The Bottom Line
- Helen Mirren gives one of the greatest performances in movie history
- Film presents a brilliant character study of Elizabeth II
- Movie explores the human need to reconcile tradition with change
- Some people don't find the film's subject matter interesting
- The movie is too low-keyed for some
- Some purists claim the film is historically inaccurate
Description
- DVD containing drama The Queen (2006) starring Helen Mirren
- Helen Mirren won Academy Award for Best Actress
- Film nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture
- DVD provides audio commentary by director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan
- DVD supplies audio commentary by historian Robert Lacey, author of Majesty
- DVD contains 20-minute making-of featurette
- MPAA rating: PG-13 for brief strong language
- Feature film run time: 1 hour 43 minutes
- DVD release date: April 24, 2007
Guide Review - The Queen DVD Review
The Queen was one of the top films of 2006, and in it Helen Mirren gives a towering performance as Elizabeth II. Mirren won the Academy Award for Best Actress, and the movie was nominated for five additional Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costumes and Best Original Score.
The story takes place in 1997, when Elizabeth has been queen for 45 years. As depicted in the film, she is reserved and dignified and represents centuries-old traditions. The movie opens around the time Tony Blair (well-played by Michael Sheen) is elected prime minister. He's an informal sort who wants to modernize Britain.
The film's drama kicks in when international celebrity Princess Diana is killed in a car crash. Although Diana was not technically part of the royal family, her two young sons are, and at least one of them will likely become king. At first Elizabeth remains holed up with the two boys in Scotland, but outrage grows that the royals are making no public gesture of mourning. That's when Blair begins trying to convince the queen her behavior is threatening the monarchy.
The Queen DVD provides two audio commentary tracks. One is the lively, well-organized commentary of royal expert Robert Lacey, who furnishes a wealth of historical detail. The other is a jokey, disorganized commentary by director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan, who sporadically say something worth listening to. The only other extra on the DVD is a serviceable 20-minute making-of, in which Helen Mirren gives some interesting insights into how she played her role.
