On Friday, K-10 and I headed to the
Prince Charles Cinema to see the Oscar winner do her thing.
Wow.
The film opens with a young Tony Blair about to be elected Prime Minister, and it's clear that the Royal Family is none too pleased about it. Blair (played wonderfully by
Michael Sheen) gets off to a rocky start with Her Majesty, but things take a bit of a turn with Princess Diana's fatal accident in Paris.
This film is about one person: Elizabeth Windsor. And Helen Mirren acts the hell out of the role. She is a person bound to duty for life, a position that she never asked for and never expected - at least not at such a young age. She was never supposed to be queen, but when her uncle abdicated the throne and her own father became King, she was immediately groomed to become a monarch.
Diana's untimely death throws her monarchy into a questionable state and she is conflicted as to how to proceed. Does the Royal Family make condolences for the death of someone they didn't like? Or do they show their emotions for the mother of the future king of England?
She is ruled by duty and responsibility and deeply understands the importance of upholding the honor of the monarchy, so something as unprecedented as the death of a formal royal throws her for a loop.
The result of this brilliant screenplay is a touching, emotional film that shows the Royal Family at their most vulnerable. And even though the Family had no input, it really makes them seem human. Finally.
Structurally, all of the actors are a little too attractive for their respective roles (especially Prince Charles!), but that's Hollywood, right? The use of existing news-reels is extremely effective and causes the viewer to relive the moments of August 31, 1997.
Really, though, the bottom line? Helen Mirren deserved every ounce of that Oscar.
2 comments:
I'm glad you felt that way about Helen Mirren too. She was absolutely amazing! And I agree about Prince Charles. He really isn't that attractive in real life.
You know who else deserved the Oscar? Forest Whittaker. You definitely need to see The Last King of Scotland.
I thought that she was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I want to see it again, just for her acting. And she was in almost every scene. Them there's some acting chops!
I know, I know... I need to see The Last Kind of Scotland. I know.
Post a Comment