Thursday, October 05, 2006
The Queen
Her portrayal of HM Elizabeth II may have earned her the Volpi Cup in Venice, but to the eyes of an average viewer Dame Mirren's performance seemed oddly familiar. A woman working to maintain control with a cool measured air of authority? The occasionally lapses in confidence followed up by positive affirmations from a face and voice that take no nonsense? It could have been Tennison or it could have been Mrs. Tingle; ultimately it was classic Mirren.
If anything in the film can be held up as an example of Mirren stepping out of her sphere, the speech she gives is an impeccable imitation of the Queen's public speaking voice. But Mirren isn't the only one who demonstrates a flair for mimicry. Michael Sheen carries off Tony Blair's nervous grin and choppy speech flawlessly, and Helen McCrory seems to positively enjoy her task as Cherie Blair displaying exaggerated irreverence in the presence of the Head of State. If crowds didn't laugh enough at the good old fashioned parodies of public figures, the human angle is pressed with shots of The Queen Mother (played by Sylvia Syms) dozing off while still clutching her tumbler.
Due to the tender nature of the story he'd chosen, the reaction inside and outside the Royal family to Diana Spencer's death, Peter Morgan's screenplay needed to keep archive and speculation in a tricky balance. If his inference that public opinion was enough to make the government and the Royals to decide to have a large public funeral is correct, then audiences' visceral reaction to The Queen could inform their opinions about the monarchy and the current government. But unless people are as impulsive as some of the footage included in the film would have one believe, audiences will be able the view The Queen as a drama based on a real event and draw their own conclusions about the intent of the filmmakers.
If anything in the film can be held up as an example of Mirren stepping out of her sphere, the speech she gives is an impeccable imitation of the Queen's public speaking voice. But Mirren isn't the only one who demonstrates a flair for mimicry. Michael Sheen carries off Tony Blair's nervous grin and choppy speech flawlessly, and Helen McCrory seems to positively enjoy her task as Cherie Blair displaying exaggerated irreverence in the presence of the Head of State. If crowds didn't laugh enough at the good old fashioned parodies of public figures, the human angle is pressed with shots of The Queen Mother (played by Sylvia Syms) dozing off while still clutching her tumbler.
Due to the tender nature of the story he'd chosen, the reaction inside and outside the Royal family to Diana Spencer's death, Peter Morgan's screenplay needed to keep archive and speculation in a tricky balance. If his inference that public opinion was enough to make the government and the Royals to decide to have a large public funeral is correct, then audiences' visceral reaction to The Queen could inform their opinions about the monarchy and the current government. But unless people are as impulsive as some of the footage included in the film would have one believe, audiences will be able the view The Queen as a drama based on a real event and draw their own conclusions about the intent of the filmmakers.
# posted by Kielty @ 7:29 AM 
