I have been an admirer of Helen Mirren for years. I think she is a magnificent actress. My main knowledge of her acting is drawn from the Prime Suspect series on TV, none of which I have missed. The last Prime Suspect, shown earlier this year, brought Jane Tennison to the brink of retirement, sad, lonely and a fuddled drunk yet still capable of bringing her intelligence to bear in solving the murder of a young girl. I found the ending unbearably moving when Jane was faced with the father of the victim, wracked with grief and despair, who took her hand when he heard she was being 'put out to grass' (her words), and said a simple 'Thank you'. She smiled and then quietly walked out of her office and went home leaving just as the stripper gram for her raucous farewell party arrived. Superb.
I loved her in The Madness of King George when she lovingly called her mad husband Mr King, she reduced me to tears in Gosforth Park and now I have just watched The Queen which has left me totally stunned. I watched it on DVD as I felt it was a film I wished to see at home alone and not in the cinema and I was very glad I did as I was able to curl up on the sofa and give it my total attention.
I could not understand the mood that swept across the UK when Diana died. It seemed to me to be a form of mass hysteria and I, personally, found it quite frightening and disconcerting. Like everyone else I was glued to the television not quite believing what I was seeing, but one thing I do remember thinking was how unfair the public were to the Queen. Surely she was right to put her grandchildren first and keep them sheltered from the glare of the newspapers and TV cameras and yet she was forced to come down to London, put them and herself on display to make the public feel better.
So it was intriguing to see the other side, fictitious or not, and how the Queen felt and behaved during that incredible week in 1997. I must say if the portrayals of Alistair Campbell and Cherie Blair are as accurate as that of the Queen, it is a truly frightening thought that these two ghastly people were in a position of power for so long. I am now going to say something I never thought I would put into print, on a blog or even utter, but I found the portrayal of Tony Blair in this film almost, I say almost, made me like him. It would be really nice if one could believe that when he lost his temper with Campbell for sneering at the Queen, it was the truth. Of course, the best line in the entire movie comes towards the end when Her Maj turns to Tone and tells him 'one day your popularity will disappear too Mr Blair and it will happen very quickly' I paraphrase as I cannot remember the exact words, and of course this is what has now happened. And to paraphrase one of my favourite poems 'Prime Ministers may come and Prime Ministers may go but the Queen (Monarchy) goes on for ever'.
I thought this was a truly remarkable film and Helen Mirren totally marvellous. I am lost in admiration and o my goodness, doesn't she deserve her Oscar.
Five stars easy peasy. Do watch it if you have not already done so.
