British public who were stupidly manipulated by the hungry press as they searched for a villain in a real-life soap opera.…
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That part where she does that thing with the latex and the leather straps? UNNNHHHH!!! So hot. I wanted to whip it out right there but I was watching it on my ipod and the bus driver gave me a really savage look when I unzipped.
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I continue to believe that this is one of the most underrated films of the last ten years. There is not a moment of this film that isn't perfectly constructed and charged with an incredible amount of emotion.
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The Queen is a solid albeit unspectacular film about the British monarchy at the aftermath of Princess Diana's death. In style it's sort of like a documentary, it just presents the facts and mood of the time and does nothing more with it, which makes for perfectly good viewing. The performances are all very good, especially Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth and Michael Sheen as Tony Blair.
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An interesting film as an interpretation of the days that followed Princess Diana's death, and as a study of a character I don't know much about. Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen are excellent in this, especially Mirren who gives a moving performance. I think her Oscar was well deserved.
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An impressive film lead by a bang-on Helen Mirren and a vastly underrated Michael Sheen. James Cromwell and Sylvia Sym are great in supporting roles. A solid film with integrity. Way to go, Stephen Frears
Recent reviews
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this film is severely misleading: everyone is hotter than their real life counterpart
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I was pretty taken by this film. Engaging and captivating and seemingly fair-minded (though I'm no expert on the subject). Emotionally effective at several points, great performances. Fantastic.
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The death of Princess Diana has become one of the largest historical moments in our lifetime (especially if you ask any of the number of author’s or documentarians who have profited off her demise). Stephen Frear’s film focuses on how Queen Elizabeth (Helen Mirren, in an Oscar-winning role) dealt with that death, and more importantly, how she dealt with the public perception of her own reaction. Assuming it is best to hide her grief, Queen Elizabeth and her family remain sequestered in Balmoral, yet newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) struggles to convince her that her people need her presence. The ensuing tug of war is played out with all of the subtlety one would expect of British…
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That part where she does that thing with the latex and the leather straps? UNNNHHHH!!! So hot. I wanted to whip it out right there but I was watching it on my ipod and the bus driver gave me a really savage look when I unzipped.
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I continue to believe that this is one of the most underrated films of the last ten years. There is not a moment of this film that isn't perfectly constructed and charged with an incredible amount of emotion.
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A terrific film with great insight into Royal life, and headlined by an incredible, Oscar-winning performance from Helen Mirren.
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Documentary-like, watchable for a history lesson and not entertainment.
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The Queen is a solid albeit unspectacular film about the British monarchy at the aftermath of Princess Diana's death. In style it's sort of like a documentary, it just presents the facts and mood of the time and does nothing more with it, which makes for perfectly good viewing. The performances are all very good, especially Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth and Michael Sheen as Tony Blair.
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An interesting film as an interpretation of the days that followed Princess Diana's death, and as a study of a character I don't know much about. Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen are excellent in this, especially Mirren who gives a moving performance. I think her Oscar was well deserved.