Cinema Hype

In her new movie The Queen, it’s astonishing how much Helen Mirren resembles Queen Elizabeth II. Something in the set of the mouth, the skin around the jaw, the never-changing hair-do is so profoundly British Royal that it’s a little distracting to realize, in looking at the rest of the actors–who don’t look their parts as completely–that the people onscreen are not the actual British royal family.

Since Halloween is past, it’s officially Oscar-contender season, and The Queen falls squarely under that category–it’s a small movie, an in-depth character study that depends more on Mirren’s flawless performance than on a barn-burner of a plot. A fictionalized account of the Windsor family blended with actual footage of the late Princess Diana and newscasts from the week after her death add to the vaguely unnerving sense of reality and give the whole thing an air of graveness. These are real people and real situations we’re talking about here, after all. To be fair, Mirren should be in the running in March–she is utterly convincing and lends a subtle mix of resolve and sympathy to a role that could potentially be lacking in both of those qualities.

The movie reveals a woman very much of her generation, shaped profoundly by the trials of World War II and her service in the armed forces. The Queen of England is no layabout, instead roaming the Scottish countryside in a four-wheel-drive Land Rover, a barn coat, and wellington boots. She is reserved, capable, practical, and resilient–to the point of appearing heartless–and she expects her people to be the same. It’s this expectation that gets the queen in trouble; if we’re meant to gain an understanding of her and her character, the movie also shows a rift of class and generation in modern-day Britain, with the monarchy on one side and Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) , Princess Diana, and the general public on the other. Resolution is scant, here, because the events of the story are true–as far as we know–and because the issues brought up by the movie are cultural ones, not necessarily personal ones. However, resolution isn’t entirely the point, either. This is a character study, not a story with a real ending, and we’re meant to appreciate that.

In general, it works. There is much to appreciate here. The movie is slow, but not boring; the “characters” are well-shaded and complex; the sense of telling a subtle story is carried off beautifully; and Mirren is, as always, a joy to watch.