This historical drama is based on the shrouded incidents around the
death of Princess Diana, the "people's princess" as so eloquently
mentioned in a speech to the British public by the young Tony Blair
who just came into power. Directed by Stephen Frears, The Queen is
an insightful drama that uses actual events with some artistic
liberty that may or may not have happened around this time
which caused the world to stop.
To
assist with the realism of The Queen, the film uses interviewers,
news footage and insider reports, both verified and non-verified to
piece together the inside information of what happened behind the
closed doors of the monarchy.
Starring Helen Mirren as
Queen Elizabeth II and Michael Sheen
as Tony Blair, this movie revolves around the turbulent relationship
of the reserved and regal monarchy who kept silent during the death
of Princess Diana, however the British public reacted quite harshly
towards this decision and it was only through the intervention of
Blair that monarchy finally reacted.
Although The Queen has a truly impressive assemble in the actors
that they have chosen to represent their real-world counterparts, Helen
Mirren truly immerses herself into the role of Queen Elizabeth II,
as does Michael Sheen as Prime Minister Tony Blair who mimics Blair
through his body language and even the way he speaks. With acting
like this, it's easy to become drawn into this world of royalty,
politics and conspiracies.
On
Blu-ray the video quality is quite exceptional, although at times
there is some noise with the image quality. Thankfully this is far
and few and when matched by the surround sound, it's truly a
cinematic experience. The scene where the Queen is fiddling with her
pearls truly makes use of the surround sound experience and at
first, I thought our speakers were broken.
In
conclusion, The Queen is a truly insightful drama about one of
Britain's most darkest times and gives the viewer a truly unique
insight into what was happening in not only Britain but also the
Monarchy and the currently political party of the time.
Gripping from start to finish!
