The Queen (film)

Plot

The 1997 general election has Tony Blair elected as the Prime Minister from the Labour Party, under the strong premise calling for modernisation. Less than four months later, Diana, Princess of Wales is killed in a car crash at the Alma Bridge tunnel in Paris.

Immediately, her death presents problems for her ex-husband, Prince Charles, and Blair, to accord the mother of a future king that is no longer a member of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II wonders if Blair will turn his modernisation pledge on to the royal family since he attempts to have her reconsider her views on the funeral plans. Diana's family, the Spencers, called for the funeral to be private.

In the press Diana is dubbed the "People's Princess" and thus starts the outpouring of grief by the general public in broadcasts, and displays of floral tributes so numerous at Buckingham and Kensington Palaces that the main entrances onto the complexes have to be rerouted. The senior members of the royal family make no effort to acknowledge Diana's significance to society and remain on holiday at Balmoral; the royal family's popularity plummets. Blair's approval rises as he responds to the public outcry of inaction by the royal family.

Blair's attempts to guide the royal family through the controversy are met with resistance, the Queen describing them as a surrender to public hysteria. He is encouraged through veiled advice from the private secretaries of the Prince of Wales and the Queen to continue with his attempts to change the attitude of the royal family. The Queen comes to realise that the world has changed during her reign and Blair comes to realise that Diana has rejected everything the Queen holds most dear.

The Queen decides to end discussion about the issue. The royal family returns to London to review the floral tributes to Diana. The Queen pays public tribute on live television to Diana's significance to the nation and society. The royal family attend the public funeral for Diana at Westminster Abbey.

At Blair's next meeting with the Queen, they exchange views about what has happened since their last meeting including the controversy surrounding Diana's death and the actions that are followed. Then she cautions the Prime Minister that just as public opinion has changed about how the royal family should react to a new Britain, so must he as he may very well find himself in the same position of changing public opinion.

Filming

The screenplay was written by Peter Morgan. It was produced by Pathé Pictures and Granada Productions (ITV Productions). Stephen Frears had a clause in his contract from The Deal that allowed him to direct any follow-ups or sequels, and he was officially announced as director in September 2003. The film was shot on location in the United Kingdom, in England in London, Halton House and Waddesdon Manor, in Buckinghamshire, Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire and in Scotland at Balmoral Castle, Castle Fraser and Cluny Castle in Aberdeenshire, and Blairquhan Castle and Culzean Castle in South Ayrshire.

Set design

The sets were designed by Alan MacDonald, which won him Best Art Direction in a Contemporary Film from the Art Directors Guild and Best Technical Achievement at the British Independent Film Awards.

Portraying the Queen

Mirren says transforming herself into the Queen came almost naturally after the wig and glasses, since she shares a default facial expression—a slightly downturned mouth – with the monarch. She regularly reviewed film and video footage of Elizabeth and kept photographs in her trailer during production. She also undertook extensive voice coaching, faithfully reproducing the Queen's delivery of her televised speech to the world. Morgan has said that her performance was so convincing that, by the end of production, crew members who had been accustomed to slouching or relaxing when they addressed her were standing straight up and respectfully folding their hands behind their backs. Mirren arranged to spend time off-camera with the supporting cast playing other members of the Royal Family, including James Cromwell, Alex Jennings and Sylvia Syms so they would be as comfortable with each other as a real family.

To enhance the contrast of their different worlds, shots involving the Queen were taken in 35mm film and those of Tony Blair in 16mm film.

Television viewership and home media

ITV's role in the production of the film allowed them an option for its television premiere and it was broadcast on 2 September 2007 (coinciding that weekend with a memorial service to Diana) to an average audience of 7.9 million, winning its timeslot. The DVD was released in the UK on 12 March 2007. Special features include a making-of featurette and an audio commentary by Stephen Frears, writer Peter Morgan and Robert Lacey, biographer of Queen Elizabeth II. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the USA on 24 April 2007 and, as of 2013, US DVD sales had exceeded $29 million.

Historical accuracy

Some aspects of the characters are known to be true to their real-life counterparts. Cherie Blair's hostility to the monarchy has been widely reported, including her refusal to curtsey. According to Morgan, "cabbage" is an actual term of endearment Philip uses for his wife («mon chou» – "my cabbage" – is a standard affectionate nickname in French).

Other elements represent characteristics associated with people depicted. The electric guitar seen behind Blair in his personal office is a reference to his past membership in the band Ugly Rumours while a student. The Newcastle United football jersey he wears to a family breakfast is a reference to his support of that team. The film also shows Alastair Campbell coining the term 'the people's princess', but in 2007 he revealed that it was Tony Blair who came up with it.

A notable inaccuracy is that Robin Janvrin is represented as the Queen's private secretary during the aftermath of Diana's death. In fact, that position was then occupied by Janvrin's predecessor, Sir Robert Fellowes, a brother-in-law of Diana, Princess of Wales; Janvrin was the deputy private secretary until 1999. However, the film is accurate in depicting Janvrin as the person who delivered the news of Diana's accident to the Queen at Balmoral during the night.

Stage adaptation

The film's screenwriter Peter Morgan adapted his script for the stage, under a new title, The Audience, with Helen Mirren continuing her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II. The play opened in London and then transferred to the Broadway stage, where Mirren won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

Box office

The film exceeded box-office expectations; with a budget of $15 million the film earned $56.4 million in the United States and Canada.

Critical reception

Before the film was released, critics praised both Stephen Frears and Peter Morgan, who later received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Michael Sheen's performance as Tony Blair earned him particular acclaim. Helen Mirren's portrayal, which garnered her acclaim from critics around the world, made her a favourite for the Academy Award for Best Actress well before the film was released in cinemas. After its showing at the Venice Film Festival, Mirren received a five-minute-long standing ovation. Roger Ebert came out of recovery from surgery to give the film a review, in which he called it "spellbinding" and gave it four out of four stars. The Queen has 97% positive reviews on the film critics aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.

Amongst the few negative reviews, Slant Magazine's Nick Schager criticised the insider portraiture of the film as "somewhat less than revelatory, in part because Morgan's script succumbs to cutie-pie jokiness [...] and broad caricature", mentioning particularly "James Cromwell's Prince Philip, who envisions the crowned heads as exiled victims and the gathering crowds as encroaching 'Zulus'".

Top ten lists

The film appeared on many US critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006.

Awards and nominations

Mirren won several awards for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, many of which are listed below. She was nominated for at least three more. In most of her acceptance speeches, she expressed her admiration for the real Queen, and dedicated both her Golden Globe and her Oscar to Elizabeth II.

79th Academy Awards (2006)

2006 British Academy Film (BAFTA) Awards

2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards

2006 Directors Guild of America Awards

2006 Writers Guild of America Awards

2006 Producers Guild of America Awards

64th Golden Globe Awards

2006 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

2006 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards

2006 New York Film Critics Circle Awards

2006 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

2006 National Society of Film Critics Awards

2006 Satellite Awards

2006 National Board of Review Awards

2006 Chicago International Film Festival

2006 British Independent Film Awards

2006 Venice Film Festival

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was released on the Milan label on 26 September 2006. The original score and songs were composed by Alexandre Desplat and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The album was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score. It was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music (lost to the score of Babel).

1. The Queen – 2:10
2. Hills of Scotland – 2:25
3. People's Princess I – 4:08
4. A New Prime Minister – 1:55
5. H.R.H. – 2:22
6. The Stag – 1:50
7. Mourning – 3:50
8. Elizabeth & Tony – 2:04
9. River of Sorrow – 1:59
10. The Flowers of Buckingham – 2:28
11. The Queen Drives – 1:48
12. Night in Balmoral – 1:09
13. Tony & Elizabeth – 2:06
14. People's Princess II – 4:08
15. Queen of Hearts – 3:33
16. Libera Me (Verdi) – 6:27